We’re all guilty of it.
Even little Johnny sitting there in the corner who has nothing but good things to say about everyone. He too has unleashed a verbal assault on an MMA fighter.
I suppose it is no different than any other sport. Professional athletes (and unfortunately college kids, too) come across death threats and verbal abuse from so-called “fans” on what seems to be a regular basis. Perhaps fans save the death threats for special occasions such as when Steve Blake misses a shot or a kicker for Boise State has a bad night.
Most of us are sane, or we at least claim to be, and are put off by those who take being a fan to the level in which they start making threats. Those threats are more prevalent today because of the ease in which somebody can get in touch with an athlete.
Before social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, one would have to either hand-write a letter to their intended recipient, find a phone number and call or say something face-to-face. Athletes are more accessible today than they have ever been, and that isn’t always a good thing.
What I have noticed, especially in the MMA community, is the increase of what I would consider to be annoying “hateful” behavior coming from both fans and the media.
One recent example was MMA fans blowing up Cody McKenzie’s Twitter account for getting KO’d in 30 seconds.
I have no interest in putting any of my friends or people I know around the MMA community on blast, but it is really becoming too much, I think.
Personally, I’ve come and gone from Twitter and Facebook quite a few times. Whenever I get fed up with all the hate spewing out of the mouths of MMA fans (or people in general) I resist the urge to jump in and play super hero because I know those attacks will then just come at me.
This goes beyond saying a fighter sucks. I’m referring to those who go straight for the personal attacks. Attacks against fighters, commentators, writers and even your fellow fans that you hear from on a daily basis.
Is this kind of hate good for MMA? Does it fuel the fire and passion that leads to a more loyal fanbase? Or will it slowly divide the community to the point where people begin to lose interest in all the negativity?
The sport itself is violent—we all get that. It’s also an art that we can appreciate regardless of the outcome of the fight, unless we are forced to watch a main event in which one fighter backpedals from the aggressor for 25 minutes.
Take this article for what it’s worth. I’m not saying fans need to soften up. What I am saying is as respectful as MMA is inside the cage, it is even more disrespectful outside of it.
Joe Chacon is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.
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