A discussion about the MMA media surfaced on r/MMA recently, with the inflammatory title “Why do people on this subreddit refuse to acknowledge that the MMA media is bought and paid for?”
The OP (original poster for those unfamiliar with Internet lingo) linked our Shill ‘Em All series as proof of the media’s misdeeds, and also discussed Zach Arnold’s Fight Opinion piece about the connection between WSOF and Zuffa.
MMA fans responded with apathy and quips. Here three select comments:
1. “Sports journalism should be about the sport, they are covering UFC fighters and fights, you don’t need to be unbiased to write who won a fight and how it looked.
I personally don’t give a flying fuck about what did Dana White do today, so if someone is biased and reports only the good stuff that paints him in a good light or someone is shitting on him I don’t give a fuck either way.
My favorite writer is Jack Slack, and I don’t think he mentioned UFC-s promotional practice or what color DW-s shit is, I read him because he is very good at analyzing fights and fighters, if I wanted to know about contracts, pay and substance abuse I’d go read a real newspaper (or not, given the state of journalism in general).”
2. “Who the fuck cares? Mma media sucks because of blog spam and click baiting, not your bullshit.”
And my personal favorite:
3. “Cagepotato are only bitter because they had their credentials pulled.”
(“ARIEL!! ARIEL!! OMG HE TOTES JUST LOOKED IN OUR DIRECTION, YOU GUYS!!” *faints* Photo via Sherdog.)
A discussion about the MMA media surfaced on r/MMA recently, with the inflammatory title “Why do people on this subreddit refuse to acknowledge that the MMA media is bought and paid for?”
The OP (original poster for those unfamiliar with Internet lingo) linked our Shill ‘Em All series as proof of the media’s misdeeds, and also discussed Zach Arnold’s Fight Opinion piece about the connection between WSOF and Zuffa.
MMA fans responded with apathy and quips. Here three select comments:
1. “Sports journalism should be about the sport, they are covering UFC fighters and fights, you don’t need to be unbiased to write who won a fight and how it looked.
I personally don’t give a flying fuck about what did Dana White do today, so if someone is biased and reports only the good stuff that paints him in a good light or someone is shitting on him I don’t give a fuck either way.
My favorite writer is Jack Slack, and I don’t think he mentioned UFC-s promotional practice or what color DW-s shit is, I read him because he is very good at analyzing fights and fighters, if I wanted to know about contracts, pay and substance abuse I’d go read a real newspaper (or not, given the state of journalism in general).”
2. “Who the fuck cares? Mma media sucks because of blog spam and click baiting, not your bullshit.”
And my personal favorite:
3. “Cagepotato are only bitter because they had their credentials pulled.”
There were many other comments (and Bleacher Report’s own Jeremy Botter made a guest appearance to dispel the whispers about the WSOF-Zuffa connection) but the three above—specifically the first two—summarize the general sentiment MMA fans had towards the MMA media. Some only care about what happens in the cage. Others really didn’t care much at all outside of maligning the copy + paste websites that litter the landscape.
Regarding the first comment about outside-the-cage stories not mattering: I’m tempted to call fight breakdowns a lost art in MMA, save for the fact that they’re everywhere come fight time. Extremely high quality ones, however, are harder to find. The Reddit commenter who mentioned Jack Slack is right. Slack is by far the greatest assessor of in-cage techniques that has graced the keyboard.
But most fans fail to realize that much of MMA takes place outside the Octagon. Contracts, fighter pay, fighter behavior, PEDs, and other matters have a tremendous impact on the sport. These issues need to be covered. If a fan doesn’t care about these problems, they’re viewing the sport through an Octagonal microscope. What happens during a fight simultaneously matters most and least and in MMA. The fight is the only reason for all the so-called trappings, yet the trappings have such an influence on the fight that they seemingly exceed it in importance and urgency. What’s a fight without promotion and marketing? What’s a fighter without a fair wage and a good contract? What’ll happen to the sport if the UFC doesn’t crack down on TRT? What if Dana White’s heavy-handedness backfires? Question like that matter. If the media isn’t objective about them, they won’t be answered properly, if at all. Abiding by a list of topics you’re not allowed to talk about doesn’t help anyone but Zuffa and the people who shill for them.
Fans not caring about this kind of stuff is disheartening. While some MMA fans are amazingly passionate and cool, the more vocal fans are awful. Look at their reaction to Tyler Manawaroa’s recent Instagram woes. As Bloody Elbow poster Nick Yidaris said, “the worst part of being an MMA fan is MMA fans”.
A sport’s perception reflects its fans. Is it any doubt then that when major news and culture websites finally give MMA some coverage, it’susuallynegative.
Worshiping (or even liking) the media isn’t necessary. But paying attention to it, and reading about all the stories in MMA—not just fight breakdowns, live blogs, and post-event summaries—is crucial.
To harness my inner Dana White, DO YOU WANNA BE A FUCKIN’ MMA FAN? If so, you need to pay attention to everything that happens in MMA, including media matters.
You’ve probably heard by now of the near meltdown Dana White suffered while hosting a media luncheon the other day. In case you didn’t, MMAWeekly’s Erik Fontanez was on hand and live-tweeted the entire thing. Although we are still waiting on the full audio of the luncheon, a brief video has recently surfaced showing one of White’s more heated moments.
What started off as a typical scrum of sorts with select members of the MMA media quickly turned into an f-bomb filled back-and-forth between White and a reporter (later identified as TJ Simers of the OC Register) who called bullshit on The Baldfather’s claims that the UFC would be bigger than the NFL and was already bigger than the NBA. The Rock could not be reached for comment but offered this rebuttal.
From there it was all downhill. However, White was able to restrain from his usual mix of faux-threats and strawmen arguments for the most part, especially when the topic of boxing — more specifically, White’s new boxing-centric reality show, The Fighters — came up.
Apparently not a fan of boxing, MMA, or the concept of someone punching someone else in general, Simers relentlessly needled White over key issues both sports are currently facing. Issues like “Would you let your kid be a boxer?” and “Fighting is not in our DNA.”
Eesh. You *sure* you don’t have anything to add, The Rock?
Check out the video above, then sound off in the comments section.
You’ve probably heard by now of the near meltdown Dana White suffered while hosting a media luncheon the other day. In case you didn’t, MMAWeekly’s Erik Fontanez was on hand and live-tweeted the entire thing. Although we are still waiting on the full audio of the luncheon, a brief video has recently surfaced showing one of White’s more heated moments.
What started off as a typical scrum of sorts with select members of the MMA media quickly turned into an f-bomb filled back-and-forth between White and a reporter (later identified as TJ Simers of the OC Register) who called bullshit on The Baldfather’s claims that the UFC would be bigger than the NFL and was already bigger than the NBA. The Rock could not be reached for comment but offered this rebuttal.
From there it was all downhill. However, White was able to restrain from his usual mix of faux-threats and strawmen arguments for the most part, especially when the topic of boxing — more specifically, White’s new boxing-centric reality show, The Fighters – came up.
Apparently not a fan of boxing, MMA, or the concept of someone punching someone else in general, Simers relentlessly needled White over key issues both sports are currently facing. Issues like “Would you let your kid be a boxer?” and “Fighting is not in our DNA.”
Eesh. You *sure* you don’t have anything to add, The Rock?
Check out the video above, then sound off in the comments section.
(“You know what, I *would* like to address what @sk8rdood45 said about this matchup. You tell @sk8rdouche that he and his 22 followers can all go f*ck themselves! Good question, Ariel.” Photo via Getty.)
Do me a favor. Head over to any one of the “serious” or “unbiased” or “professional” MMA sites you visit IN ADDITION TO CagePotato on a regular basis and scan through the headlines. Thereareplentyofoptions to choose from.
Now count how many headlines you read that contained the phrase “Dana White on_____” or something of the like. Hell, count how many times you see a picture of his face. Then comb through the articles a second time and see how many *without* White’s name in the headline still relate back to:
There were at least four, weren’t there? Lucky for you, we’re on the downslope of a week with no UFC event on the immediate horizon. Had you visited those websites a few days ago (or next weekend, for that matter), you would have been bombarded by more Dana White news than you could read in a month. You’d find no relief in the forums either, where the most popular thread by far would be the one where White personally called you a “dipshit” and a “pussy” for daring to question him from your grandmother’s basement.
Does anyone else see what is wrong with this picture?
(“You know what, I *would* like to address what @sk8rdood45 said about this matchup. You tell @sk8rdouche that he and his 22 followers can all go f*ck themselves! Good question, Ariel.” Photo via Getty.)
Do me a favor. Head over to any one of the “serious” or “unbiased” or “professional” MMA sites you visit IN ADDITION TO CagePotato on a regular basis and scan through the headlines. Thereareplentyofoptions to choose from.
Now count how many headlines you read that contained the phrase “Dana White on_____” or something of the like. Hell, count how many times you see a picture of his face. Then comb through the articles a second time and see how many *without* White’s name in the headline still relate back to:
There were at least four, weren’t there? Lucky for you, we’re on the downslope of a week with no UFC event on the immediate horizon. Had you visited those websites a few days ago (or next weekend, for that matter), you would have been bombarded by more Dana White news than you could read in a month. You’d find no relief in the forums either, where the most popular thread by far would be the one where White personally called you a “dipshit” and a “pussy” for daring to question him from your grandmother’s basement.
Does anyone else see what is wrong with this picture? Here we have a sport where, in one promotion alone, over 400 fighters are currently employed. Fighters who surely have interesting stories to be told — of struggle, of achievement, of defeat, of proper zombie killing technique. Yet our headlines have become — ever-increasingly, it seems — devoted to one man and what he has to say about every last aspect of our sport, no matter how trivial or underwhelming.
It’s not that I can’t understand why we choose to cling to White — he is a fiercely opinionated, politically incorrect, short-fused, charismatic dynamo who just so happens to always have a camera in his face — it’s that I don’t understand whywe continue to deem every. last. word. he speaks as “newsworthy.” Don’t get me wrong, there are news bits that are best when delivered by the UFC President himself — the future addition of a women’s strawweight division comes to mind. But, I’m sorry, Dana White “knowing” that Robbie Lawler would “take it to Rory MacDonald” last Saturday is not something I or anyone else should consider worthy of listening to, let alone devoting an entire article to.
Is it laziness? The general lack of journalistic integrity/know-how associated with bloggers? Or are we just out of fresh ideas and simply clinging to the hope that White will provide us with enough quotes to copy/paste an article out of before our next deadline? Is there any other sport wherein the journalists spending every waking moment seeking the President’s opinion on a Twitter feud between players or the disappointing ratings of a particular game?
I can’t answer any of the questions I just posed (except for the last one, which is a resounding “no”) and to be fair, I am part of the problem. Even now, I am doing exactly what I just raked several much more respected MMA bloggers/websites over the coals for: devoting an article entirely to Dana White. And maybe not tomorrow, maybe not on Monday, but at some point next week, I will write an article about Dana White calling Keith Kizer “a f*cking idiot” or taking the piss out of this judge or that commission or fighter X or fighter Y. I have never been more sure of anything in my life.
But the thing I like (and what I think most people like) about Dana White is that, despite his millions and millions of dollars and the dictator-esque pedestal he is placed on by fans and media types alike, he seems like a rational, genuine human being at his core. An everyman. The kind of guy who will still hop in a mosh pit with us nobodies if the occasion calls for it. In the political realm, it is often said that we vote for the Presidential candidate we feel we could “have a beer with,” and in that regard, White seems like the kind of guy who would not only have a drink with you, but drink you under the table and tell your girlfriend that dating you technically makes her a lesbian once you had passed out. You know, like any of your friends would.
Therein lies White’s appeal. He’s not some stone-faced CEO reading a prepared statement from a transcript, bowels trembling at the thought of accidentally saying something politically incorrect. He’s one of us. He’s reactionary. He’s stubborn. He’s occasionally irrational. But he’s also passionate; about the sport, about the direction it takes, about the well-being of his fighters. And whether he’s talking about being chased out of Boston by Whitey Bulger or reflecting on the early days of the sport, White almost always comes across as a genuine person. More importantly, he comes across as a fan.
That White makes himself so available to the public and press is a double-eged sword. On one hand, it highlights his passion, his intensity to be best at what he does and take his supporters along for the ride with him. But on the other hand, his vitriol-filled rants and personal attacks toward journalists often come across as unnecessary and unprofessional. Totalitarian even. Like he cares more about spin control than he does about being truthful. Like a behind-the-scenes look at the aforementioned stone-faced CEO. At a certain point, I can’t say when, the threshold for what we needed White’s opinion on and what we wanted his opinion on was breached. He’s become *too* available, and at times, it has come at the cost of the sport’s reputation.
I know, it’s easy to criticize the actions of a man under constant scrutiny and surveillance from the public eye, especially given the fact that I have never made an irrational decision or statement in my life. But when 90% of the headlines are about what Dana White is saying and not who he is saying them about, isn’t it safe to assume that we are getting a little off message? So I beg of you, fellow MMA media members: Stop devoting so much time to Dana White and start devoting more time to the guys in the trenches, their families, their trainers, and so on. Stop allowing White to form your opinions for you and start forming them on your own. It’s kind of your job.
(The MMA media in a nutshell, except replace Jade Bryce with Dana White and Eric Holden with any credentialed “journalist” in the business. / Photo via Examiner.com)
By the CagePotato.com staff
The MMA media is a diverse bunch, ranging from actual professionals to despicable bottom-feeders like us. However, there are trials and tribulations that we can all relate to, and which ultimately unite us. For example…
1. You’ve been called a Zuffa shill whenever you say something positive about the UFC.
2. You’ve been called an anti-Zuffa hack whenever you say anything negative about the UFC.
3. You complain about all the free UFC events you have to watch on cable.
(The MMA media in a nutshell, except replace Jade Bryce with Dana White and Eric Holden with any credentialed “journalist” in the business. / Photo via Examiner.com)
By the CagePotato.com staff
The MMA media is a diverse bunch, ranging from actual professionals to despicable bottom-feeders like us. However, there are trials and tribulations that we can all relate to, and which ultimately unite us. For example…
1. You’ve been called a Zuffa shill whenever you say something positive about the UFC.
2. You’ve been called an anti-Zuffa hack whenever you say anything negative about the UFC.
3. You complain about all the free UFC events you have to watch on cable.
All serious music aficionados know the true-life origins of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 movie Almost Famous: Like the young protagonist of the movie, Crowe worked for Rolling Stone magazine, spending three weeks on the road with the Allman Brothers Band at the age of 18.
The ongoing theme of Almost Famous has to do with the loss of focus and objectivity 15-year old music journalist William Miller experiences when he gets up close and personal with fictional rock band Stillwater.
“Just make us look cool” the band tells Miller as they attempt to coerce favorable coverage that will further enhance their music career. This raises the question of personal bias in journalism — in our case, what happens when MMA reporters get too close to their subjects?
The first time I met Georges St-Pierre at the Tristar Gym in 2008, I was so in awe of his stature as a champion that I overlooked red flags concerning his management. I wrote a good story — a 2,000-word profile for a Canadian men’s magazine about his arc from bullied schoolboy to UFC champion. While I may have even elicited several good quotes about his childhood and time working as a garbage man, there were many grisly details that lay beneath the surface that I would discover in the coming years.
It’s easy for media members to project themselves onto MMA fighters. It starts with a delusion (“I could be him!”) and escalates into other false premises (“I am special, too!”). Numerous reporters have courted love affairs with fighters — both figurative and literal — and astute fans can spot the signs of favoritism from miles away: reporters using their platform to name-drop, rationalize a fighter’s flaws, or minimize criticism of said fighter.
(“Jose Rosenberg, MMAFloorTurd.com. My question is for Johny Hendricks: Johny, will you please accept my friend request on Facebook?“)
All serious music aficionados know the true-life origins of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 movie Almost Famous: Like the young protagonist of the movie, Crowe worked for Rolling Stone magazine, spending three weeks on the road with the Allman Brothers Band at the age of 18.
The ongoing theme of Almost Famous has to do with the loss of focus and objectivity 15-year old music journalist William Miller experiences when he gets up close and personal with fictional rock band Stillwater.
“Just make us look cool” the band tells Miller as they attempt to coerce favorable coverage that will further enhance their music career. This raises the question of personal bias in journalism — in our case, what happens when MMA reporters get too close to their subjects?
The first time I met Georges St-Pierre at the Tristar Gym in 2008, I was so in awe of his stature as a champion that I overlooked red flags concerning his management. I wrote a good story — a 2,000-word profile for a Canadian men’s magazine about his arc from bullied schoolboy to UFC champion. While I may have even elicited several good quotes about his childhood and time working as a garbage man, there were many grisly details that lay beneath the surface that I would discover in the coming years.
It’s easy for media members to project themselves onto MMA fighters. It starts with a delusion (“I could be him!”) and escalates into other false premises (“I am special, too!”). Numerous reporters have courted love affairs with fighters — both figurative and literal — and astute fans can spot the signs of favoritism from miles away: reporters using their platform to name-drop, rationalize a fighter’s flaws, or minimize criticism of said fighter.
To avoid falling into the trap of being overly-admiring of an MMA fighter is easier said than done — many video journalists like MMA HEAT’s Karyn Bryant have to stroke an interview subject’s ego in order to get them to open up. This is a typical habit of entertainment reporters (Byrant’s got her start in television working at MTV) where celebrities are worshiped like gods. But this approach can become a problem when the ego isn’t the only thing being stroked, as was evidenced during Bryant’s now-infamous “motorboating” interview with Quinton Jackson.
That was an uncomfortable example of a fighter getting too friendly with an interviewer, and Bryant was quick to defend it on the basis that she likes Jackson on a personal level. Of course, that kind of touchy-feeliness can go the other way, when an interviewer is clearly thrilled to be in the same room as his favorite fighter:
Some media members, like CombatLifestyle.com photographer Tracy Lee, have made appearing in their own photos/videos partying or vacationing alongside MMA fighters the centerpiece of their portfolio. Narcissism and self-promotion are standard practices for many entertainment reporters — in television or video, your calling cards are your looks and persona. Despite this, the most in-demand personalities in combat sports remain those who are adept at interviewing and analysis, like the kind provided by Ariel Helwani, Joe Rogan, or Larry Merchant.
Often, prominent MMA fighters or personalities have a special relationship with a media outlet, like how CagePotato.com sponsors female MMA fighter Rose Namajunas, and has employed a variety of fighters as guest columnists. While this wouldn’t necessarily cause objectivity about those fighters to fly out the window, there would definitely be more considerate coverage given to their triumphs and failures.
On the flipside of the coin in terms of journalistic bias, many prominent athletes harbor grudges against media members who direct unfair criticism in their direction. It’s rare that fighters speak out due to their dependence on the media, but it does happen from time to time. For example, during the UFC 101 conference call to promote the BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian main event, Penn vented anger towards MMA news sites MMAWeekly.com, Sherdog.com and MMAJunkie.com over what he perceived as negative coverage in the aftermath of his fight at UFC 94 against Georges St-Pierre.
“That’s just it — I don’t like how Sherdog, MMA Weekly, MMA Junkie — how all you guys — portrayed me after the GSP fight. I’m done working with you guys,” said BJ during the call.
Chief among BJ’s criticism of the media? His complaint to the Nevada State Athletic Commission had contained a line (inserted by BJ’s overzealous lawyer) about fighters ingesting a pill that could make their skin greasy, and BJ felt that the aforementioned news sites had put too much of their focus on that point rather than the clear evidence that St-Pierre had greased, inadvertently or intentionally, in their fight.
The access reporters have can cross over into cyber stalking and inappropriate behavior, as evidenced by Examiner.com’s Eric Holden. Female MMA fighters Stephanie Skinner and Cassie Robb gave an interview in May of this year where they provided texts from Holden that including messages like “ur kissy pics give me a boner,” “if I went down on someone and that was it, I feel like…they wouldn’t be fully satisfied,” and “have a threesome with a guy.” (You can see all of Holden’s cringe-worthy texts right here.)
Holden’s work often focuses on the sexy side of female fighters. When Bellator ring card girl Jade Bryce posted an Instagram of Holden buying her a slice of pizza, he wrote an entire blog post about the incident to glorify the moment and preserve it forever. Which brings up another message from Almost Famous: When you’re not objective, you’re no better than a groupie — someone trying to make your name off of the star with no discernible talents of your own.
(Eric Holden, “reporter.” / Photo via Examiner.com)
If MMA personalities like BJ Penn or Stephanie Skinner feel aggrieved by the way they are portrayed by the MMA media, they have limited options in terms of defending themselves. Lesser-known MMA figures would suffer if they didn’t do all the press available — sponsorships, ticket sales and new gigs are all reliant on getting your name out there. Even BJ Penn’s cut of pay-per-view sales could be diminished if he cut major news outlets out of a media tour promoting his fights.
Pro boxer, analyst, writer and trainer John “The Iceman” Scully has special insight into dissonance between the media and fighters, alluding to the lack of empathy the media shows as a result of their sheltered life experiences.
“I happen to know for a fact that many boxers secretly despise certain members of the media who are frequently disrespectful towards them in print,” Scully told me. “Many media members I’ve talked to seem to think it is just business and nothing personal but they need to understand that boxers take boxing very, very personal. It is such a deep part of who we are, unnecessary or seemingly tame attacks on us are often taken much more seriously than many realize. I’m not saying that writers should suck up to fighters and constantly write puff pieces, I’m just saying that the brashness they often show with their pens is unwarranted and is borne over time from the fact that they grow accustomed to witting things from within their office or home behind the computer without ever having to answer to it.”
The end result is usually hidden animosity towards MMA reporters that rarely gets sparked into flames visible to the public. Reporters can be oblivious to the resentment they cultivate.
As Scully relates in a poignant anecdote, “I’ll tell you something a former heavyweight champion personally told me about a very prolific writer who apparently, from what he wrote that same week in an article, thought he and this former champ were close buddies. The champ told me that ‘If I could get away with it I would push that m*****f***** down a flight of stairs.’”
The few times we’ve seen figures in the MMA world publically complain about their treatment by the media likely only represents the visible tip of the iceberg. Conversely, there are times when an MMA figure will say or do something that merits criticism, like being caught using performance enhancers or making misogynistic comments, and the media has to write something unflattering about them.
Perhaps the character of Lester Bangs from Almost Famous gave the most important advice that’s applicable to MMA journalists:
“You CANNOT make friends with the rock stars. That’s what’s important. If you’re a rock journalist — first, you will never get paid much. But you will get free records from the record company. And they’ll buy you drinks, you’ll meet girls, they’ll try to fly you places for free, offer you drugs…I know. It sounds great. But they are not your friends. These are people who want you to write sanctimonious stories about the genius of the rock stars, and they will ruin rock and roll and strangle everything we love about it.”
People like Dana White, the Fertittta brothers, and star fighters like GSP are the “rock stars” of the MMA universe. There certainly are perks like tickets, parties and paying gigs that can tempt MMA journalists — but nothing is given away freely in this game. “Quid pro quo” translates into “This for that” — in our case, the promotions, fighters and assorted personalities in MMA are entitled to coverage — but we as journalists have to work harder to ensure that what we write is fair, accurate and in the spirit of bettering the sport of MMA.
Above all else, if I’m in a building with an MMA fighter or promoter, and the elevator doesn’t work and no one else is around, I’ll be gracious and let them walk down the stairs first.
Ideally, the relationship between professional sports organizations like the UFC and media members should be about interdependence, where both parties rely equally upon each other. In practice, many MMA media members and outlets often exist as the clingy, powerless co-dependent partners that put the needs of the UFC before the need for factual and accurate sports journalism.
Last week, a Twitter war-of-words erupted between Yahoo! Sports reporter Kevin Iole and UFC president Dana White over whether the UFC was hiding TRT-user Vitor Belfort in Brazil to avoid the scrutiny of an American athletic commission.
It’s understandable why White feels threatened by media scrutiny; Iole certainly hasn’t pulled any punches regarding the lack of consequences for using performance enhancers in boxing and MMA. While the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball could survive for 211 games without Alex Rodriguez (or the other disgraced players) in the wake of the Biogenesis scandal, the already watered-down cards promoted by the UFC would lose even more star power if known TRT-users (Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir — and counting) were culled from the promotion.
MMA fans on MixedMartialArts.com’s UG forum observed that Kevin Iole could be denied media credentials for his failure to toe the UFC’s company line. This is not an empty threat, as many different outlets and individuals including ESPN.com’s Josh Gross, SI.com’s Loretta Hunt, CagePotato.com and Deadspin.com are all barred from press row at UFC events.
(click screen-caps to enlarge)
The public needs to grasp the reality that being an MMA reporter isn’t just about having a nice buffet and a comped ticket at a fight card. It’s about access to prominent fighters, coaches, managers and promoters to get the inside scoop and flesh out stories not reported elsewhere. When newly-crowned UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman visited ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, Josh Gross was denied an opportunity to interview Weidman. Banned media members may also miss out on a PR mailing list where media outlets learn about breaking UFC news, conference calls that allow media to ask questions to the headliners of major pay-per-view shows, and other events that media can be invited to.
The fear of losing those perks remains a potent sanction by the UFC in ensuring media compliance. I reference Exhibit A: an e-mail written by Bleacher Report staffer Jeremy Botter (leaked by Deadspin.com) that outlined several ways for MMA writers to avoid conflict with the UFC, including the following points:
(The Baldfather advertises yet another media outlet that won’t be lobbing any critical coverage his way. / Photo via Getty)
Ideally, the relationship between professional sports organizations like the UFC and media members should be about interdependence, where both parties rely equally upon each other. In practice, many MMA media members and outlets often exist as the clingy, powerless co-dependent partners that put the needs of the UFC before the need for factual and accurate sports journalism.
Last week, a Twitter war-of-words erupted between Yahoo! Sports reporter Kevin Iole and UFC president Dana White over whether the UFC was hiding TRT-user Vitor Belfort in Brazil to avoid the scrutiny of an American athletic commission.
It’s understandable why White feels threatened by media scrutiny; Iole certainly hasn’t pulled any punches regarding the lack of consequences for using performance enhancers in boxing and MMA. While the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball could survive for 211 games without Alex Rodriguez (or the other disgraced players) in the wake of the Biogenesis scandal, the already watered-down cards promoted by the UFC would lose even more star power if known TRT-users (Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir — and counting) were culled from the promotion.
MMA fans on MixedMartialArts.com’s UG forum observed that Kevin Iole could be denied media credentials for his failure to toe the UFC’s company line. This is not an empty threat, as many different outlets and individuals including ESPN.com’s Josh Gross, SI.com’s Loretta Hunt, CagePotato.com and Deadspin.com are all barred from press row at UFC events.
(click screen-caps to enlarge)
The public needs to grasp the reality that being an MMA reporter isn’t just about having a nice buffet and a comped ticket at a fight card. It’s about access to prominent fighters, coaches, managers and promoters to get the inside scoop and flesh out stories not reported elsewhere. When newly-crowned UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman visited ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, Josh Gross was denied an opportunity to interview Weidman. Banned media members may also miss out on a PR mailing list where media outlets learn about breaking UFC news, conference calls that allow media to ask questions to the headliners of major pay-per-view shows, and other events that media can be invited to.
The fear of losing those perks remains a potent sanction by the UFC in ensuring media compliance. I reference Exhibit A: an e-mail written by Bleacher Report staffer Jeremy Botter (leaked by Deadspin.com) that outlined several ways for MMA writers to avoid conflict with the UFC, including the following points:
– Don’t delve too deep into Zuffa financials.This goes for fighter pay, revenue, money donated to political campaigns. This is Dana’s biggest pet peeve…
This is a very good way to piss them off and find yourself blacklisted. Stay away from it…
– Don’t be negative just to be negative or edgy. Dana doesn’t mind being asked tough questions, but consider the circumstance when you’re doing it. If you’re at a press conference or a conference call for a UFC event, keep your questions related to that event…
…You’re always being watched. I don’t say this to scare you. I say it to let you know that you’re not an unknown commodity, and that people are paying attention. They read what you write. Mistakes you make now, when you think you’re under the radar, could end up burning you down the line…
While there are plenty of apologists pointing to the pragmatic portions of Botter’s e-mail as common-sense journalistic guidelines — guidance needed by the part-time writers at The Bleacher Report — the e-mail is just further evidence of the power the UFC has when it comes to intimidating the media into compliance.
Dana White also has an established pattern of publically lashing out at MMA reporters for various infractions of an unwritten code. Some notable examples from recent memory:
– Calling Loretta Hunt a “fucking moron,” and a “fucking dumb bitch” in 2009:
– Calling Sherdog writer Jake Rossen a “fucking douchebag” and “bullshit reporter” in 2009:
Even if Hunt, Rossen or Goldstein had behaved unprofessionally, there are much more effective ways for a promoter to command respect than by lobbing insults and threats. The tone of Dana White’s language suggests that the UFC feels entitled to favorable coverage, and often views the MMA media as an extension of its PR wing.
It’s no wonder why the UFC would see the MMA media as more of a tool than as an independent platform for news — many MMA websites and publications rely on the UFC for advertising dollars, as I wrote about for CagePotato in a February article (Shill ‘Em All: Why Ethical MMA Journalism Is So Hard to Come By). It is reported that the UFC purportedly invested $44 million under the guidance of the Fertittas to achieve the success it has today, and thus the current Zuffa ownership may see the MMA media as parasitic beneficiaries of their investment. Lost in the mix has been the distressing development of the blurred lines between advertising and editorial in ways that most readers are generally unaware of.
When contacted for comment about VICE magazine’s relationship with the UFC, Fightland editor-in-chief Josh Rosenblatt was resolute in stonewalling any questions, saying “I don’t really want to be the subject of a story…Fightland and VICE have no comment.”
A PR representative from the UFC also refused to comment for this article on the UFC partnering with Heavy.com. While I don’t fault the UFC for allegedly forging a partnership with VICE or investing in Heavy.com to promote the UFC brand, I believe the editorial independence of said publications needs to be continually questioned.
Hard-hitting investigative journalism is not every individual or outlet’s forte. But if the MMA media backpedals away from key issues like performance enhancing drugs, UFC financials or contractual clauses that amount to slavery, then the sport is much more open to corruption. It isn’t the responsibility of the media to lobby for the Muhammad Ali Act to be applied to MMA, but it is the job of journalists to explain how little transparency exists for fighters attempting to determine their value because they have no information about the profits reaped by UFC parent company Zuffa. The same goes for the cases of Ben Askren, Jon Fitch, or Matt Lindland being devalued by Bellator or the UFC for their boring grinding style of fighting: The media doesn’t have to defend said wrestlers as entertaining commodities, but there should be articles written about the need for legitimate rankings that determine title contenders instead of allowing promotions to assign title shots based on whatever is expedient at the moment.
SI.com’s Jeff Wagenheim once wrote an article on Josh Gross and Loretta Hunt being subsequently barred from Strikeforce events when the UFC assumed ownership in 2011. The piece included a quote from Roy Peter Clark, an instructor of sports journalism at the Poynter Institute that suggested a response to Zuffa’s tactics, “It would be a good thing if news organizations applied some counterpressure.”
As long as reporters — some independent, others bankrolled by the promoter — adhere strictly to scripted questions on safe topics, then sadly, the attrition on MMA journalism will continue with no end in sight.
(The MMA media in a nutshell, except replace Jade Bryce with Dana White and 
