Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Will MMA ever experience dark cloud of lockout?


David Stern is the current commish in the "lockout hot seat", how likely is
it that Dana White could be experience it one day?

The NBA lockout is currently the ominous dark cloud over everyone’s head and the NFL lockout is still fresh in people’s mind. Not to mention, we all remember the NHL lockout and how the MLB suffered during their lockout.

It seems like more and more professional sports leagues are putting their fans through the anguish of listening to sides bicker about a laundry list of topics. Let’s be real, all fans just want to see their favorite teams and players out on the field/ice/court.

Is there a sport that won’t experience the negative publicity of something like this? Glad you asked.

Mixed martial arts is that sport. Why, you ask? The answer is quite simple, but complex at the same time. So, I have come up with a short list to answer the “why” it couldn’t happen.

Besides the obvious fact that there are no “owners” or “teams” in the classic sense to have a lockout, there are several others I have come up with.

MMA is an individual sport. There aren’t 30 or more teams of fighters that are vying for one championship. Yes, fighters train in fight camps but that’s as close as it gets. Fighters step inside the cage by themselves and walkout by themselves. Each athlete is looking out for themselves and their best interests. As morbid as it sounds, it is easier to control a group as individuals than as a whole.

Promotions don’t own the rights to control their fighters. Unlike other sports, athletes in MMA are given the freedom to promote themselves any way they’d like. Of course, promotions like the UFC and Strikeforce are capable of using the likeness of fighters in video games but that comes with the territory.

Promoters understand that the fighters bring in the crowds and make the money. MMA promoters are very different than the owners and commissioners of other sports. In that they truly understand that people come to see athletes and not for the ambiance of the arena.

The biggest reason in my mind is that fighters are always willing to fight. In my opinion, many athletes are willing to take legal action against their leagues because they know that they can’t easily be replaced. However, fighters know that if they aren’t willing to fight then there are plenty more fighters willing to step up for an opportunity. This ties into the ideology that MMA is an individual sport and fighters are looking out for themselves.

There they are. Several reasons why MMA won’t experience the public crisis that so many sports have gone through in recent years. What’s your take? Have anything to add or do you disagree with anything? Comment and let me know.

Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt

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