MMA Media Don't Be Discouraged By The UFC Machine
or Don't Let The Pricks Keep You From Doing Your Job
The UFC does not often get tough questions from the media and I do understand why. If we ask UFC president Dana White a question he doesn’t like or doesn’t want to answer, he has a few go-to moves. White can act like he doesn’t know anything about what’s being asked. He can blow it off as a rumor and say something like, “you media guys and your…” He can blow up and become belligerent with the media member and do some tough guy chest-beating before moving on to another question, or he can occasionally answer the question. That last one is a rarity.
If we go to the PR team and ask a question, we’ll be lucky to get a reply at all. If we do get an answer, it’s usually a simple no comment. I know this. I have a running list of questions I have asked UFC PR. One of those questions was to inquire if Paige VanZant was actually on the last fight of her UFC contract. Nothing earth-shattering there. I’m still waiting for a reply. It’s been nearly two months.
A third reason media might avoid tough questions is that there’s always the chance the UFC will decide to revoke the credentials of not only that media member but the organization they represent.
A fourth reason some folks might want to avoid tough questions is the fan reaction is often harsh. If there was ever a sport that fans feel personally invested in it is MMA, that rings especially true when it comes to the UFC. Some UFC supporters cross the line into sycophants when it comes to the promotion and especially to White.
The above are all (mostly) understandable reasons to not want to ask tough questions of the UFC. The thing is, the UFC is counting on that. The promotion knows it has established a reputation as being difficult to deal with when there’s something potentially ugly to unveil. That reputation has served the UFC well, but that’s no reason to avoid holding the promotion accountable.
Let’s not forget it took the MMA media nearly six months to ask about the sexual assault investigation of Conor McGregor that the New York Times reported in March. Now that McGregor is under investigation for a second alleged assault, we can’t allow that much time to pass before we ask the UFC and specifically White about that investigation and if the UFC will book him to fight while the authorities gather information on McGregor.
I think we in the media often give the UFC a pass when it comes to asking the potentially unpleasant questions for all of the above reasons, but we need to stop doing that. The UFC is a major sports organization, its $4 billion price tag and relationship with ESPN goes a long way toward proving that to be true. As such, if we don’t get an answer to a question or we receive an insufficient response, we need to keep hammering on that question until we do get an honest reply. Don’t let the UFC get its way, keep pushing, keep asking tough questions, keep elevating the MMA media to the standards of the folks that cover the other major sports.
Music Time: “Memphis” by Bob Forrest
This is a song I listen to often when I’m feeling particularly shitty. It doesn’t cheer me up one bit, so I don’t know why I listen to it. I spent some time in Memphis a while back and I did like some of that time. The line about the river and taking a swim makes me think of Jeff Buckley drowning in Memphis. There’s also the fact that Big Star, one of the best bands in history, came from Memphis and that Chris Bell from that band died in Memphis. Anyway, it’s a good song by a criminally underrated singer/songwriter. If you like it, check out his bands The Bicycle Thief and Thelonious Monster.
Sheesh…these songs are not very happy…
Movie Time: Bob and the Monster
If you like the song, watch the documentary on Bob Forrest, who you might know as the dude from Celebrity Rehab.
Reading Time: Nick Tosches profiles Harvey Keitel
This was a good pairing, nice work by the editor in putting these two together.
