MMA: The next NASCAR … or roller derby?
Mixed martial arts is riding an unprecedented wave of popularity right now. Sports Illustrated recently ran a huge cover story called “Ultimate Fighting: Too Brutal or the Future?”
The article went on to say that “The future” is winning out over “Too Brutal.” In fact, SI writer L. John Wertheim makes the point that MMA is safer than boxing. When one fighter is getting clobbered, the ref stops the fight. He doesn’t take head shots for 10 rounds, as he would if he were a boxer.
ESPN is covering MMA more than ever before. The last two UFC shows that featured Chuck Liddell had enormous media coverage.
The question is … can it last? Is MMA destined to be the fad of this decade, like roller derby was in the Seventies? Or, will MMA take root as a major sport with a passionate following, like NASCAR?
It’s too soon to tell, but I am going to say the latter. MMA may not become as big as NASCAR, but it should be a thriving mainstream sport for years to come. A huge number of young people are interested in MMA, and many athletes are getting into MMA when their sporting careers would otherwise be over. So, there will always be a plentiful supply of talent available to move up to the top of the sport.
It was a big deal when MMA was featured in Sports Illustrated. Someday, an MMA fight will be featured on the cover of SI, and it won’t be a big deal. That’s when you’ll know that MMA is here to stay.
November 19th, 2008 at 1:23 am
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