I recently read two excellent articles by Danny Acosta and Sam Sheridan that support mixed martial arts (MMA) in the midst of what has been a period of MMA bashing. True, MMA has endured its share of harsh, often times unfair media criticism for quite some time, and this will not stop any time soon. Nevertheless, these past few weeks have been particularly brutal. In support of Acosta’s and Sheridan’s work, I thought I would offer some additional input.
MMA has been fighting to gain acceptance in the mainstream sports world for well over a decade. Not surprisingly, while clearing another hurdle by debuting on network television, MMA was simultaneously met with an array of journalists (both sports and non-sports oriented), who bashed the sport while citing virtually no research.
The general public frequently relies on journalists to provide both accurate and objective information. As we all know, the media plays a colossal role in shaping public opinion. Consequently, it is essential that the information fed to us is precise and that media figureheads who present their opinions are well-informed. The logic behind this is so basic that it hardly needs to be stated and provokes the question of why credible media would offer unfounded reports and opinions.
Reaction to CBS’s airing of MMA on primetime television prompted journalists to make a number of unfounded statements, both before and after the May 31, 2008 event. Here are just three examples from various media outlets that have different reach and target audiences:
Example One: “If what's going to happen on CBS on Saturday night were to happen out on the playground, somebody would be jailed before the nightwas over ... An article in ESPN The Magazine that's overwhelmingly favorable about MMA describes it as ‘human cockfighting.’” (Scott Pierce, May 30, 2008, Deseret News; note: typographical error was in original article).
Response: Asserting that someone would be arrested for carrying out a MMA move on another in a playground illustrates Pierce’s ignorance and lack of doing his homework. Had he interviewed any MMA instructors for his story, he would have found that just like traditional martial arts schools, MMA coaches explicitly tell their students not to use the lessons learned outside of the schools. The latter half of his above statement reads that ESPN The Magazine describes MMA as “human cockfighting.” Pierce’s statement here is flat out inaccurate. The ESPN The Magazine story stated others (namely John McCain) previously referred to MMA in that manner. It is amazing that the Deseret News
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