От: Rich Бержерон
Знаеш ли битката Reebok става нагрява, когато хората са опустошаване на условията на сделката, така образно и буквално:
Какво е по-показателен за инцидента, въпреки че, Беше “Чичо Dana” Не засилване, за да накаже разочарован борец за крещящо неуважение си на основен бизнес партньор UFC. Това е повратен момент за “Reebok Rebellion.”
Какво може да направи Dana, след всичко? Myles всъщност дърпа една страница с изваждането от собствена маркетингова Наръчник на UFC президента. Жури беше по-ви-лицето обидно да продаде неговия аргумент. Dana прави това всеки ден.
Висше-профила бойци са последователно триене н. White по грешен начин тези дни когато става въпрос за сделката Reebok, и макар че той даде на журито и Доналд “Каубой” Cerrone пропуск за последния си критики, Той преглътна срещу харесва на Brandon Schaub.
Може да има различни видове фойерверки през юли, когато тази несправедливост официално влиза в сила и всички бойци, които не са съгласни с Schaub и журито започват да реализират своя късогледство. Някои от тези UFC бойците може дори да съжалявам, ако не се присъедини към своите връстници на неофициалния общественото колове линия, когато тя може да са действително има значение.
Най-лошата част за целия този провал е моментът. Федералната търговска комисия е отново Съобщава разследва UFC в резултат на поредица от нашумели клас действие Anti-Trust жалби ликвидация пътя си през гражданските съдилища.
Трудно е да не се поставя под въпрос дали най-мощната смесена промоция бойни изкуства в света е прекрачване чертите му в начина, по който се опитва да контролира всеки аспект от кариерата на един боец. Тя изглежда като една наистина лоша сделка за размяна на малко пари и правото да се борят под знамето UFC за кръвта, пот и сълзи е необходимо, за да остане на върха на MMA игра тези дни. Дори и да бъде в средата на класирането в UFC е чесало на влизане. Fighters трябва да се започват да се питат, когато натрупаните подутини натъртвания, размествания, скъсани сухожилия, счупени кости и сътресения стават толкова лоши, че парите вече няма значение.
Какво ще се случи, когато приливна вълна на бившите бойци в UFC разберете, че славата на които са се борили сърцата им в продължение на феновете не е плащане на сметки и / или изпращане на децата си в колеж? Какво се случва, когато лек медицинска застраховка изтича и си легендарен статус на изтребител не означава нищо за лекарите и болницата фактуриране, който сте скандално и астрономически такси, за да си достатъчно здрави, за да живеят до дълбока старост?
Попитайте Marc Coleman. Това не е красива.
Колкото повече UFC борба или бягство уравнението се обръща към които нямат свободата да бъдеш предприемач и няма възможност да изгради своя собствена марка, колкото повече Телефон Скот Кокър се ще да продължи да звъни от куката. Поне в Bellator, бойци все още могат да имат свои лични спонсори на техните шорти.
They don’t throw all their fighters out for losing a few fights in a row, всеки. They don’t publicly berate their fighters at post-fight press conferences for not putting on a show. They pay what they can, and they do their best to just be considered a UFC competitor.
Phil Davis may be the first of many UFC defectors that could begin to trickle in if this Reebok deal eliminates as much income and opportunity as it sounds like it will.
I am actually disappointed that Viacom isn’t making a bigger push to acquire more UFC fighters with more lucrative contracts, but no business wants to lose money. It’s harder for Bellator to gain massive revenues in return for their investments in their fighters due to the overhead of doing their own production for free television. Още, по същото време, Coker and Bellator’s current management seems to actually care a little more about the people who do battle under their banner. They know better than anyone that your sponsors can really keep you alive.
Fighters who value their freedom and want a little more control over their careers might start to see the only UFC competition as a much greener pasture in the wake of this sneaker giant’s exclusive apparel contract. What is supposed to look like a major step forward for the UFC might actually represent three steps back for this organization that is already struggling with cancelled and postponed fights due primarily to an increasing amount of training injuries to top fighters.
Of course we can’t forget Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones allegedly crashing a rented SUV into a pregnant woman’s car and breaking her arm before fleeing the scene on foot. This is yet another unfortunate example of the UFC not caring enough about their fighters. How could they not recognize this guy had a problem that needed to be addressed a long time before this tragic incident unfolded? How can the UFC justify not having their own random drug testing in place like other professional sports? How are illegal drugs OK for a fighter to do out of competition in the first place? Who made the rules with that gaping loophole in them?
St Georges. Pierre has been one of the UFC’s most vociferous critics on the PED-testing front. The former champion continues to sit on the sidelines after one of the most punishing fights of his career led him to announce his retirement with the door left open only a crack. Only a broad, comprehensive drug testing program can bring him back now, St. Pierre maintains.
Even fighters like Ronda Rousey are getting a little upset with the career control measures being wielded over them by their bigwig bosses. The UFC will not even let Ronda appear in a few scripted WWE events. Just because these skits last longer than some of her actual fights doesn’t mean they are much different than what she does in her movie career. Her UFC bosses are fine with her pursuing action movie roles, so why not a little fake wrestling? Maybe it’s the fact that WWE stole the Tapout brand and took it right out of the cage and into the wrestling ring. Maybe it’s jealousy that WWE has the kind of fan base that makes them a legitimate threat, and it’s the kind of fans the UFC desperately needs. Maybe it’s the fact that the UFC lost their chance at retaining Brock Lesnar’s services again and they are still getting over it.
Whatever the reason, the UFC is clamping down more and more on what fighters can and can’t do inside and outside the cage, and it goes far beyond fake wrestling. Contracts are becoming more and more restrictive in every way.
The UFC also used to foster a climate where no fighter would dare speak a foul word about management or any business deal management put in place. The punishment would be worse than a fine if Dana decided to give you the Brendan Schaub treatment in the press.
Complain, and you’d be called a coward or a bum. You’re not a team player, some ignorant fans will still say when you stick your neck out while under UFC contract. Още, this climate is not enough to stop this new little wave of protest that might grow to a frightening crescendo just before or after this Reebok deal officially becomes reality.
The mindless minions who criticize fighters for speaking out for their own best interests just eat right out of Dana White’s hand, even when he’s passing out rat poison. It is disgusting to hear and see so many people agreeing with a guy who never even fought an official amateur bout of any kind instead of listening to someone who actually put in the effort to compete in even one professional cage fight.
When it comes to matters of what it really means “to be a F#$%ing fighter,” Dana can give all the foul-mouthed speeches he wants, but it’s the actual fighters who bled for years under the UFC banner who gave that speech real meaning and resonance to the fans who now worship the ground Dana walks on. През по-голямата част, these fans only like White so much because he talks and cusses just like them. Още, one UFC fighter I interviewed years ago told me there is something wrong with the sport when the most recognizable figure in MMA is Dana White. I couldn’t agree more.
Freedom is not a word to be taken lightly, and free speech is not as free as it used to be. You sign on the dotted line to step in the UFC cage, and you have to play by their rules, even the ones you don’t like or don’t agree with. That was bad enough when that was the only problem fighters faced. Сега, it’s much worse because of the Reebok deal and the ramifications and ripple effects it will cause.
Some people forget this deal also alienates other long time sponsors of the UFC and its fighters. Think of all those apparel companies who will not be able to sell their products now in association with any official UFC event. The upcoming UFC Fan Expo situation is a prime example of how the UFC just doesn’t seem to care about the businesses and backers that helped put them on the map in the first place.
The people behind this powerhouse MMA league will alienate anyone or any group of people to make a buck off the backs of better men than themselves. This Reebok deal is living proof of that. Even if all the money from the Reebok partnership does go to the fighters, all those businesses that end up locked out of fighter sponsorship deals will have to line up to sign exclusive contracts with the organization itself. Either that, or they will convert to Bellator supporters and follow burned UFC fighters to that organization.
Suddenly that second fiddle is sounding like it could steal the show, and my prediction that Bellator could fail looks premature and presumptuous now.
“So you want to be a f$%^ing fighter?”
Let me give you Scott Coker’s number.