The Washington Post can't get enough of MMA-bashing
Remember Len Shapiro's article bashing "ultimate fighting" a couple of months ago?
Well, Washington Post writer Fred Bowen has joined in the fun. Interestingly enough, he's chosen to compare MMA to horse racing.
Here's the relevant excerpt from Bowen's article:
It's always sad when a horse gets hurt or has to be destroyed. But I don't think that's enough reason to stop a sport that has been in this country from its beginning. People who want to stop horse racing remind me of the folks who don't want kids to play sports, or even play tag at recess, because someone might get hurt by accident.
If people want to stop a sport, stop ultimate fighting -- the crazy new sport in which fighters use martial arts to beat each other up. When someone gets hurt in ultimate fighting, it's no accident.
For the entire article, click here.
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bunch of hacks looking for
bunch of hacks looking for readership hits and they clearly don't do research (ultimate fighting? its like me calling every car a honda or every soft drink a mr. pibb)
i don't know what this person's intent is, if its to condemn the use of animals in sporting events, that's fine, but to throw the substanceless part about "ultimate fighting" totally removes any willingness i have to accept his argument.
the following events are currently events that the olympics awards medals for:
boxing, judo, wrestling, taekwondo
additionally, savate and sambo have been presented as demonstration sports ...
all of these are combat sports
how is it that using 1 specialized form of combat is not abhorrent, but to combine them all is a horrible thing?
people like nuts, people like chocolate ... lets combine them for an enjoyable nut and chocolate experience and bring about the downfall of society as we know it.
i really think these folks are trapped in the 90s and the unsanctioned days of the UFC. the cage aspect likely adds to the negative mental image people carry.... but come on, it was the early 90s. hell, even vanilla ice got out of the 90s, YOU CAN TOO.
logistically, i like the cage. it allows you good viewing angles, creates a defined verticle boundary that you dont get with a mat, and you dont have ropes for people to get caught up in. there arent a lot of feasible alternatives that provide the same kind of benefit, short of maybe a plexiglass wall like in hockey (but i imagine you can get some obstructed view if sweat or blood gets on the surface). i don't believe these people can disassociate a cage with negative connections.
First off Horses are native
First off Horses are native to this country? I would bet people have wrestled around and slug fists (mma) since the land bridge days.
EERS_1_Fan
Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
Show me stats if you want be to stop taking them!
haven't you heard guys...MMA
haven't you heard guys...MMA is brand new, it came out only until stephan bonnar and forrest fought! before that, there was no MMA!!!! ever!!!!
who's bruce lee?
what's pankration!!!
they just came out with it for street thugs
i haven't read the article. i'm going to predict he follows len shapiros line of reasoning, if it's something i've never seen before, and if there is an enthusiastic crowd,(or a howling blood thirsty mob) and if there are fighters with tattoos, it must be the downfall of society....
you know mike freeman over on cbs bashes MMA as well.
i hate cbs.
Underboss MMAfia
Head of the West Coast Family
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION UFC 83
Yeah, I get the impression
Yeah, I get the impression that Freeman writes just to make noise -- just to be controversial. He wrote a piece about MMA (comparing/contrasting with boxing) last year that was just ridiculous.
I called him out on my Sun blog waaaaaaay back when:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/mma/blog/2007/05/cbs_sportsline_c...
that's the one i was talking
that's the one i was talking about. he is a total jackass. he and gregg doyle have a hate mail section, where they respond to peoples hate mail. you seriously have to be doing something wrong for people to send hate mail. it's not really hate mail either, that's what they call it. it's just people chiming in to tell them their articles suck and there's a lack of facts and real information. it's also a lot of people requesting they quit there job. i think they should, they've done nothing. mike freeman lied about his credentials...i think that was the last thing i ever read from the cbs writers.
Underboss MMAfia
Head of the West Coast Family
ULTIMATE CHALLENGE CHAMPION UFC 83
That's hilarious. By
That's hilarious. By creating a hate mail section, it's like they're begging for hate mail. Sounds like a couple of guys who love attention, any way they can get it...
Going by his logic I guess
Going by his logic I guess he will be going after his own job next?
Writers/Journalists=carpal tunnel syndrome
EERS_1_Fan
Head of South East Tribe MMAFIA
Show me stats if you want be to stop taking them!
HAHA - 'the crazy new sport
HAHA - 'the crazy new sport in which people use martial arts to beat people up'... that's going to be how I start referring to it.
To some degree there is some truth there... at least he acknowledges people use 'martial arts'. Progress is being made - just compare what he said a year ago.
His other article you linked he called the UFC a 'sad little joke' and said, "the ultimates are nothing but thugs and ruffians. All that league has done is take a few former nightclub bouncers, knuckle crackers and parolees, put on some fancy TV graphics and told them, "Kick the other guy in the nuts"" and later in the article says they have no skill.
Slowly but surely he is coming around...