[MindTravel]

Do you think sports journalists are bashing MMA bacause it's the most popular sport in which they have little or no knowledge?

It seems like there aren't any detractors that actually know ANYTHING about MMA, yet there are plenty of sports journalists who feel they know enough about the sport to feel comfortable disrespecting it's fans and participants.

If MMA becomes popular enough to regularly land on ESPN or network sports shows, these dinosaurs who've spent their entire lives examining other sports suddenly have to learn A LOT about some new sport that they know little or nothing about. Bashing the sport could be some lame tactic employed in hopes that the whole thing will die out and not make sports journalists jobs any tougher.

With sports journalists, I think it comes down to either learning about the sport or bashing it and hoping it dies so they don't have to catch up to the fans and afficianados of MMA.

The journalists that get on the ball and start learning about MMA now will be a whole lot better off than these guys who will be forever quoted and made fun of for making impassioned and ignorant statement about MMA. If a journalist talks shit now, he'll never be accepted as a guy that can legitimately cover MMA. If a journalist learns the sport and embraces it, he'll be a whole lot more likely to get a job once MMA is as mainstream as anything else covered by sports journalists...

[bma44]

I think Wilbon & Kornheiser have never seen 10 seconds of MMA and just think back to what it was at its inception. As far as the guy from CBSSportsline, he's just some hack who no one reads that is trying to stir things up. Whether he's actually watched MMA or not, who knows and who cares.

[FJ40]

people don't like change .... these are old inflexible buzzards who only know the traditional sports and dislike anything new... and theyre dumb!

[Rafoliv]

Yeap.. that's the main reason. They think they know sooo much, that being newbies in a growing sport like MMA is unacceptable for them. So what's easier than accept it and learn it? Bashing at it.

[Bone Machine]

I believe so, the ever so boring sports that all our current media giants are familiar with are soon to be overshadowed by the MMA community and the folks at CBS sportsline, Pardon the Interruption, all of ESPN, and sports reporting in general will all be out of a job. Once the MMA world takes becomes too big in the public eye to ignore, most if not all the top sport headlines will be MMA related. Look at it this way, MMA does not have a season, the athletes (and hence the reporters, announcers, and columnists) do not get any time off from work. I am sure the Sherdog community of writers, photogs, and editors can attest to the pace. No current media reporter following the sports community at this point want to ever work that hard. The individuals currently at all themajor sports reporting locations will either have to dve head first into MMA only to keep up and be good at what they do and give up the football, basketball, and golf. They all plan on staying where they are safe and the new generation of sports media with MMA knolwedge will show that they can do the same standard sports but prove they also have MMA chops too......

Be gone with Pardon the Interruption already!

[vote4pedro]

Some people bash MMA because they have a financial stake - like Jim Lantley who kills MMA when he's not snorting coke, drinking whiskey, and beating up his 25 year old girlfriend.

Some people bash MMA because they don't understand it. A lot of journalists have developed enormous egos and if they don't understand a sport, it doesn't exist to them. Much like soccer. Personally I don't enjoy soccer but I won't debate it's enormous importance globally.

Some think it's just too violent. I've talked to girls who say they dislike MMA because they don't like the violence. Fair enough.

If one of these mainstream writers like an Albom or Lupica were smart, they would become MMA geeks and pimp the sport. Their articles would be all over the place. There's a Burt Sugar to be born in MMA.

MMA has a strong disconnect between demographics. I am in that male 18-34 group. I think you can even stretch it to 18-49 as being UFC's prime group. But over 50? UFC is foreign to them while boxing is not, they grew up with it.

MMA has to wait for people my age, 24 to grow up and have kids. The disconnect will weaken. Right now we're talking about 1st generation fan base. BBoxing has like a 10 generation fan base. MMA needs time t bridge the gap between the enlightened 18-34 and the older people.

I don't think the current people over 50 will pick up the sport. The disconnect will cease to exist when people my age are like 55 and our kids are 25 and then they start having kids. That;s 3 generations right there where MMA can be passed down as a legit sport.

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Its because they haven't seen anything, and don't know anything. and all they see is the CAGE. it looks barbaric compared to a boxing ring. they are idiots when when it comes to research and don't want to change from their boxing which is actually more dangerous in the long run.

[Mykal]

It is because people are not educating themselves about what MMA is. There is no changing some people but the two sports can live very well together just like every other sport on the planet does.

[Flyingbig]

It's like anything, people won't see MMA for what it is until they sit down and watch a few events WANTING to enjoy it. It's very easy to be ignorant.

[Riordampage]

Most are not properly exposed to it and think of it as backyard brawling. Others watch it with the attitude that it's a sideshow attraction and don't even give it a chance. Their happy in their ignorance and don't want to make the effort.