The Secretary of State for New York, Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez, has published an opinion piece in the Union Times supporting Gov. David Paterson’s inclusion of a bill to legalize MMA in New York in the State Budget Proposal unveiled last month.
The governor’s proposal would build upon the New York State Athletic Commission’s strong track record of ensuring fair competition and a reasonable degree of safety in overseeing professional boxing. As with boxing, the commission would require pre-licensing and pre-fight and post-fight physical, neurological and psychological examinations for all MMA competitors. The commission would test for performance enhancing drugs — as done in boxing, baseball, football and the Olympics — and would require that protective gear be worn by all participants.
As we have seen through the experiences of 42 other states, the concerns and controversies surrounding MMA authorization subside once people witness the effect of proper regulation on the conduct of the sport. When properly regulated, professional MMA showcases fair and disciplined bona-fide athletic competition. A goal of legalizing MMA is to cut down on the number of poorly regulated or unregulated knockoffs that put unlicensed, unprepared individuals in harm’s way. By adopting the unified rules of MMA, which have become the gold standard for state regulatory bodies, we aim to eliminate the potential for no-holds-barred style events — and maintain the strict prohibition on such events.
Further, the commission would impose mandatory suspensions upon fighters who suffer a significant injury during a fight and a mandatory waiting period between participation in matches.
The commission’s medical advisory board — nine physicians with expertise in sports medicine — would be intimately involved in ensuring the highest levels of health and safety are maintained before, during and after the fight. They would develop medical education programs for commission staff and officials so that serious health and safety risks may be readily identified, minimized and prevented.
A commission-designated physician would be present at every MMA competition and would be able to stop a match if he or she believed a competitor had received severe punishment or was in danger of serious physical injury. The referee would have the authority to stop a match under such circumstances, as well.
Payout Perspective:
MMA is currently fighting a seesaw battle in New York. Patterson came out with the budget proposal that included a bill to legalize MMA, but the response was less than ideal as a poll taken in the state was released that indicated nearly two-thirds of people were opposed to legalization; this , only the latest in a saga that has run back and forth for nearly three years.
It’s become clear that there’s still a huge information gap to overcome with the public; much in the same way that there used to be a gap in Bob Reilly’s Tourism Committee. The opinion piece by Cortes-Vasquez is the type of statement that helps bridge that gap, and MMA will need more of the same message in the next few months – in the lead up to April – in order to give those in the state legislature the confidence to vote in the budget and the MMA bill.
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