British sports journalist Gareth Davies of the London Telegraph takes on New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly in a BBC debate over the moral and legal consequences of mixed martial arts competitions.
Payout Perspective:
I think it bears repeating that it’s not enough to just call Bob Reilly ignorant and dismiss him. He’s got the ear of many people in New York and has proven to be an influential member of the Assembly, especially where MMA is concerned.
Reilly is a shining of example of where MMA’s effort to seek legalization needs to be taken to the next level. It’s not about shoving this $15-20 million economic windfall down New York’s throat, but instead sitting down with these people and addressing their concerns. That’s why it’s important to get Reilly and others like him to an event. These staunch opponents need to see the sport with their own eyes and have someone available to answer their questions openly and honestly.
In Reilly’s case, perhaps he’s already been extended numerous invitations by the UFC or even attended an event, but the way he speaks about the sport leads me to believe he’s yet to see an event for himself (or even watch but more than a highlight clip on the internet).
If Reilly truly is the rational, honest and good intentioned man that he claims to be, he’ll do everything in his power to educate himself about the sport on the whole – not just what he perceives to be bad, but all parts of the sport. That means watching an event, interacting with the crowd, and engaging in more due diligence than simple informal polls or “people come up to me on the street” non-sense.
I don’t expect he’ll do a complete 180 and start attending UFC events on the regular, but maybe he gains a better understanding of the sport that limits the extent of his now endless hyperbole or comes to see the sport as this generation’s version of his beloved boxing.
There’s no guarantee that either of those outcomes happen, but at least the MMA community will have done everything in its power to educate and convince a prominent opponent of its worth.
the sports world is soooo big and politicians in new york have so much more to think about rather than waste theyre time in legalizing a sport…theres the economy,crime,education,welfare etc…etc…the taxes they would get from mma is big but compared to other taxes they charge lets say for big companies its rather small…and in sports they have the knicks,the yankees,jets, and ocasional boxing and they have broadway etc… i think hardcore mma fans are so into UFC that they think its all that(dana white got them hook line and sinker)…and the money is sooo big but its not…kobe gets 24 million a year,brock gets what? 1 million geez richard hamilton gets 12 million per year and hes unknown….
And oh yeah….ufc would be bigger than soccer lol
its funny they called mma the fastest growing sport
but now they call the ufc the fastest growing sports BRAND
Because they now that mma started in the early 90’s and its been a looooong time already
If this is a Station Casinos union issue as I suspect, then all the education in the world on MMA won’t move the needle. Its really one of the only rational ways to explain the stalemate.
This much is true. I go back to this interview from March 2009 and he mentions the gambling bit and wealth of the Fertitta’s an awful lot.
http://www.cagepotato.com/exclusive-interview-ny-state-assemblyman-bob-reilly-part-one
This guy needs to get his NY schools to run the Gracie Bully Proof program.
http://www.gracieacademy.com/bully_proof.asp
If that’s true… do politicians think that prolonging the repeal of the ban of MMA in NY will somehow influence the Fertittas and the way they run Station Casinos and the way they treat their employees? The two are unrelated issues, and if it comes down to it the Fertittas will just say forget about NY. It’s not like Zuffa NEEDS to stage events in NY state. Sure it would add a subtle amount of legitimacy to MMA by being able to hold events in the coveted Madison Square Garden, but do you really think it will change anything about how the UFC is perceived? Do you REALLY?
I don’t think they believe they can force Station to allow unions, but by blocking regulation they can curry favor with their union political supporters in NY. UFC may not need NY, but it needs it more than NY needs MMA.
Hmmm… good point Adam. Seems silly though. It’s like the union supporters will be pleased by the mere fact that the legislature is giving the Fertittas a nuisance, while in reality it does absolutely nothing to help their cause. Of course in politics I suppose that shouldn’t be so surprising.