The U.S. Marines announced that it will not extend its sponsorship of the UFC via ESPN’s Josh Gross (and Stripes.com). The sponsorship with the UFC ended November 30th and the budget for its sponsorship have been assigned elsewhere according to Major John Caldwell, a spokesman for Marine Corps Recruiting Command.
According to Maj. Caldwell via Stripes.com:
“Due to evolving mission requirements, budgetary constraints, marketing analysis and the recommendation of our contracted advertising agency, resources previously allocated to the endeavor have been applied to alternate priorities,” he said.
The decision to cease the business relationship has to do in part with a push by member of Congress to end all sports sponsorships. Earlier this year, the U.S. Army pulled its NASCAR sponsorship. Also, the article infers that the Culinary Union Local 206 may have influenced the decision to pull its support from the UFC.
Via Stripes.com:
“The Marine Corps continues to stress strong personal values in markets that are viewed by young men and women who are interested in military service,” Caldwell said.
The veterans committee of UNITE HERE, a union that represents 250,000 hotel, food service, restaurant, textile, industrial laundry and gaming industry workers, said values were the heart of their argument against the partnership between the Marine Corps and UFC.
Payout Perspective:
The termination of the U.S. Marines sponsorship is a blow to the UFC as its signage and brand was a mainstay during UFC events including the sponsored “Tale of the Tape” and “prep point,” the mat where fighters were greased, during PPVs. It may be that the Marines were not receiving enough of a return on its investment in its sponsorship despite the fact that the UFC’s demo of young adult males is the audience the Marines would likely want. The union influence, if true, is another thorn in the side for the UFC. The UFC must now seek another prime sponsor to replace the hole that the Marines have left.
Mma the fastest declining sports lol
n**** shut the **** up. mma is still growing the only thing declining is your ******* brain cells.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a form of chain reaction from this. Once one sponsor pulls out, you often see others doing it as well. UFC is no longer the latest hit, the thing that everyone is into. Viewing figures and PPV numbers are proof of that. And if you are a corporate exec with money to spend on sponsorships, would you really want your product to be represented by a sport whoose most well known participant is someone as obnoxious as Dana White? I sure as hell wouldn’t.
I would actually argue that this probably has a lot more to do with Marine Corps recruiting than the UFC. Department of Defense is looking at an astronomical cut in budgets in the next couple of years ($500 BILLION in the current deal), and although you’ll also see it as a gross reduction in force and less equipment, it will also have a trickle down effect to recruiting and advertising budgets. The truth is that without a look into the specific Marine Corps budget, it’s impossible to say whether the UFC money was ‘re-allocated’ (i.e. the UFC actually lost business because it went elsewhere) or if the money pot is shrinking and the Marines couldn’t afford to sponsor ANYONE anymore, UFC or otherwise.
I’ve got a place for it: My tax return.
Is that an Air Force helicopter I hear?
Anyone sponsor who sees thid vid will in the very least strongly consider cutting out the UFC. It’s all their own doing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mmGDDql_cg8
MMA is dying, and the only ones that dont see it are the fanbois. The viewership numbers are flat, at best. Unless it’s a big name, Silva or GSP, PPV buys are WAY down. Proof that monopolies, like the UFC, in the hands of morons, like DFW, are destined to fail.
Congressional budget cuts were the main reason, as they were for the Army dropping Nascar.
The Culinary Union is so sleazy.
When I go on business trips now, I am going to specifically ask if the Culinary Union is in the hotel–and if so, I will book elsewhere.