John Ourand and Terry Lefton of the Sports Business Journal have contributed an article to this week’s Fight Edition that gives us some good information on what current television executives and marketing industry people are saying about the sport. Television executives: When you ask John Papa if the added MMA attention means that ESPN is […]
executives
WWE Recruiting from USTA
Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal is reporting that the WWE has just hired former U.S. Tennis Association executive Tandy O’Donoghue as its VP of Operations and New Business Development. WWE has hired Tandy O’Donoghue as vice president, operations and new business development, making her the third former U.S. Tennis Association executive to land with […]
Interview with WEC’s Harris (Part I)
MMAPayout.com recently had the chance to chat with WEC General Manager Reed Harris in regards to a variety of topics. It wasn’t really your typical question and answer interview, but more a meandering conversation between two MMA enthusiasts. Below, part one of the interview largely discusses the business consequences of the WEC’s decision to postpone WEC 43, a bit of their […]
Interview with BFC CEO Rebney
2008 may have been a year of historic growth for MMA, but in terms of the competitive landscape it remains a virtual UFC monopoly. EliteXC’s spectacular failure last fall, despite a historic network television deal and a number of marquee fighters, begs the question: Can a viable competitor emerge? Can the market sustain another national […]
UFC Needs to Adapt Management Philosophy
Dana White has almost single-handedly navigated a tarnished brand and a banished sport from the brink of death to the brink of mainstream acceptance and international popularity. Along the way, he has used an unparalleled level of cunning skill and unrelenting passion to micro-manage every detail of the UFC in order to carve it a […]