Dana White taps out to GLAAD, but may still win in NY

posted at 8:07 am on April 15, 2009 by Kid from Brooklyn
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UFC President Dana White recently took exception to a Sherdog piece that accuses Zuffa, Inc. (the UFC’s parent company) of playing favorites in the issuance of backstage credentials to fighter managers and representatives.  The article relies mostly on “unnamed sources” who fear retaliation.  An incensed White makes quick work of the article via vlog (NSFW-L), but commits the cardinal sin of gratuitously dropping the “gay f-bomb”.  Of course, the usual suspects went up in arms and demanded (and subsequently received) an apology.  Of course, ESPN ran with the kerfuffle.

The UFC is the crown jewel of America’s fastest growing sport…having gone from “human cockfighting” and the verge of bankruptcy to an all-time high in popularity, record ratings and record profitability seemingly overnight.  White is very much a hands-on executive who fears neither the spotlight nor a fight and demands excellence in all aspects of the operation he oversees, not unlike George Steinbrenner when he was still The Boss.  So why cave to GLAAD when the UFC fanbase is so quick to forgive the slur and move on?  Two words: The Garden.  

The UFC has long wanted to come to New York, where MMA is still illegal.  The UFC needs to perform on the biggest stage of all in order to consolidate its place in the top tier of American sports.  Cash-strapped New York could greatly benefit from a few UFC shows a year.  So it’s a slam dunk, right?  Ryan Hockensmith doesn’t seem to think so:

Some time in the next few months, White, the UFC and MMA will take center stage in front of New York state legislators. The goal: convince them to sanction the sport in New York. The key piece of persuasion in the UFC’s favor was pure dollars.

“In a time of economic struggle, why wouldn’t the state of New York want to fill up a few arenas and put people to work?” White could have asked.

A week ago, those sanctioning hearings were all but a formality. The majority would have recognized that the UFC is worth too much, financially, to turn away for another year. White would have been there, and he’d have put on a show. He probably would have put on a suit, cleaned up the language and not punctuated his arguments with expletives.

Even then, there were going to be a few politicians who wouldn’t have bought White’s pitch, dancing around the fact that, basically, they believe the sport is a barbaric, ill-mannered anachronism that has no place as sanctioned family entertainment in their state.

Now, if they play White’s video blog, they might not have to say it out loud.

Really?  New York is going to tax porn downloads and hike subway fares while cutting entire lines, but keep the ban on MMA in place because Dana White dropped the other f-bomb?  Ask the Chicago City Council how that worked out for them when they tried to jerk with Wal-Mart.  They may ground and pound White a bit for his remarks, but in the end, I suspect they’ll vote with their wallets and let the UFC in.

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