Sport Betting will Increase legitimacy of Sport

New Jersey has recently passed a law which would allow race tracks and casinos to make bets on National Football League matches as well as other sports.  However, New Jersey Senator Raymond Lesniak, a sponsor on the bill, has yet to be able to place a bet as a Federal Judge has enjoined NJ from implementing the law as a response to a suit that several leagues have levied against New Jersey's Law.  Their primary complaint is that the allowance of sports gambling would lead to higher occurrences of match fixing.

This is certainly a concern as match fixing allegations have arisen in European soccer league, which at this point have prevented clubs like Fenerbahce from participating in Europe's top flight soccer league, the Champion's League.  Several referees from the German Bundesliga have been convicted of match fixing.  Most recently C.J. Ross, a judge for Nevada State Athletic Commission resigned her position after public outcry alleging dubious judging for Floyd Mayweather's title defense against Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in September of last year.  However, these instances are few.  In addition, a well regulated betting system would allow police as well as administrators to observe betting trends and gaming activity to discern if there is any impropriety as to the bets being placed at a sportsbook.

The system would also allow more funds to flow into the pockets of the participating leagues as well as the coffers of many struggling casinos.  The Fertita Brothers who are the owners of Station Casinos as well as the Ultimate Fighting Championship's parent company Zuffa,Inc, have come out in support of efforts like NJ's, stating that it would "legitimize the sport." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has joined to support the legalization of sports gambling in the United States.

"In light of these domestic and global trends, the laws on sports betting should be changed," Silver wrote. "Congress should adopt a federal framework that allows states to authorize betting on professional sports, subject to strict regulatory requirements and technological safeguards."- Silver's Op-ED NY Times. Nov. 13, 2014

With the ever increasing demand to legalize sports gambling in more states and figures like Silver supporting efforts like NJ's, will we see a change in federal law that would create a system like the UK or Australia where it is highly regulated?

Feel free to comment below...

Chan Sung Jung Forced to Enlist in Korean Military...Out for Another Two Years

Chan Sung Jung nicknamed the "Korean Zombie" for his fighting style and the way he trudges forward absorbing massive amounts of punishment while appearing unfazed.  Jung captured the hearts of MMA fans and sports fans alike after his three round war loss against fellow featherweight Leonard Garcia at WEC 48 Aldo v. Faber PPV.  After the merger of the WEC's lighter weight classes into the UFC, Jung came along with the package.  While fighting for the UFC he amassed a record of 3-1 (only loss to current featherweight champion Jose Aldo Junior) with a record of 13-4 overall.  He even made UFC history in his rematch against Leonard Garcia in which he submitted him with "a twister" (first time in UFC history.)

Despite this popularity and worldwide appeal he failed to have his mandatory military service waived, which will put his MMA career on hold for at least two years.  Jung made an appeal to Korean army in an effort to maintain his job presenting evidence that he was employed by an overseas corporation and that his job could not afford him a two year leave of absence.  His enrollment had been halted by the fact that he had incurred a shoulder injury in his fight against Jose Aldo.  In addition, Jung has not seen action in the cage since that championship bout in August 2013.  After receiving surgery, for the injury it appears the Korean military become more aggressive as to compelling the fighter to enlist.  With this long leave of absence, will the "Korean Zombie" return to the case?  At the time of this article, Jung is currently 27 years old, which would mean he would be 29 if he so decides to return to the sport.

Brian Rhee, Jung's manager, told MMAJunkie.com that Jung would begin service on October 20th of this year and his release is slated for October 26, 2016. 

UFC Pirate Confesses

The UFC has been adamant in pursuing copyright infringers who distribute their broadcast without their permission.  One such individual Steve Messina, gave up his fight against the league as he confessed in a statement of his wrongdoing.  The New York state resident had been alleged to have downloaded and distributed UFC pay-per-views through torrenting sites like the Pirate Bay in conjunction with broadcasting live streams as well, a violation of the UFC  copyright and transmission right.  Messina had gained a following a gathered support for his cause, alleging his innocence.  He crowd funded most of his legal defense, but his fight came to an end this week.  As he confessed to the allegations and agreed to turn over his computer and to help ZUFFA with the particulars of his operation so that future infringement can be mitigated.

The UFC's war against infringers and pirate streams is understandable as the band keeps growing.  On the other hand, this is a sport that has benefited greatly from these streams and underground videos which were traded quite frequently and was able to spread the sport through word of mouth.  Now that the league is where it is.  It is looking to shut the door and infringers in order to preserve its right to exclude.  A right that is rightly protected by US Copyright law.  This also is a concern to the UFC and Zuffa as it continues to expand to new markets with questionable enforcement of copyright infringement.  

The Media's Reaction to Jon Koppenhaver's Assault on Christie Mack

I just want to take some time to talk about the media's portrayal of Jon Koppenhaver's aka "War Machine" on his adult film actress ex-girlfriend Christie Mack.  I want to say that this is in no way to condone his actions as what he did was irreprenhesible and Mack's account of the nights events were jarring to say the least.  He will surely receive his day in court and the state of Nevada will adjudicate those proceedings.  What I found jarring was that the coverage of the story was minimal and when it was covered the fact that Koppenhaver was an MMA fighter was deeply highlighted.  I feel this black balled a sport whose fragile reputation is becoming even more tarnished.  The image of Mixed Martial Arts being depicted as barbaric bloodsport continues to haunt.  The public at large not exposed to the world of this sport and ignorant to its true.  Those of us of course who are martial artists and have been involved in some for of combat sports know better.  From personal experience the most humble and kind people, I have met on the mat.

Our sport is extremely beneficial, for a myriad of different reasons.  As someone who has spread the world and converted many people to the sport it is disturbing when it is now being associated with such a horrendous and violent crime.  Again it is justifiable to portray Koppenhaver in this manner.  What my concern is is that the availability heuristic becomes ones associated with violence and barbarity of sexual deviancy.  Mixed Martial Arts is continuing to grow and it is important that organizations dissociate themselves with athletes that commit these sort of crimes.  Personal conduct clauses are a must for these organizations and companies.  Bellator did not hesitate to cut Koppenhaver from its roster much like the UFC cut Thiago Silva after his violent cocaine filled rampage.

All that can be done is to not allow the few bad apples to ruin the changing perception of the sport.  And as the sport becomes more mainstream perhaps this course will correct itself.  With large brands attatching themselves to the sport like NIKE and Reebok as well as Anheiser Busch, etc.  This is truly a growing concern as these sponsors could remove themselves and their money from the sport which would be highly detrimental who work within the sport.  Not just the athletes, but the coaches, cutmen, doctors, and even the technicians charged with setting up the shows themselves...

Nevada's Attorney General files a complain against Chael Sonnen after his failed Drug Tests

Chael Sonnen has not been having a good few weeks.  In this elapsed time he was released from the UFC and was fired by Fox from their broadcasts.  And now the "American Gangster is looking at facing criminal penalties which could amount to a steep fine of $250,000. For those who don't know a complaint is the first step in the legal process.  When serving an individual with a complaint, you in form the individual of their alleged wrongdoing and that you are looking for some legal remedy for that action, in this case criminal penalties.  Sonnen must now answer the complaint according to the time limit set by law.  It seems from Sonnen's statements that he wants to cooperate with authorities.  This isn't the first time Sonnen has been met by the law as he pled guilty to Real-Estate fraud in 2011. Chael of course failed a second drug test after testing positively for elevated testosterone levels in his first match against Anderson Silva where he had dominated most of the fight. This test was on the other hand much more stringent and advanced than a simple urine analysis.  Both Chael Sonnen and Warderlei Silva were supposed to be tested by the NSAC before their bout at UFC 175 this past Saturday.  Wanderlei refused to cooperate with officials stating that the official could not produce credentials and as a result was removed from the card.  The fight was then rescheduled as Vitor Belfort (another fighter with a shady history with PEDs was set to step in).  On UFC Tonight's daily show Sonnen derided Wanderlei on air.  Meanwhile, Sonnen was juicing to the gills as Joe Rogan would put it.  But this is not the issue at hand.

The issue here is the substances found in Sonnen's blood.  A precedent was set as the UFC is looking to begin testing its fighters much more stringently.  A step in the right direction for a sport which to this day still is derided for its barbarity.  He tested positive for  human growth hormone, erythropoietin (EPO), anastrozole and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). The offender here is EPO an especially banned substance in the sports world as it is linked to many different complications and sports related deaths.  The NSAC is also looking towards perhaps punitive damages as a way to not allow Sonnen to retire and skip town with a simple slap on the wrist.  Nevada is looking for a pound of flesh and Sonnen will be the first in an effort to clean up a sport that is beginning to enter a worldwide consciousness.  This is for sure also appealing to larger sponsors and investors as the league is willing to police its athletes in order to maintain its image but also the integrity of the sport in general.

In anticipation of tomorrow's fight I want to look at the all concerning issue of PED's in MMA. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) earlier this year ended its Testosterone Use Exemptions, which was a heavily monitoring of fighters who had low testosterone and wanted to restore their levels. An ESPN article revealed the flaws of the system put in place as it was discovered that any doctor could right a recommendation that said a fighter had low testosterone and they could get a TUE. The process itself divided the sports community, both the Major League Baseball and the National Football League allowed a small number of TUEs in the prior year.

This process divided many fans.  Many considered Testosterone Replacement Therapy as a way to cheat the system and creating an unlevel playing field for fighters coming up and the subsequent generation.  In addition critics argued that TRT would encourage the use and abuse of PEDs.  On the other hand, supporters argued that TRT allowed fighters to prolongue their careers as well as leveling the playing field for aging men whose bodies began to show their age, which would threaten their careers.  Despite your opinion on the pros and cons, the NSAC banned all use of testosterone.  And they have ramped  up random testing.  As one might remember, Alistair Overeem who had been suspected of abusing PEDs for years tested with an abnormal testerone ratio, and then there was Thiago Silva, who administered non-human urine to the Athletic Commission.

Dan Henderson, a legend in both Pride, F.C. and the UFC, criticized this decision by stating that the decision to ban TUEs would drive PED usage underground.  Not to mention those who were on it like Henderson had to take some time off as their bodies had to relearn how to naturally produce testosterone.  Vitor Belfort a user of TRT was tearing through the rankings and was challenging Chris Weidman, told the UFC that he wanted time off to find out if he could fight without the help.  At 36 years old Belfort is beginning to enter the twilight of his career, but he looks even more impressive than he did with his debut in 1997 at 19 years old.

Now both Wanderlei Silva who has tested positive and Chael Sonnen have both been pulled from their July bouts.  Wanderlei for refusing to cooperate with officials, and Sonnen for elevated levels.  The benefits of PEDs are immense in this sport, but when you are payed to legally assault someone who assumes you both trained hard, but secretly you have an advantage is just not fair.  However, what can be done to remedy the problem?  More stringent testing? Promoters complain that these tests can be extremely costly to perform.  The solution would be to perform random drug testing in the course of the year to make sure that fighters are not cycling off, but this dilemma is nothing new as it is human to try and obtain every advantage to win especially when fight purses and bonuses are on the line.

Sponsorship Money and How it will effect fighters.

Over this past week many concerns have arisen over the relationship between sponsors and promoters, especially sponsors affiliated with the UFC.  Unlike other organizations that don't charge sponsors for displaying their brands in the cage.  The UFC has long made companies pay for the right to sponsor fighters. Officially, the UFC has sponsorships with Harley Davidson, Anheiser Bush's Bud Light, Xyience Energy Drink, MetroPCS, Dodge, the U.S. Marines, Ultimate Poker, MusclePharm, Corn Nuts, EA, Tapout, Ubisoft, Ryu, and Edge.  All of these companies pay top dollar to secure a position on a corner or the canvas.  And fighters have been able to court larger companies as well, considering fighters like Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Junior Dos Santos have gained the Nike logo.  However most fighters don't have this opportunity, and often they have to look at small companies that are willing to take a chance that exposure will increase these companies profits. The UFC then is hurting fighters by implementing a tax on these sponsors of $100,000 a year.  This in addition to the agreements made between a sponsor and its fighters discourages the investment in future talent that might not be featured on TV.

Having lived the lifestyle of a fighter, I have an insight into what this can do to an athlete.  There is this idea that fighters make a lot of money, but in reality this is a fallacy.  Fighters who are developing receive the lowest wage of around $2000 a fight in in the UFC (possibly lower in other organizations).  This may sound like a significant amount, but a fighter must pay to license himself, pay his coaches, and the gym, and of coarse taxes, while still trying to make a living and provide for their families.  Sponsors thus become crucial income for these athlete.  Not to mention that these fighters use their sponsors in order to market their own brand in achieving their own notoriety in this venue.  Many fighters have launched their own brands and have grown them using these other unrestricted venues.  For example, Dan Henderson grew his brand Clich Gear and Tito Ortiz created Punishment Athletics.

The UFC has also taken a stance into marketing itself to the mainstream audience, controlling which Sponsors allowed in the Octogon.  For example, the UFC dissallowed the Gun Store to sponsor fighters in response to outcry against gun violence in other media.  Another concern is the creation of uniforms this would be great for the UFC because it would add to their growing brand recognition which is a goal for sure, but there is a uniqueness to every fighter and the sponsors that endorse them.  The UFC has made plans to allow a high end athletic company to create these uniforms and that three sponsors will be able to be displayed.  However, what happens when there are conflicting sponsor from competing companies?  We already see that these giant conglomerates are ready to eradicate their competitors (Nike's trademark infringement lawsuit against Venum Fight.)  Will this mean that fighters will choose to fight in smaller leagues or overseas where they can potentially make a larger income from sponsors?  Or will more fighters try to stick it out to gain recognition and more approved sponsors?

UFC Going after illegal streams and its users.

 

Those who watched the PPV UFC 169 illegally, pack your bags.  Jesse Holland from MMAMania reported today that the UFC has successfully shut down the domain cagewatcher.eu and has obtained.information from its website, which include, but are not limited to usernames and IP adresses.  The UFC has been an adamant opponent of copyright infringement even supporting Congress' SOPA bill, that received such a public outcry against the wide sweeping bill that could possibly shut down sites like Facebook and YouTube.  Zuffa LLC., the UFC has policed its copyright and licenses persistently, going after a number of restaurants and bar's for transmitting fights without the express license of the UFC.  The UFC continues to grow, depending on the domestic pay-per-view revenue.  The company spends millions organizing and promoting events in the United States and at the same time their markets have grown internationally as well:  both Brazil, and Canada have become major markets for Zuffa Europe and Asia are developing as well.  As season of the Ultimate Fighter China is set to debut later this year.  The UFC have also outspent other sports providers in pursuing copyright and trademark infringers,outspending the MLB and NBA in its fight against streamers.  On the other side, the UFC has recently increased it cost for PPV events and in an economy where the power to buy is diminishing it seems like a counter-productive measure.  Because as disposable income diminishes, fight fans will pursue other venues for pursuing their passion.  Only time will tell what will come of this. 

Vitor Belfort Is Seeking a Testosterone Use Exemption

Testosterone Replacement Therapy is probably one of the most controversial in the world of Combat Sports.  Athletes are not always going to be putting the same performances they did during their 20s.  The body begins to stop producing essential hormones that are needed to build and retain muscle mass.  Thus older athletes begin to decline.  One way that fighters are mitigating this is by supplementing hormones like testosterone to achieve what would be deemed to be normal levels.

 However, the issue that arises are the causes of this decline of free testosterone in the body.  Is this just a natural price of aging, a history of past abuse, or a consequence of the repeated head trauma a fighter experiences.  The actual abuse of TRT is not really at issue because state athletic commissions are highly monitoring the issue.  Now that Vitor Belfort has declared that he will be looking for a Testosterone Use Exemption in Nevada when he fights Chris Weidman for the title, this comes into question again.  Vitor has tested positive for testosterone in the past.  He was popped for steroids after his fight in 2006 with Dan Henderson, which was the wild wild west of MMA and their was very little regulation.  His past couple fights have been in Brazil and he has won them all in a devastating fashion.  Which can be legitimated by his training and his work with nutritionist Mike Dolce, but can it also be attributed to this Testosterone treatment.  The images about seem to dictate a story of suspicion.  One was taken before his fight with Anderson Silva and the other before his last fight with Luke Ruckhold.  I cannot speak definitively as this is conjecture and opinion.  One thing is certain Vitor has had an amazing career that has almost spanned 17 years since his arrival to the sport when he won the UFC's heavyweight tournament in 1997 and he has endured both several adversities, including personal ones.  Not many fighters can say that they have done that.

I will try to have another post before UFC 169.  So stay tuned.