Who Will Watch The Watchmen?
Posted by Alan Conceicao on October 21st, 2008
The fallout from EXC’s demise has struck an un-nerving tone for many:
As a writer, if you have information that not only can advance a story in the media with new details but also impact a current, on-going investigation, then start talking. By admitting this news item in the manner in which it was stated, it comes off as if you’re saying, “Well, if Elite XC hadn’t closed its doors, I might have not said anything about this.”
This is not the first time in the week that Zach Arnold has said something to this extent. Included along in his editorial was this post by Fightlinker, citing similar issues with the fashion in which MMA’s best journalists are conducting business. Alternately, he makes sure to give high fives to opinion/link based websites who made sure to “put the heat on” for an investigation that ultimately lead to EXC’s deal with Showtime Networks collapsing. Its an interesting dichotomy: Sources and Journalists bad, those republishing aspects of their stories for opinions good.
Now we here have never taken the tack that we are the finest bastion of investigative journalism. Total-MMA.com is, in essence, one of many, many, many combat sports blogs out there with the occasional interview or feature piece. However, its not above us to point out that others are as well. Bloody Elbow provides such a piece:
In fact, it was blogs who were attacked for inciting hysteria or much ado about nothing….While larger media outlet’s like ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption traded in their credibility for grotesque generalizations, it is very arguable those entities would never have even covered the issue were it not for the initial online push. And to think that one of the largest stories in the history of the sport is still not being covered on SportsCenter tells you all you need to know about ESPN’s alleged “priorities”.
While I’m sure Bloody Elbow gets plenty of views every day, and that there’s a couple thousand people who’ve heard Luke Thomas speak on the radio in his locality about the sport, the overwhelming reality here is that those gross generalizations are exactly what killed the EXC buyout. It doesn’t matter how uneducated PTI is about MMA, just that they have 20 times the reach of any internet MMA blog, regardless of popularity, and far more credibility than the black hole that is MMA Blog Nation to the overwhelming majority of people on the planet earth.
All of this is really an aside though. Frankly, Zach Arnold means very well. I have no doubt about that. God knows that I personally have been plenty aggressive regarding the MMA media and the fashion in which they cover the sport, and that opinion ranges from the bottom to the top. More interesting, its at the top where Dave Meltzer and Sam Caplan have both said rather, how should I say this, interesting things? Take Sam Caplan’s story today:
Petruzelli’s comments on 104.1 FM in Orlando that he had financial incentive not to take Slice to the ground that led to such a public outcry that officials in Florida launched an investigation into the incident were just the tip of the iceberg, as there also appeared to be more to the story. For instance, separate sources informed Five Ounces of Pain last week that there was also a possibility that a deal had been struck preventing Petruzelli from using “Thai-style kicks on Slice, since he had not prepared for them leading up to the fight.”
Meltzer himself made a number of cryptic statements regarding MMA as entertainment and remarked that when it comes to the UFC’s bonuses, made the statement that most bonuses are completely unknown to even hardcore fans. Its a calculated choice by both men to not be entirely forthcoming with the audience, and with their position with the major companies in North America at risk (along with their professions as MMA writers), they’ve made the conscious decision to not be entirely honest with you, the faithful reader and MMA consumer. It would be one thing if this sort of activity was new, however Dave’s sometimes pathologically pro wrestling oriented approach to MMA has led him to uncover worked fights and yet never criticize them, but rather judge them on a basis of how real they looked.
It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out how this incestuous behaviour has happened: the same inside sources for the Dave Meltzers of the world are the people in places of major influence. The centralized power structures that built the sport are the same ones who are in charge of disseminating information. The reason why so many Kevin Iole pieces sound like press releases appears on the surface as calculated to be that way for a very specific reason: Kevin Iole would get paid and keeps his ins with Zuffa management. Zuffa would get free press service from a “respected source”. Everyone wins, except of course, the fans. It should be no surprise then that, as one UFC press pass holder remarked to me, its a “real family atmosphere” at the pressers. Who wouldn’t be proud to be part of such an exclusive club?
To use a specific example of the MMA media’s willingness to turn a blind eye, we go back to the same article of mine that I linked upthread:
Well, to be fair, Lorenzo made 9 figures last year. That is pretty damned impressive. Oddly, absolutely nothing has been said asking why someone would choose to leave what seems on the surface to be such a plum job to promote a fringe sport. Nothing. Such obvious questioning has instead been replaced with infinite optimism. That he may be sensing potential revenue problems for the casino chain he runs alongside his brother for a company that primarily operates to pull in locals in a town with imploding property values as the American economy begins what is forecasted by virtually all economists to be a long term slide gets tossed out the window.
To date, not a single major MMA website has even considered asking these sorts of questions. But in the last week, some websites have run links to pieces like this story from the Las Vegas Business Press that point out a potential link between the influence of majority owners Colony Capital, falling fortunes for Station Casinos, and Lorenzo’s rather surprising departure from the company in an active role for his new position with the UFC (one that’s yet to provide any significant change in tactic or success). Rather than point out that devaluation of Station’s future might be tied to management changes, sites like MMA Payout and Bloody Elbow haven’t dared raise that spectre in spite of mounting evidence pointing toward it at least being worth a cursory look. More telling, the always business minded Meltzer doesn’t seem to be interested.
In that sense, the great meta-tastic issue from the fallout is the lack of accountability from those within MMA media’s highest towers towards the sport, their own discussion about the business thereof, and to the fans about its legitimacy. Hopefully we will get to see some changes there before too long.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 am
[...] MMA: Who will watch the watchmen? (a good article that should be [...]
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 am
Have you bothered to contact Meltzer or Caplan and ask them why they chose the tack they took? No? And yet you’re drawing conclusions without even attempting to try to make your opinion on the matter an informed one?
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 am
I’m pretty sure he is alluding to the fact that they don’t spill this stuff because they have these sources and this stuff was simply strong rumor and not for sure. There are times when you can’t compromise a source or maybe don’t want to report something if you aren’t 100% on it. Especially on something like this, where any little thing would spread like wildfire and become a ‘known fact.’
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 am
Excellent piece. This is what true MMA journalists should be looking into. I’m sure as a ‘blogger’, many big name sites (Sherdog, MMA Weekly) don’t have the willpower or desire to go public with much of this highly sensitive but pertinent information. As a fan, I don’t want to read rumors and conjecture from the big-boy sites, that’s why I enjoy blogs. Blogs report what the big-boys aren’t at liberty to go public with.
However, the lack of major reporting on stories such as the true series of events surrounding the fall of PRIDE was stunning and a reality check that even within the MMA media, not all can be trusted to report the truth, no matter how hard it hits thier moneymakers. I received a response from Josh Gross when the Pride fall was happening and he simply washed his hands of poor journalism with the standard, No yakuza links can be substantiated, so therefore we can’t report what may or may not be true. Convienent for Sherdog, maybe they fear the yakuza’s reach as well. Without blog sites like Zach Arnold’s Fight Opinion, I doubt we would know very much at all about that astounding scandal (an awesome book is waiting to be written…anyone?). The problem is, guys like Jeff Sherwood (whom I respect, along with Sherdog) can say these guys aren’t real journalists and write them off as just ‘cut-and-paste sites’ (true in some instances).
This article was no ‘cut-and-paste’ piece. I challenge any major site to contend with what is presented here and report and what truly is further down the rabbit hole. Remember big-boys, we know you’re reading this.
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:19 am
Have you bothered to contact Meltzer or Caplan and ask them why they chose the tack they took?
A) They probably won’t answer (Meltzer certainly won’t).
B) It speaks for itself. Caplan could have put big holes in the EXC ship and chose not to until the thing was underwater. Why would any “objective journalist” do that?
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
[...] Between the way the MMA media covered the PRIDE yakuza scandal and the Elite XC stand-up scandal, I’ve already had a low of opinion of certain media outlets covering the fight game. I just find it intriguing that when you point out that UFC is admitting they buy and pay off members of media and that there are media outlets like MMA Rated where an agent in the business is buying off MMA writers, nobody seemingly cares or blinks an eye. Who will watch the watchmen? [...]
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
The thing of it is, this is how “journalism” works everywhere, covering anything. Politics, entertainment, whatever. It’s exactly how it worked when I was in the videogame business. MMA and pro wrestling just throw the issue into sharp relief, because the number of genuinely connected media outlets you can count on both hands, and they get their stories from a tiny ring of inside sources.
Journalists get stories like this far more often than not because of a personal connection to someone personally involved in the story. That personal connection invariably influences the story, or stops it from becoming a story at all, or completely shapes the story according to the source’s whims. The effect is less obvious in stories where it’s actually possible to get information from a wide range of sources, but it’s still there — if you read insider coverage of the McCain campaign, for instance, you can tell which members of the campaign aren’t talking to the press, or who at the very least are not popular with the majority of their fellow staffers who are talking.
October 23rd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
It’s good to see people know that I wouldn’t answer a question that nobody bothered to ask.
But it’s pretty clear from the statement that whomever wrote it is not a regular reader, or if so, not one with much reading comprehension ability. Writing about various UFC’s bonuses is something I’ve written, 20, 30 times at the least over the past two years, often in great detail when it comes to main events on particular events.
In that specific article, there was no point to write something that was common knowledge to virtually every reader to begin with since the key point was made that UFC pays lots of bonuses and the story was about the legal definition through athletic commissions about what was a legal bonus and what wasn’t, citing examples of both, and how both change how a fight is being fought.
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
But it’s pretty clear from the statement that whomever wrote it is not a regular reader, or if so, not one with much reading comprehension ability. Writing about various UFC’s bonuses is something I’ve written, 20, 30 times at the least over the past two years, often in great detail when it comes to main events on particular events.
Assuming this is actually Dave, here is the question: You spoke of bonuses “no one knows about”. Those are what? You mean like pulling a Don King and giving fighters cars to keep them happy? You made no distinction with that statement as to their legality either.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I’m talking about bonuses that are perfectly legal but not publicized.
But they still change the mentality of how a fighter approaches a fight.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
People all know that you will get bonused more if you deliver a “great” fight, but that changes the mindset when you get paid more for “great” than for winning. It’s not illegal and for the fans, it makes for a better show because fighters are encouraged to open up and not play it safe as they would if their money was tied entirely to wins and losses.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
What about the accusation that you had heard about the Seth standup bonus on the day of the fights but didn’t say anything about it until after Seth let the cat out of the bag? Was that just a case of timing and you were always planning on mentioning it or was it something where it was just a rumored buzz that had little merit until Seth spoke. Or something else?
I’m also interested to know if the Florida officials in charge of investigating Standgate have been in touch. I contacted them with your information and wanna know if they actually followed up or if they’re fucking the dog on the investigation. And last question: would you tell them who you heard the Seth rumor from or would you claim journalistic shield?
Damn, I’m sounding like a Star Trek fanboy with these questions.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Oh man, FL, you really are. I think that Meltz was protecting his sources, to be honest. He has a history of doing that, which works for him.
I still think that it is a valid question to ask if Alvarez or Meltzer would have made this public if Seth didn’t spill the beans.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Also, an on-the-record type thing here; I think holding back on a rumor until you can confirm it, especially in a case like this where something like this would (obviously) destroy the company, is the only way that you can go.
The UFC stuff I think we’d obviously like to hear more about. Also, Dave, since your site went subscriber only for certain stuff a lot of your stuff comes down to copy and paste on other sites and heresy.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
To be honest, that would be an explosive thing to publish without confirmation. I hear things all the time from just one person, I usually hold off posting, especially if it is controversial.
There’s an inherent problem in reporting UFC undisclosed bonuses: very few people know about them besides the UFC and the fighter. If the fighter tells you, it’s almost always in an off the record way. There aren’t enough people that know, if the numbers get reported then the UFC knows the fighter told about them, and there’s kind of an implied thing where fighters aren’t supposed to disclose numbers.
October 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
People all know that you will get bonused more if you deliver a “great” fight, but that changes the mindset when you get paid more for “great” than for winning. It’s not illegal and for the fans, it makes for a better show because fighters are encouraged to open up and not play it safe as they would if their money was tied entirely to wins and losses.
I get why you’re speaking in generalities, but there’s a little more you could give us. Care to share with us how Zuffa might define a “great fight”? Maybe an example of a fighter who’s gotten many of those bonuses? Even an obvious one like Leben would be good. I mean, look at UFC 89. Leben was throughly outboxed and basically allowed himself to fight using a losing gameplan instead of taking down Bisping and perhaps getting the biggest win of his career. He then spoke about how it was the best fight of his career. Do you chart the line of morality at legality?
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I think it’s perfectly clear how Zuffa defines a great fight. It’s the kind of debased, third-rate Griffin/Bonner, STAND and TRADE nonsense between mediocre kickboxers that they keep telling us is a great fight. The kind of thing it physically hurts a boxing fan to watch. That’s a great fight.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:34 am
“I’m talking about bonuses that are perfectly legal but not publicized.
But they still change the mentality of how a fighter approaches a fight.”
The bonuses change how a fighter approaches the fight, we all agree. That cheats the fans. I know you think it delivers a “better show” provided your better is the same as Zuffa’s “great”. I know that Leben has gotten a number of FOTN bonuses for plodding, sloppy brawls. I know that Dana White has gushed over Rob Emersons marginal skills. It hurts the fans because it impacts the fights. It stifles style development (why hone your technique if the sloppy boxing gets you paid more? why develop ground skills if you and your opponent are both fighting for the bonus, meaning you’ll be staying upright?) It impacts fight strategy, which de facto impacts fight outcome. Not only that, it does so in a way that is not transparent. In doing so, it cheats the fans.
From having read the Observer in the past, I imagine that Dave might put forward the argument that all/most professional sports do this: find ways to make things more exciting. Yes, that’s true and I’d never argue it. But there’s a difference. The shot clock in basketball was a rule change that impacted everyone equally and was made clear to the fans. The changes to the NHL rule-book a few years back were above-board, transparent changes in rules, not in how they would be enforced. Secret bonuses are not in the same category as this, it’s more in line with the steroid scandal in baseball, certain people are getting a benefit that the fan isn’t aware of. It’s stacking the deck, while the fans are left thinking that the deck is shuffled cleanly.
I may not have liked all the rule changes that came with the unified rule set, but I can live with them. Why? Because I know what they are and, to the extent humanly possible, they are equally enforced (some exceptions, to which there is usually a public outcry). These secret bonuses, hell, even the not-so-secret bonuses, are new rules that are unknown to the fan and not necessarily enforced equally. Anyone who is a fight fan should object to them.
October 24th, 2008 at 1:07 am
A) They probably won’t answer (Meltzer certainly won’t).
Looks like you were wrong, jackass.
October 24th, 2008 at 6:44 am
To Dave Meltzer’s credit, he answered. Just without, you know, really answering the questions.
October 24th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
In my experience, Dave Meltzer will answer even the most inane email questions. He’s answered a couple of mine that, looking back, were really, really stupid.
October 25th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Yeah, I think his response was fair.
T Jay Thompson’s interview on Elite XC’s demise is pretty painful. Asked about the media being unfair, he answers: “We did such a rotten job. We made ourselves susceptible to that.”
http://www.sportsline.com/mma/story/11060710/1
TH