Affliction Opens up the Nasdaq Market
Posted by Dave Walsh on January 21st, 2009
I shit you not. If you understand how the finance markets work in the United States you understand just how surreal this is. I can safely say that this was the work of the Donald, but I am still completely baffled by this.
While it is kind of amazing to see Fedor and Tito ringing the opening bell for the Nasdaq market, something that is primarily reserved for politicians, board members of large public companies, companies with a new IPO and so on, having a fight promoter and fighter declare one of the world’s premier markets as open is just weird. Not only is it weird, it is a strange PR move. If you think about this logically, what fight fan outside of your random finance nerds really pay attention to the Nasdaq opening bell daily? Affliction tends to spend a lot of money and time on promoting their shows in places where their audience could not care less.
Do you care about this? Will your average UFC fan who might be interested in this show but has yet to see a television or magazine advertisement see this and get excited? Outside of the “EDOR IS COMING” ads during the last EliteXC show and Arlovski fighting there has been no mainstream press for this event. As Zach Arnold has pointed out, Oscar De La Hoya is the center of attention for the recent press conferences, with passing mention to some obscure ‘Martial Arts’ show he is promoting. Merely a parlor trick, a new passing interest for the biggest name in boxing.
It has been said in other places and I’ll repeat it, this show seems like it is being set up for failure. There is advertising money being spent and all of it is being spent in New York City. While NYC is a large, densely populated metropolis with lots of fans, it is also not hosting the event, Anaheim is. Affliction also has the indignity against running up against Shane Mosley taking on the dynamo that is Antonio Margarito after Margarito dissected Cotto in his last fight and looked more and more like a beast than we could ever imagine him being. On top of this, World Extreme Cagefighting airs on the widespread cable network Versus live on Sunday night, featuring the rematch nobody asked for between Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver. While that fight is a foregone conclusion in many ways, Faber on free TV is always an event.
You have to figure with MMA fights being widely available on filesharing and videosharing sites within minutes of them happening, this show being sandwiched in between two UFC events, running against a big boxing event and the night before a free MMA event that Affliction might be in a bit of trouble.
Press Release Below
Russian Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko—who will fight top-ranked heavyweight Andre Arlovski THIS SATURDAY, Jan. 24th, in the main event of Affliction M-1 “Day of Reckoning” at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA and live on Pay-Per-View, took part in the Opening Bell Honors at NASDAQ this morning in anticipation of his heavyweight MMA showdown. Former light heavyweight champion and color-commentator for the “Day of Reckoning” Pay-Per-View telecast Tito Ortiz, Affliction Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio and Vice President of NASDAQ MarketSite David Wicks joined Fedor, to ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ headquarters in Times Square, New York.
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We can only hope this just doesn’t bomb.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Do you think it’s possible they’re not selling the event to potential fight fans but potential investors and media?
At this point, the PPVs are going to be what they’re going to be. I know there are bars in this area that regularly host UFC shows and are jam-packed but are NOT hosting Affliction because of a “lack of buzz” according to one bar manager I spoke with today.
If Affliction’s MMA financials are as dour as they seem from the outside looking in, it’s quite possible the company is looking for investors to prop them up for another show and/or free television to make the product actually begin to gain traction and interest from the mainstream (read as: UFC) casual MMA fan.
NYC is where that’s all at. Seems like Affliction may be taking this fight to the ground when everyone expected them to stand and throw bombs.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
This is actually kind of a brilliant way of looking at it that I really didn’t think of. It is right there, but somehow, you know. They might be trying to get their name out there among the rich and powerful as opposition to the UFC and a potential big money-maker for some investors. When you think about that, it makes perfect sense. If they can put on a solid show tomorrow night, make it look like the arena was somewhat full and promote their stars well they’d have a great product to sell to investors.