The Legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in New York
Will New York finally tap?
The Legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in New York
J______ G____
Minnesota School of Business
CM121 LK6 Composition
Mr. Bisser
Senator John McCain’s’ campaign, against Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the late 90’s, lead to the banning of the sport in 37 different states. He sent letters to every governor stating that “No holds bar” fighting competitions should not be sanctioned because it was nothing more than a brutal display of “Human Cockfighting.” (Furman, 2011) Fast forward to two decades later, Senator John McCain retracted his statement because the sport he once saw, with no rules or weight classes, had evolved into a fully regulated sport sanctioned by the states ' athletic commission (NPR, 2007). These regulating authorities are primarily responsible for enforcing the sports rules, scoring and drug testing to keep the sport fair and safe. The strict enforcement of these safety rules by the regulating officials has made it statistically one of the safest combat sports. These evolutionary changes has allowed its popularity to grow and receive worldwide acceptance, or an acceptance that has allowed it to expand into other states, bringing along thousands of fans from all around the world with pockets full of money causing local economic boost in every city/state they’ve held major events in. But not every state has opened its doors to the sport. New York remains firm on their position against the sports legalization and shows no signs of consideration. An opposition lead by New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly claims the sport is brutal and will only encourage violent behavior in the state of New York. “Violence begets violence,” a quote from Dr. Martin Luther Kings’ speech title “An Experiment with love.” Mr. Reilly used this quote in one of his addresses, implying that the violent and brutal acts displayed in MMA will encourage the same violent behavior amongst the audience and the people of New York. But Dr. King
The Legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in New York
J______ G____
Minnesota School of Business
CM121 LK6 Composition
Mr. Bisser
Senator John McCain’s’ campaign, against Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the late 90’s, lead to the banning of the sport in 37 different states. He sent letters to every governor stating that “No holds bar” fighting competitions should not be sanctioned because it was nothing more than a brutal display of “Human Cockfighting.” (Furman, 2011) Fast forward to two decades later, Senator John McCain retracted his statement because the sport he once saw, with no rules or weight classes, had evolved into a fully regulated sport sanctioned by the states ' athletic commission (NPR, 2007). These regulating authorities are primarily responsible for enforcing the sports rules, scoring and drug testing to keep the sport fair and safe. The strict enforcement of these safety rules by the regulating officials has made it statistically one of the safest combat sports. These evolutionary changes has allowed its popularity to grow and receive worldwide acceptance, or an acceptance that has allowed it to expand into other states, bringing along thousands of fans from all around the world with pockets full of money causing local economic boost in every city/state they’ve held major events in. But not every state has opened its doors to the sport. New York remains firm on their position against the sports legalization and shows no signs of consideration. An opposition lead by New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly claims the sport is brutal and will only encourage violent behavior in the state of New York. “Violence begets violence,” a quote from Dr. Martin Luther Kings’ speech title “An Experiment with love.” Mr. Reilly used this quote in one of his addresses, implying that the violent and brutal acts displayed in MMA will encourage the same violent behavior amongst the audience and the people of New York. But Dr. King
References: Barry, S. (2011, Jan 13). UFC Announces Intent To Hold Two Events Per Year In New York. Retrieved from MMA Convert: http://www.mmaconvert.com/2011/01/13/ufc-announces-intent-to-hold-two-events-per-year-in-new-york/ Coolican, P Furman, K. (2011, Nov 30). Legalizing MMA in New York. Retrieved from Fight Writing: http://www.fightwriting.com/ny-mma-legalization/ Hamlin, T HR&A. (2011). New York State MMA: Economic & Fiscal Benefits. New York: HR&A. Mindenhall, C. (2011, Jan 14). White in people 's corner for MMA in NY. Retrieved from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/news/story?id=6020079 NPR Stern, PhD, R. A., & Riley, BS, D. O. (2011). Long-term Consequences of Repetitive Brain Trauma: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitaion, S460-S467. UFC. (2011). UFC 128 Pre-Fight press conference. New Jersey: UFC. UFC. (2011). UFC 151 Cancelled. UFC News Conference. Las Vegas: UFC. USA Today. (2011, OCT 12). Culinary workers expand anti-UFC campaign. Retrieved from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/post/2011-10-12/culinary-union-expands-anti-ufc-campaign/553067/1