The Really: Can the sport of Mixed Martial Arts really compete with Major League Baseball or the National Football League?

I’m not sure if Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) will ever become what baseball or football is to Americans but it sure is gaining a strong following. When places like CNN and ESPN are doing feature articles on the sport, one can no longer dispute that it is gaining popularity. Imagine a sport or game where you had to combine baseball, football, hockey, and basketball into one. A sport where you either had to be so good at your particular sport you could win or good enough at all of them to overcome the opponent. This is MMA!

My first reaction to the sport was not a good one. I thought it was horrible. To me, it was humanity at one of its low points. It seemed to say we were going to pay money to become frenzied onlookers to people destroying one another for a few bucks and some TV time. Like the movie Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio; I protested it for years. I was not going to subscribe to that kind of mindless and senseless entertainment. Years passed without a thought about it. MMA was not very mainstream so I had very little exposure to it besides your normal commercial onslaught around one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship pay per view events. I would roll my eyes with disdain and flip to something more wholesome and politically correct like the movie The Departed or a Chris Rock special on HBO.

Fast forward a bunch of years. Unbeknown to me, MMA was rising at a very fast pace. There was even a reality TV show on Spike Network called The Ultimate Fighter which had really helped spring the sport into the mainstream media. How could a bunch of guys who are willing to beat the crap out of each other and play practical jokes not be a hit TV show? DUH! By this time I believe I had watched a couple of episodes of The Ultimate Fighter half-heartedly. It was more like the TV was on in the background while I was doing something productive.

I don’t know if I liked the actual mixed martial arts or the story line but either way, I kept watching. Then before I knew it, I had the show programmed on my DVR and watched all the remaining episodes. The end of the show’s season came and there was a final fight to decide you know what: who would be crowned The Ultimate Fighter and receive a contract in the UFC. This fight was to take place on national TV amongst a few other bouts. This was to be my first experience of watching a true MMA match. They got me. I mean, how could I not see who won after following the show for a couple off months? I tuned in that fateful night and I have been hooked ever since.

Is MMA going to be as popular as football or baseball? Probably not. Does MMA deserve the attention it is getting? I think yes. To those of us who have a hard time looking past the blood, I ask you to make the effort. Just like baseball and football, these people have trained for years; putting every ounce of energy into their dream. Rather then focusing on the bloodsport, try to focus on what these people can endure, on the dedication to their martial art. MMA is a special sport and I believe it has a special future in our culture.