St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck once signed 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to bat as a publicity stunt, knowing no pitcher would be able to find his strike zone (Gaedel walked on four pitches). In 1977, the New Orleans Jazz selected women's college star Lusia Harris in the seventh round of the draft (Harris was pregnant at the time and never even attended training camp). And the male vs. female tennis matchup between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King is still celebrated as one of sports' great publicity spectacles.
Here's another for the list, although which category you place it in is up to you: cops vs. criminals.
A promotion based in Pennsylvania called Xtreme Caged Combat has decided to host such an event for their debut MMA show on Oct. 3 in Reading, Pennsylvania. The official event name is Crime & Punishment: Cops vs. Cons.
I'm all for people who've paid their debt to society having a second chance, and I certainly think the structure and discipline that MMA provides can be a positive development in anyone's life, but branding a fighter as a "con" while competing doesn't seem to offer any positive reinforcement for that change. Not that anyone should run from their past, but I don't think most ex-cons -- especially those that are trying to advance their career as a professional athlete -- are proud of the title. Then again, no one is forcing them to fight in an event which will brand them as a criminal.
Still, it's all a bit cringe-worthy.
This clearly isn't the best way to market a still-growing sport in a state that just recently ratified it. Pennsylvania is one of the most recent states to regulate MMA, so this is going to be one of the first sanctioned local cards its residents hear about. There are still so many misconceptions about MMA and the supposed "bloodlust" of its fans. As a growing sport, MMA still needs to put its best foot forward as often as possible.
The "Cops vs. Cons" theme is obviously designed to evoke the bubbling tension that is always simmering and sometimes explodes between those who've spent time on either side of the legal system. While it is probably likely that all the competitors involved in the Oct. 3 event will be perfect sportsmen during the event, promoters have to know there will likely be a backlash from local media leading up to it, and in the end, it's likely to be more negative attention MMA doesn't need. In the end, the fighters should be able to walk in and out with dignity based on their performance and nothing else.
So far, the event's website lists seven confirmed fighters, including Lamont Lister, a onetime IFL and popular regional fighter who is a Philadelphia police officer, as well as ex-UFC fighter Kevin Jordan, who is apparently an ex-con.
In this day and age, everything needs a hook, and the promoters of Cops vs. Criminals definitely have one, but that alone does not make it a wise idea.
Is Cops vs. Cons MMA Event a Good Idea In Newly Regulated State?
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7/01/2009 11:51 AM ET By Mike Chiappetta
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- Mike Chiappetta
- Mike Chiappetta is an MMA Writer for FanHouse
In the long history of sports, event promoters have been known to come up with intriguing, bizarre and sometimes downright crazy ideas in order to get fans through the turnstiles.
Read More: Fighting MMA Media Watch
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Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Oooh More social and moral deterioration. I love it. Bring the chaos and fall of our countries again.
No.
In PA, especially in urban areas there is a large divide between police and civilians. (see=stop snitching) I'm sure this will make things worse.
Bad Idea!
It's bad marketing that's made worse by being publicised by your good selves. I don't blame you for writing about it, but I think the event organisers did this deliberately to build up hype.
That said, this event wouldn't be able to get away with labelling "cons" if the fighters didn't agree to them doing so. I would never agree to being denoted as such on the promotional website. Still, at least they're not providing rap sheets.
I was confused intially because I thought that they were pulling current inmates out of jail cells to fight in the promotion. So at least it's not as bad as that, right?
I don't know about hype; but as an ex State Trooper and Corectional Officer I know this will only lead to the MMA of the "Dark Ages." Too many gangs and too much hate in prison. I have seen enough of Kimbo Slice and I don't believe he is even a con. I can only imagine what these events would produce. I would like to think that MMA is about respect, courage, skills, and disciplin. Cops vs. Cons would most likely be about hate and revenge. Just my opinion!
Oh, they have a contact form. I'm going to write them a POLITE, INTELLIGENT, YET STRONGLY WORDED e-mail letting them know I think this is a misguided way to promote the event.
I encourage others to do the same.
Here's the email I sent, in any case:
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Dear Sirs,
I am writing because I believe that, as a fan of the sport, your promotional hook is one of the most unprofessional ways to promote a mixed martial arts bout that I have ever seen. MMA is a sport that is strictly intended for professional athletes, regardless of their unfortunate backgrounds. I am sure that you are aware of the public image of MMA that companies like the UFC have fought long and hard to change so that the sport is no longer deemed "human cockfighting", especially in states like New York where MMA is still illegal thanks to misrepresentation from its opponents. I personally feel that your promotion's "Cops Vs. Cons" theme undermines the work done to change the perception of the sport as well as the lengthy legislative process required to legalise MMA in the rest of the United States.
I also find the idea that you are labelling men who have paid their debt to society as "cons" for the purposes of a cheap marketing gimmick to be somewhat offensive. I understand that nobody has forced the men to participate under these terms, and whilst I am sure that their full consent was gained for you to market a fight based on their criminal past, it is still demeaning to both the atheletes as well as the sport itself, as well as giving the sport a somewhat thuggish image that is still detrimental to the image of MMA.
I also hope that pointing out who the "cons" are does not promote the idea that these men are still undesirable members of society (though I'm sure you're not putting murderers and rapists in the cage!) or encourage unnecessary crowd hostility, either directly or indirectly. Since many members of the audience will not know a majority of the fighters are it seems somewhat unsporting and, again, unprofessional to market a fighter in a way that will negatively affect audience disposition. I notice that the fighter profiles are not yet working on your site - I sincerely hope that the idea is not to lay out each "con's" rap sheet since that would be adding insult to, well, further insult.
It is unfortunate that you have felt a need to go down this path to promote your event, as there are many successful promotions that aren't spelled "UFC" who have not had to resort to cheap gimmicks to sell their fights and still manage to put on entertaining events.
Despite finding your marketing technique questionable at best, I wish you the best of luck - more regional promotions is a good thing for the sport! And kudos on the lovely looking ring girls. I hope that if you plan a future event it will instead be focused on the fighters as highly-evolved athletes and not men with unfortunate pasts.
Sincere regards and best wishes,
Robert M
X-Convicts in MMA
By.C.A
Last month we featured an article regarding Police in MMA, and pointed out how several officers are trading in their badges for MMA fighting gear.
Well we recently learned that cops are not the only ones joining this brutal and popular sport. Former convicts who've payed their dues and served time in some of America’s most dangerous penitentiaries are making MMA their choice of career too.
“You either ride or die, and the first thing every new con coming into the prison system learns is if he's a man or a punk.” says 35 year Angel Cardona who served 16 years in California’s violent Corcoran state penitentiary. “Prisoners really have no choice but to learn how to stand up for themselves”
State and Federal correctional facilities report a 27% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults and a 32% rise in inmate-on-staff attacks. Those statistics alone explain why more and more tattooed x-convicts are being seeing in the MMA scene. Cardona, who gave up MMA last year, explains that getting a good paying job is tough for anyone with a criminal record so other than dealing drugs, joining Mixed Martial Arts is the only alternative.
“I’ve had a lot to homies who’ve done time get into UFC or MMA. Promoters hit us up all the time because the fighting industry loves the hardcore image.” says Cardona who is festooned with prison tattoos.
Many x-cons such as Cardona often choose MMA over boxing because many are too old to qualify for professional boxing.
“ I tried to get into boxing, you know, follow Bernard Hopkins foot steps but most boxing gyms require a 28 year age minimum, so I got into MMA.”
Another reason UFC and MMA promoters love recruiting former cops and x convicts is because fights between these two completely oppositional elements can get pretty volatile and fans love that. The crowd goes wild at the sight of a tough former cop and a tattooed x-convict going toe to toe.
“We never take it personal, what happens in the cage stays in the cage” says Cardona in regards of fights he has had with former cops. “The best fighters are those who have to fight to survive, not for fun or sport. Regardless of how you fight or your style, the more you are able to defend yourself, the better you will get, just as steel sharpens steel, man also sharpens man.”
Well, my buddy Gabe is fighting on the card. He got jumped in a bar 4 years ago and defended himself then got arrested for the assault, but that makes him a "con" I guess. He is one of the most respectful people I have ever met and would do about anything for anybody. Just because someone is labeled a "con" does not mean they are a bad person. Plenty of people get arrested for doing nothing different than what a police officer or ex-state trooper would do if they were in the same situation. Many UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, Dream and all the other mma organizations have fighters that have criminal backgrounds. For many of them mma is a positive way to change their life around, and try to change their ways. I just don't understand how people can sit and talk bad about people they have no clue about. And I also think that any ex-cop who believes this is the beginning of the dark ages never should have been a police officer. Part of the Judicial system is rehabilitation, and saying this is the beginning of the dark ages for mma is totally ignorant.
Go Gabe!