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CBS Sports columnist Gregg Doyel has taken off the gloves and gone after the UFC in a new column that reports that the Federal Trade Commission is investigating charges that the UFC is a monopoly and adds, "as far as I'm concerned, the UFC is guilty as charged."
More from Doyel in the full entry:
And I love the UFC. Understand that, and maybe you can understand how uncomfortable this story is for me. Understand that, and you might even forgive me -- not for taking on the UFC, but for waiting so long to do it.
...
For years I've loved the UFC enough to leave it alone, let it do its bullying thing, with the tradeoff being that the UFC would love me back. And it has, up to a point. The UFC has given me credentials to every fight card I've asked to cover, and the UFC has put Dana White on the phone with me. Neither of those is as simple as you might think, because the UFC doesn't treat the media like the other major sports leagues in America treat the media. It's not a collaboration -- it's an intimidation.Point blank, the UFC bullies the media, holds a grudge, uses access to its events as the carrot to keep us media folk in line. Write the wrong thing about the UFC or its leadership, and the UFC makes you pay -- rips you in public comments, denies your access as a journalist to events, encourages other folks inside the business to keep you there on the outside.
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bitter?
while i do agree that to some extent that the UFC crew at times could be perceived as bullies, I also have to ask if you think that they owe you the passes just because you are press? Do they have any obligation to let you into their event at their own expense? Because if they don’t, and in fact you did write something negative about their organization, why WOULD they let you back? If you were in their shoes would you give someone free tickets who is just going to turn around and use that against you? Of course not. You are going to give those tickets to another press person who will actually do something FOR their company. Truthfully you just sound bitter because you didn’t get your tickets. The Dana and Lorenzo team are good at what they do. Sometimes that involves a little ass kicking. Maybe your just mad because this time it was yours.
by theTeaga on Jan 25, 2012 4:19 PM PST reply actions
dude
he’s with CBS Sports. The amount of attention they bring to any sport they cover is well worth the ticket price.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Jan 25, 2012 4:43 PM PST up reply actions
The issue with this is how different it is from other sports
LOTS of people write bad **** about the NFL and NFL teams. There are people who are credentialed to cover Cowboy games who have written that Jerry Jones needs to stop being the GM. The UFC is the only major sport that actively bullies the media. So it is something that they can be criticized heavily for. I kinda understand the Josh Gross thing since he leaked the TUF results or whatever, but the standards they put on the media is ridiculous.
If you don’t toe the company line, even if you don’t work for them, then they won’t let you work their shows. The UFC sees the media as their PR and they aren’t.
by HaterSlayer on Jan 29, 2012 5:11 PM PST up reply actions
buy some tickets, get to know managers and fighters and move on.
I’m sure early 1900 baseball was a ruthless enviorment for journalists covering the sport.
This guy needs to grow a pair.
The nerve to premise it all with the…ilove the ufc shit.
Made me buy another delirium due to the exhaustive laughter.
Definitely a beta.
by XingYi on Jan 25, 2012 4:37 PM PST via mobile reply actions
riddle me this
how often do you hear about NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL banning a reporter from ESPN/CBS/CNNSI? what’s that? you never have? of course you haven’t because it doesn’t happen. there’s a reason for that.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Jan 25, 2012 4:44 PM PST up reply actions
Do they ban them from watching the event?
by XingYi on Jan 25, 2012 5:22 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
dude
CBS Sports is doing UFC a favor when they cover the sport, even if they’re critical.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Jan 26, 2012 7:34 AM PST up reply actions
The UFC needs to start taking hits like a man and quit being so sensitive
I’d compare it to an adolescent stage where they’ve grown to a point where they need to be told like it is. In order to get to the next stage (teenager) they need to quit bullying their most crucial allies, which is the media, and roll with the punches. Only then will they continue to mature and further their growth.
by KenCanFightBear on Jan 26, 2012 6:51 AM PST via Android app reply actions
This comic was about video game media, but it applies here also:
follow me on twitter @polyh3dron
by Rob Young on Jan 30, 2012 9:35 AM PST reply actions
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