With the bad numbers on CBS what is the EliteXC doing wrong or are they Is North America really ready for MMA Is it the fighters, the marketing, the set up or the commentators? I think they are doing everything right with good talent just that main stream America not ready for MMA that isn’t the UFC marketing machine They have really good talent, knowledgeable commentators and good production. I think people not ready to see good fights they are not told about Though it might be the marketing but I think it is the fact North Americans are not ready for it yet For me as a MMA fan i can watch any fight no matter what organization.
They are moving too fast. You don't go from A to C. Plus they have no brand recognition. There are people out there that will watch anything with the UFC label, ditto for MTV, etc..
I agree, they don't have brand name recognition. they also are not going to have a lot of viewers in July IMO, as it's a down time for TV. Sure there is less competition due to this but there are more ppl going out and doing things on a Saturday night. It's like other major league sports, you don't say basketball to the casual fan, you say the NBA. You don't say MMA, you say The UFC. They do have SOME talented fighters, but really the depth is not there. MMA, like boxing, needs stars cause that's what attracts the average fan. Mike Tyson had HUGE drawing power because of his ferocity. People wanted to see a 90 masacre when Tyson fought. Not a technical thing of beauty but savagery. MMA needs a destroyer like Tyson who will draw the casual fan. Some will grow to appreciate the other fights on the card, some will cry the minute it goes to the ground. MMA will never be overly huge in North America because it is a violent sport and a large number of ppl will never be into that.
Unfinished Business, live from Stockton, California, drew 3,701 paying customers at the gate. Holy shit that is bad. How about building a fan base before putting your stuff on broadcast TV?
Really only 3000 ppl And Jake Shields and Diaz fight in that area. What is the population of Stockton? Wow 3000 sucks cause I know in Vancouver Canada where I am from local events draw about 1000 people and that is grassroots advertising no big names. I mean in California alone you have more people than the whole country of Canada MMA might not be for Americans. The US population so large you think you would get a some support
Stockton is close to Sacramento and San Francisco/Oakland, so there is no excuse not to have a proper crowd at the event--other than the fact people might not want to go to Stockton. Wikipedia says the metro population is close to 700k. The crowd at the event was bigger than just 3000 but the rest were people on comp tickets, like friends, family, and such. CagePotato did a bit of research and the shows put on by the WEC, UFC, and Affliction in California all sold 10,000+ tickets in addition to the comp'd seats. Strikeforce drew 6,700 paid. It leads me to believe people didn't know about the event and weren't encouraged to care about it either.
Really, that last card there wasnt a fight I said I needed to watch, so I didnt. They had a deal with Strikeforce and showed there fights on showtime, so I think Cung Le needs to have a fight on CBS.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Big Frame @ Jul 30 2008, 10:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Really, that last card there wasnt a fight I said I needed to watch, so I didnt. They had a deal with Strikeforce and showed there fights on showtime, so I think Cung Le needs to have a fight on CBS.</div> you actually missed some very good fights then if you didn't watch it. To me, the UFC=MMA in North America for the most part and that's the way it is. They reportedly did more than 500,000 PPV buys for UFC 86 which would make it the 4th highest PPV of the Year behind Wrestlemania and 2 other UFC cards.
