Salon: "The rise of female UFC fighters obscures profound exploitation, inequality"

[Goodfella86]

I asked you a question related to the topic of the post and you deflect with this lmao.
Keep crying; Pete Sell lvl thinker.

I don't answer your questions lol. Fuck off.

 

[brackis1]

I don't answer your questions lol. Fuck off.

Dime-a-dozen angry bro that can't address the topic, but has all day to tell everyone to F off; I love it dude.
As NPC as it gets lol.
I'll try again because this is fun:
Why does fighter pay being discussed upset you so much?

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Salon is still in business? Their slow death has been comical but its time for that sjw rag to finally die off.

 

[Lychrel]

If she can cite an example of female fighter who is as big of a draw as a male fighter but gets paid less for no other reason than her gender then she would have an argument worth listening to.

Yeah, pretty sure Ronda made truckloads lol

Personally I think Rose can get to that level if she keeps winning, tho I know that's not exactly a controversial opinion lol

 

[brackis1]

If she can cite an example of female fighter who is as big of a draw as a male fighter but gets paid less for no other reason than her gender then she would have an argument worth listening to.

I mean this goes for both sexes: the UFC chooses who becomes a draw with propaganda. They control the mics, the edits, the matchmaking, the custom sponsorship deals etc...
It's exploitive.

Rhonda is a perfect example.
Is the UFC cutting promos about the elite talents of random fighters? No
But it's having its richest mouthpieces tell the world she is a once in a lifetime star and giving her that blessing.
It's a circus.

 

[Goodfella86]

Dime-a-dozen angry bro that can't address the topic, but has all day to tell everyone to F off; I love it dude.
As NPC as it gets lol.
I'll try again because this is fun:
Why does fighter pay being discussed upset you so much?

What I really think is: you think I'm smart. If we ever argued,, you might even know I'm smart. And you can't reconcile your own shitty politics with your own overrated intellect. You know you've been brainwashed, too. You're embarrassed by your politics. You can show me some "right-wing" crazy shit and possibly make me blush, but you're surrounded by your own liberal horseshit every where you turn. It's spreading like cancer.

Sherdog is a bit of a hellscape for you, with a lot of conservatives. You want us all to be mouth-breathing Neanderthals, but you know that's not how it is.

You're also jealous of Pete Sell. I doubt that guy's ever been embarrassed, aside from maybe after his loss to Smith. He's one of those dumb guys who goes through life with a smile on his face and no hate his heart, probably making a nice living on the mats and spending time with his own [TRIGGER WARNING] nuclear family [/TRIGGER WARNING]. Liberals tend to resent that, and they don't even know why.

 

[brackis1]

What I really think is: you think I'm smart. If we ever argued,, you might even know I'm smart. And you can't reconcile your own shitty politics with your own overrated intellect. You know you've been brainwashed, too. You're embarrassed by your politics. You can show me some "right-wing" crazy shit and possibly make me blush, but you're surrounded by your own liberal horseshit every where you turn. It's spreading like cancer.

Sherdog is a bit of a hellscape for you, with a lot of conservatives. You want us all to be mouth-breathing Neanderthals, but you know that's not how it is.

You're also jealous of Pete Sell. I doubt that guy's ever been embarrassed, aside from maybe after his loss to Smith. He's one of those dumb guys who goes through life with a smile on his face and no hate his heart, probably making a nice living on the mats and spending time with his own [TRIGGER WARNING] nuclear family [/TRIGGER WARNING]. Liberals tend to resent that, and they don't even know why.

lol once again a lot of angry old man rantings for someone who was asked why they're so upset and unable to address the topic of fighter pay.

 

[613MMAfan]

I mean this goes for both sexes: the UFC chooses who becomes a draw with propaganda. They control the mics, the edits, the matchmaking, the custom sponsorship deals etc...
It's exploitive.

Rhonda is a perfect example.
Is the UFC cutting promos about the elite talents of random fighters? No
But it's having its richest mouthpieces tell the world she is a once in a lifetime star and giving her that blessing.
It's a circus.

True to an extent, but the talent has to be there. Rhonda was consistently dominating top 10 fighters in her division.

The UFC only cares about what makes them money, not the sex, race or sexual orientation of who makes them money.

 

[Johnnny]

Lawrence Epstein, the UFC's chief operating officer, recently told sports business publication Sportico that female athletes are a "huge growth engine" that brings in different audiences for the company.

Demonstrably false.

WMMA main events are responsible for the 3 lowest selling PPV's since 2005.

UFC 215: Nunes vs Shevchenko II - 100,000 buys
UFC 224: Nunes vs Pennington - 85,000 buys
UFC 250: Nunes vs Spencer - 85,000 buys

 

[brackis1]

True to an extent, but the talent has to be there. Rhonda was consistently dominating top 10 fighters in her division.

The UFC only cares about what makes them money, not the sex, race or sexual orientation of who makes them money.

lol what?
the minute Ronda a talented person she got smoked. and then again in the next fight and never fought again.

 

[brackis1]

Demonstrably false.

WMMA main events are responsible for the 3 lowest selling PPV's since 2005.

UFC 215: Nunes vs Shevchenko II - 100,000 buys
UFC 224: Nunes vs Pennington - 85,000 buys
UFC 250: Nunes vs Spencer - 85,000 buys

You have no idea what growth engine means lol.

To build new demographics that aren't already spending money or time on UFC shit. aka chinese people, women, creepy dudes etc... It's additional content for the UFC to monetize in ways signing another forgettable 170lb wrestlers (or a bunch of noname russians people hate). Both the men and the women should be paid more as a baseline since the UFC ends up arbitrarily deciding who they want to cast as some legendary great fighter/character.

(ps. that Nunes Schev 2 card had JDS, Francis, and Mighty Mouse pulled from it lol) Does that also prove Henry Cejudo isn't a draw? He was on that on afterall.

 

[Goodfella86]

lol once again a lot of angry old man rantings for someone who was asked why they're so upset and unable to address the topic of fighter pay.

So, I guess you think you're worthy of my respect?


Welcome to Republican-land where you get what you give. No respect for you here.

 

[GrantB13]

Shut the fuck up you (probably) entitled little college graduate woke bitch

 

[Royce's Gi]

https://www.salon.com/2021/05/01/th...res-profound-exploitation-inequality_partner/


The mixed martial arts pay-per-view event UFC 261 features two bouts that would have been unheard of just 10 years ago.

Russian-born Valentina Shevchenko will fight Jessica Andrade, a Brazilian and an out lesbian, for the women's flyweight title on April 24, 2021. That same night, Rose Namajunas, an American of Lithuanian descent, will square off against Zhang Weili, who has caused the popularity of the UFC to surge in her native China, for the women's strawweight title.

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The rise of women in mixed martial arts – which the late Sen. John McCain once derided as "human cockfighting" – is remarkable, and reflects the diversity and global appeal of the sport.

But as I write in my new book, "Fighting Visibility: Sports Women and Female Athletes in the UFC," it's important for fans and spectators to look beneath the sheen of gender parity.

While women may glow under the bright lights of the Octagon, exploitation and deep inequalities persist.

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Carey Mulligan on the success of women creators in Hollywood
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Ronda Rousey, trailblazer

In 2011, UFC president Dana White famously said that the promotion company would "never" include female fighters. However a year later, the UFC signed Ronda Rousey for a "six-month experiment" in women's MMA.

It paid off.

Rousey became a star unparalleled in women's combat sports history. By 2015, she was the UFC's highest-paid athlete – male or female. Even though Rousey retired from MMA long ago, the UFC continues to court fans by promoting its women fighters.

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Lawrence Epstein, the UFC's chief operating officer, recently told sports business publication Sportico that female athletes are a "huge growth engine" that brings in different audiences for the company. He noted that featuring women had grown the "female fan base" in ways that have "been transformative to the UFC."

The UFC's interest in promoting women has been rare in a sporting landscape that regularly objectifies, trivializes or downright ignores sportswomen and their fans.

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Selling a message of empowerment

The phrase "representation matters" is popular across an array of brands and platforms today, and consumers are ready to invest in companies that promote women's and girls' empowerment – including a stereotypically hypermasculine brand like the UFC.

The UFC has come to understand the power of promoting diverse female athletes for expanding their market and boosting profits. This doesn't absolve them from the sexism, racism, xenophobia or transphobia that has characterized the promotion over the years. But it does show that the UFC is willing to give women a platform and sell a message of empowerment.

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The promotion often depicts female fighters as heroines who, against all odds, have broken barriers in MMA and in sports more broadly.


Seeing women be successful in the sport gives an impression that anything is possible and all the challenges female fighters have faced are behind them.

So yes, representation matters, and female fighters have, relative to other sports, high levels of exposure, especially given that just 4% of all global sports media coverage features female athletes.

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But, as retired UFC fighter Julie Kedzie recently told me, "It's not enough to shatter the glass ceiling. You have to clear the glass."

In other words, just because women are in the UFC, it doesn't mean that they're treated fairly.

Representation doesn't end exploitation

The UFC likes to boast that it is unlike any other sport, because female athletes can make as much as men. However, when taking Ronda Rousey out of the equation, there is little evidence to support this.

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The UFC isn't a publicly traded company – at least not yet – so it doesn't have to disclose athlete pay. Due to the difficulty of obtaining a full picture of fighter pay,the UFC can continue to make claims of parity.

However, most estimates put fighter pay at 10% to 20% of the UFC's overall revenue, with the bulk of that distributed toward UFC champions and stars – most of whom are men. As a comparison, NFL and NBA players receive around 50% of revenue the leagues take in.

In my research, I obtained a snapshot of fighter pay from some state athletic commissions. Although the picture is incomplete because not all states or countries require the UFC to disclose fighter pay, the data made available to me suggest that the median payout for female fighters is 68% of what male fighters earn.

Fighting can be lucrative for some. But when compared with an MMA empire worth billions of dollars, the reward for individual fighters can seem minuscule – especially when taking into account the mental and physical toll of the sport.

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A "climate of fear"

Part of the issue around pay inequality is that the UFC has successfully thwarted fighters' efforts to unionize and create a path for collective bargaining.

The UFC saves a lot of money because their fighters are independent contractors. This means that fighters must pay for things leagues and teams typically cover in other sports. They fund their own training and coaching, health care, management, retirement investments, recovery therapies and taxes out of their UFC payouts or income from other jobs.

This means that outside of the handful of UFC stars, many fighters struggle to make ends meet.

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In my book I interview former UFC fighters Leslie Smith and Kajan Johnson, who tried to organize fighters before the organization ended its relationships with both athletes. They contend that the UFC treats fighters as employees and incorrectly classifies them as independent contractors. For example, fighters have to submit to random drug testing and wear UFC partners' apparel for their fights, which is atypical of contractual relationships. Smith and Johnson believe that unionization is the best chance fighters have to gain more agency, pay and health care.

Best thing about being young is that you always think everything will work out and you don't pay a bit of attention to world affairs, because you thought, ah man, all of the older folks will sort it all out.

And I really do believe that men mature a lot later than women because I didn't give a crap about pretty much anything until my first son was born in 2000.

And that was when I was 32. So I went 32 years just thinking about lifting weights and football and sexy girls.

And of course, hunting and Black Labradors. Those two were the most important, by the way.

I guess that I am writing this because I don't like the real world.

In the real world, people steal from you, They actually steal stuff from another person. I will be the first to admit that I grabbed a can of Skoal or two when I couldn't rub two nickels together in college, and that was wrong. But in the last year, I have had someone steal my checks, steal my kayak, steal my generator and my faith in humans. A workman stole my checks and signed my name and people accepted the check because they suck , too. And then he cashed them all over Philadelphia and the cops can't do anything and it is ME who has to get a new bank account and then go on and talk to the fraud department. That happened to me. Or workmen steal your brand new in- the -box- generator when you go to pick up your kid at school. Happened to me, too.

Two guys came over to fix the air conditioning the other day. I stayed with them the whole time. I don't give a shit, I will never leave a worker alone in my house again. Can't trust anybody. And then you have friends who suck and/or people you thought were your friends and then they end up being so..., well so normal. What is normal now to me? Untrustworthy, late, soft, weak, hate America, hate guns, hate family, hate the flag, hate everything that this country was built on and makes it great. That's normal now. Whatever. All these pedophiles and child trafficking and nobody gives a damn. I threw that one in there, I really cannot help it. It makes me nuts . Because I won't get crazy about much, but I will get nuts about that. And these cowards wanting to take my guns but they are protected by guns.

"Good enough for ME but not for the peasants."

Illogical , right?

And when you see all of that stuff, it burns your eyes, man.

You see people trying to normalize child trafficking and it makes you cry, makes you want to run somewhere where people would string somebody up for talking like that , and I saw something on a major network the other day about "normalizing" pedophilia. You know that is wrong, correct? That the trafficking stuff is like a 90 billion dollar industry? Your kids. Lots of kids. Don't leave them alone, I am serious. But in many states, try to get a gun to protect them, Takes forever. Meanwhile, alllll the criminals dont have to wait. You see that, right? Thats illogical and makes no sense. Drop your misconceptions and think about it.

You. Alone at night. Someone breaks down the door and is coming upstairs after you. And your kid. What will you do without a gun? He has a gun. He has your kid's lives. Tell him to leave? Ask him gently? Give up your life? Or blow his damn head off? I'll take the last one.

You get it, right? That people who hate America want you to die, right? That there is a radical bunch of folks who wouldn't last ONE DAMN DAY in China, but want the government to be like they are, right? Is that cute to you? Try it for a freaking day. You will go back to your bowl of Lucky Charms in your Mommy's kitchen real damn fast.

Like I said, when you open your eyes, it gets rough. Especially after 40, then you see how messed up everyone really is, and how you think everyone loves you but then you realize that they don't, and it hits you like a ton of bricks that there are actually some people who HATE you! Crazy, but yes, little old me.

One time, many years ago, I had a whole section of a forum devoted to how much I sucked as a strength coach. I think we had just won our third championship in a row or something. The posters were kids who were soft as Pillsbury but the problem was that I told them so. Nobody wants to be told that they are soft. What they could have done is risen up and taken the challenge and be strong and be a leader, and.... it messes people up that there is someone in this world who knows that they are a pussy. That no matter how much bravado they display or how much money they make, there is always someone out there who knows. And I know. So you take it and you move on. I have gotten letters and emails from people who didn't like what I had written. Usually they misconstrued what I meant, but whatever. Just move on. Laugh and move on.

So where does that leave us? Freakin' frustrated. But, I understand. I understand how it is, but I don't like it, not one bit. I'm not changing though. I'm just more awake and I don't trust a soul.

That's how it goes, I guess.

 

[MMAALLDAYBAYBAY]

"But will Shevchenko get paid to win what Jorge Masvidal – a male athlete also fighting for a title – would be paid to lose?"

Ugh such a stupid fallacy. Mas brings more eyeballs than anyone on that card. These people should fuck off with their idiotic ramblings. There's only a handful of top female fighters compared to men, and only a few of them take fighting seriously.

Lol, come on man! You can't insert VERY simple logic into the gender "inequality" pay gap "argument". Far too many absolutely clueless ignoramuses out there, like Megan Rapinoe have absolutely 0 clue how to comprehend that type of basic logic.

 

[brackis1]

Shut the fuck up you (probably) entitled little college graduate woke bitch

lol this really screams "I don't make bigoted stereotypes and am decent person" <Lmaoo>

 

[BenderIsGreat]

It doesn’t matter the age, the race, the gender, etc....If someone is stabbing someone, or about to arm cocked, you shoot em....They only using tasers if someone isn’t carrying a murder weapon, a large knife is a murder weapon, one deep puncture stab and you’ll bleed out, especially to a vital organ. But the diarrhea media will say the cop is a trigger happy murderer. Facts be damned because they have a very clear agenda.

The cop was a damn good shot

 

[Strijfy]

I ain't reading that shit

I read some of it , you made the right decision

 

[GrantB13]

lol this really screams "I don't make bigoted stereotypes and am decent person" <Lmaoo>

Oh I'm not saying I'm perfect, but these kinds of people get out of college thinking they know it all and are professionally offended and either CREATE problems or MAGNIFY problems. I would say I'm a "decent" person in real life overall though. I just don't care for this virtue signaling cancel culture.

 

[USA!USA!]

Any place that makes sure to share that the fighter is a lesbian is not worth reading.