K1: Parity or Parody?
By Mick Hammond
Posted: September 21, 2003
This is an editorial commentary by the author and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of MMAWeekly.com or its staff members.
Parity (n) ?Equality, as in amount, status, or value.
Parody (n) ?Something so bad as to be equivalent to intentional mockery; a travesty.
Parity and parody, two words, similar sounding but worlds apart. It would seem that most people could easily confuse the two and apparently K-1 has done so in major fashion. With recent near-pro wrestling type theatrics and tabloid-esque allegations and roster moves, the company that once seemed as if they could finally gain the MMA community some much earned respect in the mainstream media has become to many the butt of jokes, cynicism, and parody.
“If you are searching for that pits the world’s best contact martial arts experts against one another in combat, then look no further: You’ll discover all the drama and thrills you can handle in the world of K-1, the king of fighting sports.?This line is taken from K-1’s American site () that apparently includes a former pro-football player turned MMA freak show, a washed up ear-biting ex-boxers, and a Playboy cover model. These are “the world’s best contact martial arts experts??I may be missing something here but to me that sounds like an episode of Jerry Springer or WWE Smackdown rather than a legitimate MMA competition.
I would think a company that managed to get a television contract with the worlds most recognized and creditable sports channel (ESPN) would try harder to help the MMA sport grow into acceptance rather than ostracizing it. Apparently though shock-value reality type TV is more enjoyable than true tests of combat to the brass of K-1. How else could you justify some of the recent roster moves being made by this company? Oddly enough it is the same channel which has provided the most recent damage by allowing one of its highest rated shows (Pardon the Interruption) to further decimate the image of both the sport and its fans. Irony at its finest.
Let’s not forget Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic’s allegations of fixed-fights and K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii’s alleged tax evasion which looms ominously over K-1. These two issues would be hard enough for any company trying to gain legitimacy without adding the spectacle of staged press conference and in-ring scuffles between fighters.
Perhaps K-1 sees more into the “drama and thrills you can handle?than it does into providing quality proving grounds for legitimate fighters looking to earn a living at their craft. As we know the world of marketing has sadly overtaken sports, and where as before it was an afterthought it has clearly stepped into the forefront of the minds of those in control of the companies which provide the sport its venue from which it shines.
In the end, loyal fans are reduced to being publicly denounced as “morons?on national television, and the sport’s already waning creditability is taking a severe beating from which it may not recover any time soon. If K-1 truly wants to turn into the WWE then by all means do so, but do no try to market yourselves as legitimate MMA in the process. Parity is NOT a 100 pound weight difference during a fight nor is alienating hardworking truly skilled MMA fighters by signing individuals more suited to carnival sideshows than professional prizefighting. That my fellow MMA fans is parody, plain and simple.
I’d like to close this with a thought recently given to me by a friend which I think can sum up my view on the turn K-1 has taken of late. Keep your rap out of my metal, your comedy out of my horror, and your circus out of my MMA and we’ll get along just fine. Remember K-1, the general consuming public may boost PPV buys and ratings, but it is us, the hard-core and loyal MMA fans to which your ultimate success or failure will be garnished from. Forget us and we will forget you, and then you can take your place amongst the XFL and other now defunct parodies of parity..
By Mick Hammond
Posted: September 21, 2003
This is an editorial commentary by the author and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of MMAWeekly.com or its staff members.
Parity (n) ?Equality, as in amount, status, or value.
Parody (n) ?Something so bad as to be equivalent to intentional mockery; a travesty.
Parity and parody, two words, similar sounding but worlds apart. It would seem that most people could easily confuse the two and apparently K-1 has done so in major fashion. With recent near-pro wrestling type theatrics and tabloid-esque allegations and roster moves, the company that once seemed as if they could finally gain the MMA community some much earned respect in the mainstream media has become to many the butt of jokes, cynicism, and parody.
“If you are searching for that pits the world’s best contact martial arts experts against one another in combat, then look no further: You’ll discover all the drama and thrills you can handle in the world of K-1, the king of fighting sports.?This line is taken from K-1’s American site () that apparently includes a former pro-football player turned MMA freak show, a washed up ear-biting ex-boxers, and a Playboy cover model. These are “the world’s best contact martial arts experts??I may be missing something here but to me that sounds like an episode of Jerry Springer or WWE Smackdown rather than a legitimate MMA competition.
I would think a company that managed to get a television contract with the worlds most recognized and creditable sports channel (ESPN) would try harder to help the MMA sport grow into acceptance rather than ostracizing it. Apparently though shock-value reality type TV is more enjoyable than true tests of combat to the brass of K-1. How else could you justify some of the recent roster moves being made by this company? Oddly enough it is the same channel which has provided the most recent damage by allowing one of its highest rated shows (Pardon the Interruption) to further decimate the image of both the sport and its fans. Irony at its finest.
Let’s not forget Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic’s allegations of fixed-fights and K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii’s alleged tax evasion which looms ominously over K-1. These two issues would be hard enough for any company trying to gain legitimacy without adding the spectacle of staged press conference and in-ring scuffles between fighters.
Perhaps K-1 sees more into the “drama and thrills you can handle?than it does into providing quality proving grounds for legitimate fighters looking to earn a living at their craft. As we know the world of marketing has sadly overtaken sports, and where as before it was an afterthought it has clearly stepped into the forefront of the minds of those in control of the companies which provide the sport its venue from which it shines.
In the end, loyal fans are reduced to being publicly denounced as “morons?on national television, and the sport’s already waning creditability is taking a severe beating from which it may not recover any time soon. If K-1 truly wants to turn into the WWE then by all means do so, but do no try to market yourselves as legitimate MMA in the process. Parity is NOT a 100 pound weight difference during a fight nor is alienating hardworking truly skilled MMA fighters by signing individuals more suited to carnival sideshows than professional prizefighting. That my fellow MMA fans is parody, plain and simple.
I’d like to close this with a thought recently given to me by a friend which I think can sum up my view on the turn K-1 has taken of late. Keep your rap out of my metal, your comedy out of my horror, and your circus out of my MMA and we’ll get along just fine. Remember K-1, the general consuming public may boost PPV buys and ratings, but it is us, the hard-core and loyal MMA fans to which your ultimate success or failure will be garnished from. Forget us and we will forget you, and then you can take your place amongst the XFL and other now defunct parodies of parity..
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