Since this is my first official submission to this “Behind the Shirt” article, I thought I would set the standards on what you can expect from me. I entitled this article “I’m not a Fan-Boy…” for a reason. There are a lot of people out there who claim to be journalists, writers, industry experts, etc. because they are big fans of MMA and the UFC and they are looking for a way to feel important or say that they work in the MMA industry. This isn’t to say that I am NOT a fan of MMA, in fact it is quite the contrary.
I am a big fan of MMA, but I did not get into this industry to meet fighters, talk to important people or pretend to be someone that I am not. I actually got into this industry based on a background that followed me from a previous venture, as well as a fortunate contract that I aquired with a major player in the apparel industry who was starting a new project in MMA when I happened to be expanding my business. For those of you who have known me for a while, you will know who I am talking about. I know that MMA as a business is still in it’s infantile stages, and that is where the natural advancement of including MMA into Action Sports brought me into being a major player in the Apparel and Sporting goods side of MMA and more.
With that being said, here is where I start the controversy… Other than calling out “Fan-Boys”, so let’s call it controversy number two. I will be the first to admit that I know more about the business side of MMA than I do for the knowledge of the sport itself. I can hold a conversation about fights, fighters, styles, etc with some of the most knowledgable people in the business but there are definitely a lot of people who will “out knowledge” me on a lot of things MMA. There are too many promotions, too many fighters, too much of everything for me to know as much as some of the people who study it like it was the only thing that mattered in their lives. Besides, that is why the people who work for me know more than I do. I know the business and brands, they have the knowledge (Our Ontario MMA Rep, Pat Chapman is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and trains students in St.Catharines, Ontario, so despite my size advantage, I won’t be fighting him for his paycheck any time soon).
So what does this mean for “Behind The Shirt”?
Well, when I tell you that George St. Pierre is my favorite fighter it is not just because he is Canadian. It is not just because he is the defending and dominating champion in an exciting division. It is not just because he is the smartest fighter in existence. It is not just because he trains harder than anyone in the industry… It is also what GSP has done for the sport that makes him my favorite fighter. GSP not only increases brand knowledge for the companies that sponsor him, but also UFC and MMA in general. With increased exposure for UFC and MMA, that also increases the exposure for other brands who market in what is still considered an up-and-coming sport of MMA. GSP’s existence alone increases sales across the industry despite not having his name attached to something. To expand on that thought, think of what GSP has done to bring mainstream companies and sponsorship into the mix! Gatorade and Under Armour are two of the largest Sports Related brands in existence (all be it Under Armour has only come in with recent success) and both use GSP in some of their Nationwide advertising programs. Even if you don’t know anything about MMA, you know about GSP. It can be noted that GSP’s commercials are more viewed that Gatorade’s commercials with Michael Jordan (I accept the argument that Jordan preceded the “youtube” era where “views” count for everything).
In later articles you will hear more about my opinions on mainstream sponsorship, GSP and more but I wanted this article to clear up the direction of this ongoing column with MMASucka. You will not be dissapointed by the opinions expressed in these articles, but know that everything I write comes from the business side of MMA. So the next time I am asked “ Do you know [Insert fringe Fighter’s name here]?” I will continue to say “Probably not…” but maybe I will follow with “Did you know that Tito Ortiz owned Punishment Athletics is now going into their 13th year of existence operating LONG before TapouT was ever thrust into poluartity mostly from their TapouT TV show to later be upstaged by Zuffa owned “The Ultimate Fighter” to which TapouT later became the exclusive sponsor in 2008?”. Maybe you did, but we will talk more about the business side of MMA, UFC and the apparel industry in later columns of “Behind The Shirt w/ Marc Wilson.
“Behind The Shirt w/ Marc Wilson” will be a bi-weekly feature at MMASucka.com
