The State of New York has thousands of Martial Arts gyms, workout facilities and dojos that they license every year. So what is New York’s problem with MMA competition. One would think that they would be open to let those athletes compete but NO. Doesn’t it seem strange that parents are willing to pay for their children to learn about MMA and then ban it at the highest level. Forty-nine other states, Canada, Mexico and several other countries have legalized professional mixed martial arts and yet New York’s political hypocrisy lingers on.
There are signs in storefronts advertising MMA all over the state but good luck getting into a boxing gym. They are nowhere to be found. And yet boxing is legal. There seems to be a lot of interest in the sport but the “not in my backyard” attitude of legislators is baffling. Jon Jones is from New York for god’s sake. The state doesn’t even regulate amateur MMA events. So why do they balk at the notion of regulated professionals doing so? State legislators are obviously not interested in the safety of amateurs. Nothing is in place to regulate anyone from running a show in their own backyard. Anybody can do it. It is like the wild west.
Legislators in New York are supposed to make intelligent decisions. All it takes is a shred of common sense and a calculator to see that too many politicians are interested more in serving their personal agendas and preserving their power than representing the people who voted for them. They continue to view mixed martial arts as an archaic blood sport. New York’s legislative leaders need to be as progressive as they claim to be in all other areas of their constitutes lives and get with public demand. Especially when one of the sports top stars is a woman’s rights advocate and an Olympic gold medal winner like Ronda Rousey.
It is ludicrous that this so-called progressive state is so far behind. The biggest aspects they are hurting are the fans, not to mention their own economy. It has been estimated that the economic impact from one show would be between $7 million and $10 million. When a UFC event comes to town, all the fighters, trainers and friends, UFC support staff and television production people need a place to stay. That alone equals about 600-plus nights in local hotels over five days. Add even more from fans who would spend the weekend while attending the event.
It makes no sense. C’mon New York, get over your severe case of rectal-cranial inversion…
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