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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The Las Vegas Culinary Union has been a thorn in the side of the UFC for some time, as their issues with the Fertitta brothers over their Station Casinos in Vegas have led to concerted lobbying efforts against the UFC. Thus far they've successfully helped keep MMA out of the state of New York, and their latest campaign is coming in Boston, Mass., ahead of the UFC's August 17 event at the TD Garden.
The Culinary Union is affiliated with UNITE HERE, a larger group representing workers in a number of fields, and they've teamed up with other advocacy groups on a number of occasions for campaigns against the UFC. The latest is Parents Say No To UFC (saynotoufc.org), a petition sponsored by Boston City Council President Stephen J. Murphy, which is setting out to ban those under 18 from attending UFC events in the future, even with an adult.
Their statement reads:
"Cage fighting (also known as “ultimate fighting” or “mixed-martial arts”) is an extremely violent form of entertainment, in which athletes punch, kick, elbow and choke each other from inside cages and before live audiences.
Cage fighters at the amateur and professional levels have competed in public stadiums and on television bearing Neo-Nazi messages in their tattoos or on their clothing.
Extensive research has associated exposure to media violence with a variety of physical and mental health problems for children and adolescents, including aggressive and violent behavior, bullying, de-sensitization to violence, fear, and depression.
Studies have found that repeatedly exposing children to violent media is a risk factor for increases in aggression later in life, even into adulthood.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the leading promoter of professional cage fighting events worldwide, markets cage fighting to children through toys, video games, clothing and gym classes; and facilitates fighters' interactions with adolescents.
UFC fighters have joked about rape or used foul and abusive language that is particularly demeaning to women. UFC fighters and company representatives have used homophobic slurs and other insults that are hurtful and offensive to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Producers of alcohol products have sponsored professional cage fighting promoters, with logos of popular alcohol brands prominently featured at the center of cage fighting areas and at public press conferences.
Therefore, children should not be permitted to attend live cage fighting events as spectators. We, the undersigned, demand that children under the age of 18 be prohibited from attending live amateur and professional cage fighting events in the City of Boston."
This will not have any effect on the August 17 event on the schedule, as it will take months to come before the council and be voted on, but it's yet another headache for the UFC to deal with from this same lobbying group. For their part, the UFC created their own website earlier this year against the Culinary Union and UNITE HERE's continued efforts, which they feel amount to harassment. That website can be found at TheTruthAboutCulinary226.com.
Penick's Analysis: There's no question that there have been some highly offensive things said by a number of fighters in the sport, but the UFC has taken action against many of them. Additionally, the attacks are entirely dishonest in throwing out the Neo-Nazi issue, as they're trying to paint it as some type of regular thing when it's not by any stretch. Are there terribly racist, homophobic, overtly violent, and downright despicable people in the world of MMA? Yes, there are. But not on such a wide scale as to paint the entirety of the sport in that light.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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