ESPN's PTI and Around The Horn Talk Kimbo

by Chris Nelson on Oct 6, 2008 7:56 PM EDT in News Comment 13 comments

While the alleged attempt at fight fixing that took place on Saturday night has become the big news for informed MMA fans, ESPN's hugely popular daily duo of talking head programs gleefully stomped on the sport and Kimbo Slice once again today with some narrow-minded and just plain factually incorrect opinions.

First up was Around The Horn - here's a direct link to download the MP3 podcast - where AOL Sports' Kevin Blackistone and the sportswriter even Chicago couldn't stand, Jay Mariotti, faced off on EliteXC's main event.

Tony Reali: Kimbo Slice didn't just lose last night - or Saturday night, I should say - he lost in fourteen seconds to a guy he wasn't even supposed to fight. How bad is this for the world of mixed martial beatdowns, Mariotti?
Jay Mariotti: Well, this is the most recognizable name in the sport - if you call it that - and all I know is, in his two most publicized bouts - if you call it that - he got beat many months ago, and he got beat in fourteen seconds by some guy filling in, so why should I be watching--
Kevin Blackistone: Because, Jay, this is actually a pretty good thing for the fraudulent sport of MMA, because all the MMA purists argue that Kimbo Slice is a street fighter and not an MMA guy.
TR: While I don't agree with you calling it a fraudulent sport, Blackistone, you do make a pretty good point.

All I can take from this is that Mariotti clearly lives in an alternate universe where James Thompson's ear didn't explode and Kimbo tapped. That, and Reali is a good man for at least attempting to defend the honor of MMA.

Later, Pardon The Interruption - who you may remember had Kimbo on as a guest in late September - discussed the bout in their mailbag segment. It's almost pointless to bag on these guys any further, but here's the full transcript of the segment for those interested. I think Kornheiser's last line says it all.

Michael Wilbon: "I understand why the ref stopped the 'Kimbo versus Petrazooli' match, however if this was a street fight and MMA rules were not in place, do you think Kimbo would have gotten up and pummelled this man?"
Tony Kornheiser: I have to tell ya, I have no sense of the so-called rules, or the MMA rules. I don't know how it works. Here's pretty much what I know: that he was supposed to fight a guy named Shamrock...
MW: Right.
TK: ... and Shamrock wasn't fighting. And they went and got another guy off the undercard, a guy with pink hair who may as well have come off the streets here, and he beat him down, he beat Kimbo down - or, as I like to call him, Mister Slice. So I'm just not sure that we're gonna see him in main events from now on.
MW: Don't you think this is just setting up the big pay-per-view rematch? People are so much more cynical [unintelligible] boxing.
TK: Who would watch?
MW: Hey, wait - just 'cause you and I don't watch MMA doesn't mean millions don't watch it. Millions do watch.
TK: A rematch against a guy they took from the stands?
MW: They do this in boxing all the time. Someone would win in 35 seconds, they'd be, "Rematch!"
TK: We know nothing about this. That's it.

0 recs | Comment 13 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

lol

I don’t have a problem with any of the guys, to be honest. The talking heads on Around the Horn bad on the NHL the same way. As for Wilbon and Kornheiser – they admit they don’t understand MMA, so they treat it that way. They’re up front about it.

I would be far more offended if they claimed to be experts and gave false information.

All in all, I know people here like to go nuts about these two shows coverage of MMA – but it don’t bother me. These are opinion shows, and the hosts give their opinions.

by mythbuster on Oct 6, 2008 8:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I really enjoy ATH, but every day I’m liking Wilbon and Kornheiser less and less, and not just for their MMA “coverage.” Actually, Wilbon I could live with – when he does the show with Bob Ryan it’s especially informative – but Kornheiser just grates on me more and more as time goes on. I just continue to wonder why they bother discussing this stuff at all when they openly admit they’re not the demographic and have zero understanding of the sport. It’s the definition of talking to hear yourself talk.

Anyway, I just posted this stuff up for fun and because I got a kick out of it on the iPod on my way home from work. Like I said, there’s almost no point in bashing these guys’ views on MMA any further – we all know better – but I think it’s important to keep up with the (mis)information they’re feeding to the casual fans.

by Chris Nelson on Oct 6, 2008 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I didn’t mean to imply that your article was somehow fault. MMA news on ESPN, even if opinion shows, is always good to know. I think you did a good job as always.

One of the more telling things about the average Kimbo fan was the mailbag “mail” asked like, ‘if the ref didnt stop the fight early…’. Clearly, whoever wrote that question has no clue. Early stoppage! lol

by mythbuster on Oct 6, 2008 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

TK: We know nothing about this. That’s it.

This is the one time where Kornheiser is right about something. I don’t expect too much from these particular “sports journalists,” but I think it’s important to not serve them up fodder on a silver platter. Everyone here knew that Kimbo wasn’t what he was cracked up to be. Since EXC had such a prominent place in the media, this will have some impact on the entire sport. I can’t begin to imagine the extent with the tampering/fixing allegations.

On a side note, I was listening to “Beatdown” on Sherdog today, and those guys kept minimizing the impact of Kimbo’s quick defeat. They didn’t talk about the Petruzelli comments. I assume they weren’t aware of them. I can’t understand this treatment of the situation, though. One of the guys kept saying that EXC didn’t portray Kimbo as a “world beater,” but I have to disagree. They certainly didn’t discourage that notion. EXC really are the one’s who labelled Gina “the face of female MMA” and a “pioneer.” I guess you could make the argument in her case that the labels are somewhat valid, but I think they’ve caused her more trouble than they’re worth with her peers and in the hardcore community. I’ve always felt they were mainly concerned about making a quick buck with little care for the long-term impacts of their over the top marketing. I still believe the management are clowns who need to return to the circus, especially Mini-Shaw.

by Cannon Jacques on Oct 6, 2008 8:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I find it funny.

Espn claiming MMA may not even be a sport, yet the channels air Nascar all the time. Nascar is NOT a sport.

Its similar to how people make fun of tennis calling it pansy-ish…yet little do they know Tennis is not only a sport but one of the—if not THE—-hardest sports to play.

Im shoked you guys even waste time with ESPN. In the 3 major sports, I follow the Seattle teams (only two left after a jackass blatantly stole our NBA team)…as a Seattle fan, I know moreso than anyone that ESPN is always incorrect, always ridiculous, and not worth watching.

Its even worse when they change things they say to make it as if they were right all along. Why waste your time watching it?

by Slica on Oct 6, 2008 8:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You can say auto racing isn’t a sport, but those guys are athletes. I don’t think ESPN can say that MMA isn’t a sport and poker is. I like poker, personally, but it’s not a fucking sport. Neither is the National Spelling Bee. The bastards giving airtime to those damn kids trying to spell words they’ll never use. Anyway, I don’t put much stock in what any TV execs say or do one day. They’ll probably contradict themselves the next. I do think good, informed coverage from ESPN would do the sport of MMA a world of good in terms of credibility.

by Cannon Jacques on Oct 6, 2008 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ve said this before and will say it again: ESPN doesn’t need to give MMA or any MMA promotion any credibility. 650,000 PPV buys is wonderful for the UFC’s business but its still a demographic worth less money than the ones watching golf, and when it comes to major tournaments, one that comes with appreciably fewer households.

by D.Capitated on Oct 6, 2008 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think ESPN currently needs MMA. What I said was that ESPN could help MMA gain credibility with good coverage. I do think ESPN would entertain covering any sport that they believe could bolster their viewership even if it’s not imperative to do so.

by Cannon Jacques on Oct 6, 2008 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Auto racing is a sport. What’s funny is the irony of you calling out ESPN talking heads for being ignorant and then saying what you did about NASCAR.

Intentional Blog on Balls

by Richard Wade on Oct 7, 2008 3:18 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

TK: We know nothing about this. That's it.

Enough said.

by pud333 on Oct 7, 2008 1:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Realli is more of a realist and while he doesn;t defend mma to the death, he usually puts these idiots in there place.

Kornheiser and Wilbon are morons, albeit entertaining ones. They readily admit they are 1000% (yes, one thousand) ignorant of mma and do not like it. Yet, it doesn’t stop them from trying to ride the coat tails of mma’s popularity. I wish they would just shut up about it and continue talking about how DC is the sports mecca of the modern world.

"The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'"

by BJJDenver on Oct 7, 2008 10:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs