Sports Business Journal: MMA Fans Skew Young, Wealthy
by Michael Rome on Nov 24, 2009 2:36 PM EST
in News
46 comments
Sports Business Daily reports on an extensive survey done by Scarborough Sports Marketing (subscription required and recommended):
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is attracting young, wealthy, high-tech consumers, according to Scarborough Sports Marketing's first-ever look at the sport. MMA fans are defined as those adults who watched the sport on broadcast or cable TV during the past year. The six-month survey of 221,000 adults ages 18+ in 81 top U.S. markets, including every big-league city, found that MMA fans are 15% more likely than the average American adult to have a household income of at least $75,000 and 10% more likely to own a second home. MMA fans also are above the national average for current ownership of high-tech household items such as HDTVs, VOD service, video game systems and broadband Internet.
This is one of those small bits of news many fans skim over each day without a second thought, but this kind of study will do wonders for the pockets of fighters. The widespread conception of MMA fans is that they're a cross section of poor white trash and meatheads. This is nowhere near the truth. My experience in law firms alone showed me that in almost every white collar office there are a number of "closet" MMA fans who love the UFC but just don't talk about it unless they're sure someone else likes it.
This survey is a nice feather in the cap for fighter representatives. I believe Georges St. Pierre's sponsorship with Underarmor was just the first crack in the dam; mainstream sponsors are on their way.
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Young: Check
Wealthy: No
Keep firing Assholes!
In Idaho, it's illegal to f--- a porcupine. You know why? Because someone tried it.
by Ubernoober on Nov 24, 2009 2:02 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
It's all relative.
My fiance and I have a household income much higher than that but we are far from wealthy in Hawaii.
In Canada I would probably be a god though.
by MauiPimpin on Nov 24, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wealth loses a lot of meaning in Canada, since in our evil socialist regime no one is permitted to own personal property.
Keep firing Assholes!
In Idaho, it's illegal to f--- a porcupine. You know why? Because someone tried it.
by Ubernoober on Nov 24, 2009 2:07 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Damn commies.
"I thought I won the first round and I thought I won the second round. You see the damage on his face? I got him good," Ortiz said after the fight. "For me coming back, this was supposed to be a warm-up fight. Me and Dana talked about it being a warm-up fight, but Forrest is no warm-up fight, being ranked fifth in the world. I might have bitten off a little too much, but I still thought I won the fight....After back surgery, back after only one year. I want to see another athlete do what I do after one year of having two-level fusion."- Tito Ortiz, who apparently thinks he won the fight against Forrest Griffin
by ufc4 on Nov 24, 2009 2:10 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Do igloos even count as personal property?
"I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by in the fight, what you saw, in the ring." - Tito Ortiz
by CasualMMAFan on Nov 24, 2009 7:05 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Since global warming we don’t have igloos anymore.
1/3 of the population of Canada is homeless now.
Keep firing Assholes!
In Idaho, it's illegal to f--- a porcupine. You know why? Because someone tried it.
by Ubernoober on Nov 24, 2009 7:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ditto… though, I’m not a “white trash and a meathead” either. 2/3 ain’t bad.
by kid_eh on Nov 24, 2009 2:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If yer on the internet at 2pm on a Tuesday…
yer not rich.
Keep firing Assholes!
In Idaho, it's illegal to f--- a porcupine. You know why? Because someone tried it.
by Ubernoober on Nov 24, 2009 2:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I guess that depends on your definition of “rich” I dont want to throw out figures but I fall into the category above and I am on the internet at 2pm on a tuesday…
by andrewsj7 on Nov 24, 2009 2:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Half of the people in my office are mma fans, some casual, some hardcore. This statistic sounds pretty accurate.
The mat is my church, the ground is my heaven, Jiu-Jitsu is my religion. And once you hit the ground you're in my world. My world is like the ocean, I’m like a shark and most people don't even know how to swim - Draculino
by AboveThisFire on Nov 24, 2009 2:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Scarborough Report?..
“What’s a Scarborough Report?”
- Bob Arum
by NeilLomaxFan on Nov 24, 2009 2:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
so its you rich fans driving up the price of “all things MMA”
I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08
by MicahW on Nov 24, 2009 2:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I read earlier, I thought they were referring to fans who attend MMA events
by The Bronzeville Bully on Nov 24, 2009 2:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Nope.
“MMA fans are defined as those adults who watched the sport on broadcast or cable TV during the past year.”
by Michael Rome on Nov 24, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Is that Adam Dunn, front left in the picture?
by Graven Image on Nov 24, 2009 2:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
$75k a year is rich? I live in Ohio, and even here it doesn’t make a person rich. Rich to me is > $250k a year with $5M in assets.
by cmsove on Nov 24, 2009 2:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Rich to me is over 75k a year.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Nov 24, 2009 2:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wait… in Ohio, rich to you is 250k?
LOL, where do live in Ohio, man? Dave Chapelle’s pool house?
250k a year in Ohio is pretty huge.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Nov 24, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That’s funny. I think Dave Chapelle still lives in Yellow Springs, where my wife and I are looking to buy a house. In general, it’s not an extremely expensive area, but I’m sure his place is massive.
Like you said, “250k a year in Ohio is pretty huge.” That’s how I define “rich.” Someone who’s rich can afford the mortgage on a $1M house. Someone who’s rich gets slapped with the alternative minimum tax.
$75k is middle-middle class, not even upper-middle.
by cmsove on Nov 24, 2009 6:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
From living in Toledo and going to school near Cincinnati (Oxford) to living out here in Seattle, 250K in Ohio is a LOT. Sure, you have the rich areas in any city, but 250k is still rich in Ohio.
by MMAWrestling on Nov 24, 2009 8:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s all relative. 75K a year to me sounds rich.
I love me some Sexyama!
by pud333 on Nov 24, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You’re misreading the study. 10% MORE LIKELY to have an income above 75k than the general population. It’s not an income average, it’s a comparison to the general population.
by Michael Rome on Nov 24, 2009 3:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I hope this study doesn’t lead to generalization.
I work my ass off just so i can go to the gym to work my ass off more.
by ontite on Nov 24, 2009 2:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Can I just say...
Duh.
I mean, it seems like the most obvious demographic for MMA.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Nov 24, 2009 2:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Two years ago weren’t there other surveys that showed that the demographics of mma fans mirrored pro-wrestling fans, and that this group was young and making less (under $40,000 per household) than other more desired audiences? Has the audience for mma changed that dramatically over the last two years? Was the previous surveys wrong? Or is this survey distorted by it’s sampling techniques in any way? Inquiring minds want to know.
by nottheface on Nov 24, 2009 9:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Basically the new breed of MMA fan is white makes a decent living is a techno geek and would back down from the poor white trash guy in a confrontation in a heartbeat.
by scrambledeggs on Nov 24, 2009 2:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I hope fighter reps are listening to this
Internet marketing and promotions aimed at these young, tech savy fans with disposable income can go a long way in filling in the income gaps between fights and increasing the popularity of your fighters.
Giving Shogun his props. I had the fight 48-47 Machida but Shogun put up a monumental performance and I am honored to have seen it in person.
by Day Man on Nov 24, 2009 2:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Median income in the US is about 48000 per household, so if you’re at 75k you’re doing pretty well in many places. Not so much other places like Hawaii or New York City or something, but in most places you’re doing pretty well for yourself.
“Rich” is generally defined as someone who makes more than twice what you do. It’s a very flexible term.
"an excellent example of why most MMA "journalism" is a joke. Pseudonyms like "toxic" and shitty writing like that dopey article"--- Joe Rogan.
by toxic on Nov 24, 2009 2:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
depends where you are. I was looking for engineering jobs last summer when I got out of college. In upstate NY, 50,000 was a lot because it was so cheap to live up there. (Down south its even less. There are towns where your property taxes are a 1/10th of what they are in my town.) In CT, where Im from, 65,000 was what I was being offered, but rent is about 3 times as much.
by ryanwk628 on Nov 24, 2009 4:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
My experience in law firms alone showed me that in almost every white collar office there are a number of “closet” MMA fans who love the UFC but just don’t talk about it unless they’re sure someone else likes it.
Very true. I can attest to this personally. I’ve been an MMA fan for years, and I’ve been working at a financial institution for the past four years. It’s only this year I’ve started to openly discuss MMA with other closet fans. Most sports talk revolves around the Vancouver Canucks and how this year is gonna be the year (I highly doubt it) so whenever I would mention MMA, nobody would be interested, so I stopped bothering a couple years ago. When I got promoted to a new branch this year, I found out there were other guys there that also liked MMA but never really discussed it at work. Now we always head to the bars right after work for the PPVs, and it’s just growing. At this point, since us Vancouver fans are so desperate to see the UFC here, there will be no hesitation to buy tickets once a show is announced here, as well as going to any MMA expo, etc.
I love me some Sexyama!
by pud333 on Nov 24, 2009 2:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I was going to quote the same thing
I could basically say the same thing. For whatever reason I’m almost embarrassed that I really like MMA. I get all the nuance of it, but the “Human Cockfighting” types think I’m a meathead who just likes to see people bleed.
by SES 84 on Nov 24, 2009 3:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Most sports talk revolves around the Vancouver Canucks and how this year is gonna be the year (I highly doubt it)
haha the only thing this year marks for the Canucks is 40 years of never winning the cup.
It’s going to be great to have the UFC come to Vancouver though, even the show in Seattle they were talking about will probably have a lot of people from BC attending.
by DirtyML on Nov 24, 2009 5:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think the trend towards educated fans with well paying jobs should be considered the norm.
We like the alpha male traits such as domination and aggression in our fighters like we see in big business. We are strong will and goal oriented, just as fighters are. We can relate to hard work and dedication to reach a goal, a figher reaching the UFC/Strikeforce/winning. And we appreciate the technical aspects of the ground/striking game.
These are the reasons MMA has flourished while Tough Man hasn’t. Besides, we need to make the jack to pay for overpriced douche bag Affliction T-shirts.
by Riney on Nov 24, 2009 5:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Nail on the head
This post is very accurate. Most of the successful people I know that watch MMA are very driven people that work hard, are educated, love tech, and hit the gym pretty regularly or train MMA, boxing, or bjj themselves (or boxed when they were younger).
by The Engineer on Nov 25, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's fairly popular here among the engineering students
and I figure those guys will be the young, rich, educated demographic within a few years, so this makes sense to me.
by Shaun32887 on Nov 24, 2009 5:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yea, we love it ...
I’m an engineer at the largest defense technology provider in the world and have been involved in MMA since the mid 90s. It’s very exciting to see the expansion of interest in the offices where I work over the last 5 years or so. Even the older guys are starting to get into it.
by The Engineer on Nov 25, 2009 12:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think mmalogic and his Bentley are skewing the average.
I dislike Matt Hughes. Shogun beat him like a dirty horse.
by MonkeyCHops on Nov 24, 2009 5:31 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Worked at Apple...
the last 2 years and hosted a bunch of MMA pay-per-view parties.
Definitely alot of MMA fans in silicon valley.
It’s human chess, after all. :)
by Django Z on Nov 24, 2009 6:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
A couple of things for everyone to keep everything in perspective:
1) the median household income is $50,000. In other words, 50% of the US households makes more than that, and 50% make less.
2) if your household makes over $250,000 you are in the top 1.5%. $150,000 or more you are in the top 5%.
3) $75,000 or more put your household in the top 25%. Since mma fans are 15% more likely to fit in this category, almost 30% of all mma fans live in households that make more than $75,000.
by nottheface on Nov 24, 2009 7:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
you’d have to be rich to afford all those sweet $75 affliction ts
by Ozone on Nov 24, 2009 7:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
No disrespect to Scarborough, but is this really news? The young part is obvious. The wealthy part is suspect as I assume people fib on these surveys. However going to an event or buying a PPV does cost some extra cash!
by Lendo on Nov 24, 2009 8:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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![Dan Hardy talks Georges St. Pierre on Tapout radio: (audio)
"That [Serra fight] is something that is going to be at the back of his mind. He knows that all his fame and glory can be taken away from him if he is not careful. He is a good wrestler and he is sticking to what he is good at, which is taking people down. I don’t think his striking is particularly brilliant. He is a great fighter don’t get me wrong, but he is a great well-rounded fighter. In a kickboxing match I would be able to play with him, pretty much."
"A loss to some mouthy British punk is going to hurt him. The pressure is on him. He will be inside his own head like he was for the first Matt Hughes fight."
"Its no surprise is that he will want to try and take me down and I will want to knock him out. I think the difference between me and other people who have been fighting him is that they have been conscious of the takedown. I am the kind of guy who will just swing at him with a grin on my face and if I end up on the floor I will worry about that when I get there."
-- more at fightersonlymagazine.co.uk
HT: tapoutlive.com, fightersonlymagazine.co.uk
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