Long-Time UFC Sponsor Condom Depot Banned by Zuffa
by Jacob Hayes on Dec 22, 2009 3:26 PM EST
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Promoted from the FanPosts by Kid Nate.
It appears that Condom Depot has been banned from both UFC and WEC by Zuffa
From an e-mail advertisement signed as from Jennifer Amato
Dana White Took Food From The Mouths of Our Sponsored Fighters Just In Time For Christmas! Sorry Spencer, Josh, Gabe, Jake and everyone else...
We have been notified that we have been Banned From the UFC and WEC!
We have provided fighters 100's of thousands of dollars DIRECTLY over the last 2 years but can no longer do so! Not to mention word came down during AIDS awareness month!!
UFC a Classy Organization runned by an even Classier Guy.
Say what you will about how much you love/hate the advertisements for things like Condom Depot on your favorite fighter's shorts, but it does help pay their bills and allow them to continue training MMA full time.
So what does everyone think? Is this going to be a part of a move to further reduce the number of "questionable" sponsors, or just another example of the pick and choose removal of various other sponsors and clothing lines over the past year?
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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Lets all go out and have unprotected sex as a protest. That will show Zuffa.
Some people think I am a dumb, ugly human being, but really I am a beautiful ape, with exceptional verbal skills.
by szucconi on Dec 22, 2009 2:51 PM EST reply actions 8 recs
Name all the babies Dana.
Twitter @brettcjones
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
by Brett Jones on Dec 22, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
It works for a girl and a boy. But I can not produce a girl, I am too awesome.
Some people think I am a dumb, ugly human being, but really I am a beautiful ape, with exceptional verbal skills.
if you cant produce a daughter
you are missing alot. (atleast before the age of 13)
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
Important Announcement:
If anyone is having sex tonight, don’t use condoms!
by rzor on Dec 22, 2009 3:03 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Fantastic show
The funniest Chevy Chase has been in a long ass time.
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
--------
Join the DC Area UFC Meetup Group
http://www.meetup.com/DCUFCGroup
by funnytiger on Dec 22, 2009 6:54 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Has there been any indication of the reason for the ban?
It seems like a wierd move, unless there’s a conflict of interest issue with a competitor in the rubbers industry.
TROJAN! The only prophylactic worthy of being in the octagon!
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2009 2:54 PM EST reply actions 13 recs
A step forward
to mainstream advertising IMO.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
Yeah I’m sure that’s why its happend but its just frustrating! Sex is still taboo in the community and it shouldn’t be. Bud and other alcohols are fine for sponsorships even though the consumption of them leads to death and drunk driving etc. not all the time but it does and yet Condoms stop people from dying but Condoms are the bad guys and not accepted by mainstream media?
Sadly that's the way the world works
MY parents just found out that my roommate smokes pot. I have spent the past 2 days trying to persuade them that it doesn’t cause long term brain damage and birth defects.
good luck/ might want to print out some studies…
i showed my grandma a powerpoint on pot…
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 6:30 AM EST up reply actions
UFC a Classy Organization runned by an even Classier Guy.
Runned?
Really?
by An0nymous on Dec 22, 2009 2:56 PM EST reply actions 9 recs
Hahaha
I think that says it all.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
Stunned
I cannot believe Zuffa wouldn’t do business with such professional Jimmy Hat distributors.
by asa on Dec 22, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Oh and while we’re at it let Strikeforce pick the sponsor up, bigger league then the WEC and all that jazz.
"of a world thats doing its best, night and day,
to make me everybody else"
I am 11
Don’t you mean all that jizz?
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2009 2:58 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I voted good for the sport, but I agree the timing was kind of fucked up.
And during AIDS awareness month?!?!
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Dec 22, 2009 2:59 PM EST reply actions
Yeah, wait until after AIDS awareness month so we can only observe safe-sex during the Holidays.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
Exactly! ;)
"The path to enlightenment is through suffering"
by RearNakedChoker on Dec 22, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t wear condoms unless Chuck Liddell tells me to.
by HappyLittleTreez on Dec 22, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
word?
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
You have a very
personal relationship with Chuck, there. I’m not sure if this impacts more my opinion of you or Chuck (Charlie to his friends, btw).
lol
Shit, I need to read before I post. That sounds way gayer than it was meant to be (not gay at all).
by HappyLittleTreez on Dec 22, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions
Did you know it was AIDs awareness month? I sure haven’t been making any decisions based on which arbitrary month it currently is.
I didn’t know there was an AIDS Awareness Month.
Bolts from the Blue // "I have got to be the most boring GM in the league." - A.J. Smith
Bloody Elbow // " looks like your comment violated rule #4. and it’s a heck of a rule, rule #4" - Kid Nate
by Richard Wade on Dec 22, 2009 10:18 PM EST up reply actions
If this had to do with trying to get mma more mainstream
than I guess I dont have a problem with it but lets be realistic here:
The reason they were probably banned is because they probably refused to pay the Zuffa Sponsership" money where every sponser now has to pay what 100k dollars every 6 months to Zuffa just to be able to even sponser Zuffa fighters.
Anybody that is not “good” to Zuffa gets banned. It wouldnt matter if they take care of a ton of Zuffa fighters, if you dont take care of Zuffa “banned”!!!!
That 100k dollars every 6 months is not accurate and has already been reported as being false.
MMAPayout.com is now learning that a semi-annual tax or fee of $100,000 isn’t exactly accurate. The negotiations were deemed "fair," which is to suggest that the MMA community may know far less than it thought in regards to this UFC business policy (isn’t that always the case?). We’ll have more on this matter soon.
http://mmapayout.com/2009/08/dethrone-to-sponsor-ufc-fighters/
Just BE.
It's really a sad situation...
Good for the sport, bad for the guys that were getting sponsored by them.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Can you find all four sex jokes in my comment?
One pulls out, one comes. There is no shortage of sponsors. Not hard to find a new one.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
That's What She Said...
x4
"Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, And yet a third of life is passed in sleep."
- Lord Byron
by MyFightWiffaCheeto on Dec 22, 2009 3:09 PM EST up reply actions
The first thing I thought
when I read this is the UFC must be doing pretty well these days to start icing out sponsors left and right. Of course, now I’ll miss having these types of conversations with my girlfriend:
“Is this UFC?”
“Yeah.”
“Does that say Condom Depot on his butt?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“On his butt? Condom Depot? Really? I thought you said this wasn’t gay wrestling.”
:: Sigh :: “Yeah, I know. It’s not, they just get paid a lot.”
They get paid a lot to put it on their butt?
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 22, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
On, not in.
Twitter @brettcjones
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
by Brett Jones on Dec 22, 2009 3:13 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
My gf pretty much said the same thin! Hoelzer Reich aside, these bans are becoming almost tyrannical. Zuffa approved sponsors? Maybe they will start advertising future Fight Nites on their own fighter.
by bigc4277 on Dec 22, 2009 3:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yea, it’s so tyrannical, damn Zuffa for doing the same thing everyone else does.
by Phildo on Dec 22, 2009 4:29 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
99% of Corporate America works the same way, Zuffa isn’t evil they are just typical of how things actually work.
Im not paid to wear a companys logo on my work clothes. A fighter gets a large % many times of their income this way.
by bigc4277 on Dec 22, 2009 5:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I imagine that if many of us went to work wearing a big condom depot logo on your clothes that we would get our asses chewed out and for a lot of us getting paid to wear it would be considered moonlighting during office hours and probably get us in trouble there too.
It’s wonderful that fighters get to make money off sponsors the way they do but lets not forget that is a priveledge not a right. It’s the UFC’s show and they are 100% responsible for what is seen on air. If the UFC wasn’t producing the events and putting the shows out there to be watched then those guys wouldn’t be getting any sponsorship money either. Them allowing fighters to be sponsored as they are is a job perk for this sport, it’s an extra that Zuffa allows them to have. You don’t see NFL guys wandering around with personal sponsorship logo’s all over them, heck NFL guys get fined if they don’t have their shirts tucked in or wear the wrong kind of socks during a game. I think that sometimes people forget that in even allowing personal sponsorships to appear on their show at all is a generous move by all the mma companies that allow it, they don’t have to do that.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
That kind of thought has Hendo fighting in AAA instead of the majors. In mma, kickboxing, and boxing fighters and sponsorships go hand in hand and pretty much every sport that isnt the NFL, NBA or MLB. Yes in the end it is the UFC ’s business and their call, but i still think its wrong and hurts the fighter. In two days if i see a Kid Nate post how the UFC is now on Fox, i would understand what sponsors they want and dont want but i still dont like the elitist feel i get from the UFC.
by bigc4277 on Dec 22, 2009 5:50 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Does It? I though Hendo moved to Strikeforce because they offered more money.
As for sponsorships going hand in hand here is where your thinking is wrong. The UFC hasn’t banned the Condom Depot from sponsoring fighters they have banned them from being on the show. I’m sure that if the Condom Depot wanted to give money to fighters then no one would mind, it’s the advertising on the UFC’s airtime that is the issue here. All the major ball sports athletes make vast sums from sponsorships too (90% of Tiger Woods income came from sponsorships yet you never saw him wander around a golf course with a giant ad on his ass). Every sport that allows personal sponsors to air on their programming makes approved sponsor list, this kind of policing of what makes it on air is nothing new to any sport. That has nothing at all to do with fighters gaining sponsorships it has to do with companies controlling on air content. It’s this allowing it to air that is a perk given to the fighters and just because boxing and kickboxing also do it doesn’t make it any less of a perk. As far as it hurting the fighters, well yea a couple of guys will probably not get their condom checks (Condom Depot doesn’t want to sponsor fighters that don’t put their logo on tv screens)but it doesn’t mean that another sponsor won’t jump in to take it’s place and as the sport gets more and more popular they will be better and better sponsors. One Nike or Everlast or Ecko sponsorship is worth a dozen nickel and dime bull crap condom patches on your trunks. FIghters are actually helped in the long run by increasing the quality of the sponsorship pool for the sport.
Of course I don’t remember seeing boxers decorated up like they were in a NASCAR race the way you see in MMA either, heck some guys try to cram a half dozen or more sponsors onto one pair of shorts but then I don’t watch near as much boxing as I used to watch. I do know you didn’t see this kind of crap on guys shorts in the old days.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 6:12 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You misunderstand how sponsorships work.
Each sponsor buys a specific percentage of something on the fighter and pays extra for preferential placement. If you see a fighter who’s tshirt is solely fashion with no other sponsors, it’s because their primary clothing sponsor bought 100% of it and paid extra to hold that. A company like Ecko or Affliction can afford this, but when it comes to gear… different story. Jaco can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t pay to own all the property of any athlete’s shorts. They get their exposure from the side hits that they buy, then sell the legs, ass, and crotch. Saves Jaco money and gets the fighter paid equal or more. Especially now that some brands will kick extra cash to have consistent branding across multiple athletes. Note the MusclePharm green MP logo that always goes on the crotch of shorts.
That’s not even getting in to the pre-fight banner, hats, image rights, commission, photography…
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I don’t misunderstand how sponsorships work at all you just seem to be limiting your view of sponsorships to putting patches on guys asses as opposed to how it works in the major sports. I know that in MMA guys sell themselves off like NASCAR cars using an overly complex system I was pointing out that it’s a silly system compared to say Peyton Manning getting paid millions a year to be sponsored by a real company, not wearing any patches on his ass and just doing a couple of commercials.
Growing the sponsorship opportunities for athletes is better for the athletes, the organizations and the sport in general. Turning yourself into a walking billboard for small time companies isn’t the future of the sport, heck turning yourself into a walking billboard is generally seen as second rate by the general public. Having one name on your trunks is much preferable to having 20 and the goal would be to get to the point where there are only sponsors willing to pay for the whole package. Things like this story are the winds of change in the sport not some kind of evil empire move.
by who me on Dec 23, 2009 7:56 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Here's the point where I remind the community that I work in the MMA industry again.
I appreciate your starry eyed idealism, but you are so out of touch with reality. Talk to some fighters, managers, promoters, and sponsors. You’ll find it much harder to pigeonhole all people and brands together.
And if you read my post below, you’ll see that I agree with the move just not the way it was enacted. Tell managers that they have two months to secure other sponsors, since Condom Depot will be banned as of [date/event number]. Otherwise there are people scrambling to find someone else to pay the same thousands of dollars for placement within a few days.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I’m not concerned about where you work and it’s not idealism at all, it’s realism. This is just how things work, things change and the obvious movement will be from nickel and dime internet condom bulk sellers to more established and mainstream sponsorships(that is as long as the sport keeps growing).
I’m also not pigeonholing anyone together, my point isn’t that condom sellers are bad it’s that small time companies like that are just going to get pushed aside more and more as time goes by. Why is Viagra advertised on NASCAR? Because Pfizer drugs is a massive corporation that’s willing to spends millions of dollars a year on advertising. Right or wrong fhe vast sums of money they are willing to spend on advertising makes their product more acceptable. Growth is never painless but it is going to happen, sponsors will come and sponsors will go but as long as there is successful advertising to be done then there will be lots of sponsors out there. In the end small time players buying a patch or two on a fighters shorts will go the way of the Dodo bird.
I agree that the more notice that is given to fighters the better but then we don’t even have a clue why they chose to ban this company at this particular time and that really has nothing at all to do with the point I have been trying to make, which is that this wasn’t some kind of evil move by Dana and company it was business as usual in corporate America.
Your points are incongruous
and you have no direction. I’m agreeing that Condom Depot doesn’t need to be in there, but what about Cash for Gold? Muscle Pharm? Bony Acai? This is where the athletes make their money, GSP being the exception. And until MMA is a mainstream sport (not even close to happening yet) it will remain as such.
And again, I know how these issues work, it’s part of my job and what I do every day. For you as a fan to lecture me on what reality is… well… yeah. It’s like telling Stephen Hawking that you just know the realities of how photons react near a black hole, and he’s wrong.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Ok I don’t even know what the hell you are talking about and I am tired of trying to explain it. You said I misunderstand how sponsorships work and I pointed out no I understand what you are saying and I am just saying that there is more than just the MMA way, then you wandered off into something that had nothing to do with my original point. Honestly I am not even following with what your point here is any more, you are all over the place.
GSP isn’t the exception he’s just the first guy to take that next step, yes it may take years to get to the mainsteam but obviously there will be all sorts of changes to happen in the mean time. Just because things are one way today doesn’t mean they will stay that way forever and as far as sports sponsorships go there are plenty of examples of how they work at higher levels out there. Taking a long term view isn’t wishful thinking it’s what you are supposed to do in business.
As far as what you do for a living and your pompous attitude, man I really couldn’t give a shit about that. Any 12 year old on the internet could say they work in the industry and act all cocky about it. So congratulations on working in the “industry”, you want a party, maybe a balloon bouquet?
I have nothing to gain by lying.
And I tend to bring useful information to the posts based on my experiences. I’m done with this conversation, you are being ridiculous.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I’m not the one saying crazy things or rambling on about how they are beyond question here. You all but named yourself the Stephen Hawkings of MMA and you tell me I’m the one being ridiculous?
Heck I never even figured out what your point here was to start with?
Tell me what you base your assertions on.
So far you’ve mentioned team sports, which is a totally different model than individual sports. Even so, you mention a premier level athlete, which is useless to 99% of competitors. Like I said, GSP is the exception (as a personality and athlete) in North American MMA.
In addition to that, you’re acting as if Nike or Adidas will pick up fighters when they have shown no signs of even beginning an MMA line.
My point is that all the parallels you draw are incongruous and useless to a serious discussion about the realities of MMA and the growth of sponsorships. Your idealism is cute though.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I mentioned Tiger Woods (not a team sport) and my point was that this selling of tiny patches all over your body isn’t a very good model for sponsorships. Yes I do understand that at this point it’s all they got but lets be honest if the sport never evolves beyond this then it probably isn’t going anywhere at all in general. The goal should be to get sponsorships and advertising outside of UFC programming all together eventually or to at least get to the point where you only have one or two major sponsors for a guy instead of a dozen. The sport has evolved in every other area why is it idealism to assume that it should also evolve in terms of fighter sponsorships?
What are your serious thoughts on the growth of sponsorships then? Bigger trunks with more room for patches from small time internet sellers? Where do you think the future is going?
It will continue to grow as action sports do.
Tapout will be like Obrien is to surf. Silver Star, if they continue, may be like Zoo York to skate. Nike and Reebok are years away from being MMA sponsors in the US for anyone beyond champs like GSP. Smaller sponsors will always be essential to the vast majority of athletes. It will take a generational shift and a huge change in promotional tactics for MMA to become anything beyond a niche sport, both of which are 20 years away from making a difference and may not change.
Comparing to the NFL is a fruitless endeavor. Everyone does it because Dana has drilled it into our heads. It’s more like surf, skate, snowboarding, or motocross than any other sport.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
It’s more like surf, skate, snowboarding, or motocross than any other sport.
All those sports are way fringe and not going anywhere, heck they aren’t even really growing at all at this point. Do you consider MMA a fad sport like those are and do you think that is the future of MMA? I just don’t see MMA as a fad sport for young people that eventually most of them grow out of and move on to other things, heck by what I have seen MMA has already surpassed those four sports in terms of mainstream exposure.
I’m not even trying to compare MMA to football I am comparing it to sports like golf and tennis and the assumption that within the next ten years it will be at that level or higher or that it won’t be going much of anywhere at all (except maybe to the far fringe like those sports you mentioned).
Right.
Tennis and golf totally has the same audience as MMA, right?
MMA is more action sport than anything else. Go to the X games and talk to people about MMA. Then go to Wimbledon and do the same thing. Good luck, my friend.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
It’s not about the same audience make up it’s about the market size and reach, obviously you are going to have vastly different demographics (not sure why you would even think that was what I was talking about). MMA isn’t tennis or the X games but then we weren’t talking about what they were like we were talking about what market size MMA could reach. If MMA has the same market size as the X games in 5 years then that is a disaster, they would be going backwards not growing.
The repeat of Lesnar- Couture on Spike did better ratings than the live Winter X Games on ESPN
Winter X Games 1/23 ESPN 9:34-11:38pm 0.9 1.1 1,482http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/127370
UFC 91:
Lesnar-Couture (repeat) 1/24 Spike 9:00-11:30pm 1.5 1.7 2,332
Winter X Games 1/25 ESPN 8:59-11:08pm 1.1 1.3 1,790
Whats tyrannical is banning a company for making a shirt for another fighter that didnt sighn with them.
by bigc4277 on Dec 22, 2009 4:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Welcome to capitalism 101. Look back at how EliteXC banned Affiction right up to the point where Affliction started sponsoring their CBS show and putting fighters on their card. It’s not tyrannical it’s just how the world works.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 5:08 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Promotions not T shirts are competition.
by bigc4277 on Dec 22, 2009 5:14 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
When your company sells it’s own line of clothing then yep t shirts are also competition.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 5:25 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I understand the Affliction ban because they go from Tees to a promotion, but RVCA and Clinch Gear?
by bigc4277 on Dec 22, 2009 5:27 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Zuffa has it’s own clothing lines thus what is amazing isn’t that they banned them it’s that they allow competitiion to advertise on their shows at all for any reason.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 5:30 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That would actually be clever.
Bolts from the Blue // "I have got to be the most boring GM in the league." - A.J. Smith
Bloody Elbow // " looks like your comment violated rule #4. and it’s a heck of a rule, rule #4" - Kid Nate
by Richard Wade on Dec 22, 2009 10:20 PM EST up reply actions
As if any other pro league in America operates any differently
I mean, the NFL TELLS head coaches what they are to wear on the sideline. Players have been fined for wearing unauthorized sponsors’ hats to press conferences. This isn’t anything other leagues aren’t doing.
"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal
Former Head Coach, Mike Nolan
Wanted to wear a SUIT on the sideline in commemoration of his dad and the old time coaches like Dick Labeau who used to pace the sidelines in formal attire.
The NFL’s response? “Nope, sorry, we’ve got a contract with Reebook”
by Meester on Dec 24, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Furthermore...
just imagine the fit BJ would throw if GSP got a deal with Astro-Glide.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2009 3:16 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
This is lame.
The fact that it was done during AIDS awareness month is an extra sting.
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
Why? I don’t see the relevance. Condom Depot are there advertising their business, not doing community service announcements.
Maybe the UFC should try that form of bargaining, by using loosely relevant awareness events.
" OMG New York, you won’t let us fight at Madison Square Garden? And this being Learn Martial Arts for Self Defence Month sadface "
It's just one less sponsor that can help financially support fighters in the UFC.
LOL…ur funny. News Flash: Condoms go a really long way in preventing AIDS.
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
The allowing of sponsors on athletes isn’t a guaranteed right. It’s controlled in the manner the sports league deems appropriate for their image or any other reason they see fit. The NFL, NBA, and MLB ban every sponsor from appearing on their players during live events.
NASCAR which allows it’s drivers to wear sponsors during live events dictates who is allowed and not allowed just like the UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce.
The UFC in this case is just exercising it’s rights like every other major sports league does when choosing which sponsors appear during their live events.
Just BE.
by mattman73 on Dec 22, 2009 3:34 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Pretty sure as MMA evolves it will continue to follow NASCAR’s method of advertisements much like most professional sports that only individuals compete and not teams. Golf being one of the only slight exceptions, only having discrete sponsorship in clothing and equipment.
I have no problem with UFC dropping Condom Depot. UFC may not be known for being classy but if they want to change that they have to start sometime. They’ve already started cutting the more obvious controversial sponsors, might as well finish the job and clean the whole house, not just the basement.
Golf and tennis both
worth noting – much more prosperous demographic/image there.
Can you imagine an mma athlete who could score Federer’s Rolex sponsorship?
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
I understand UFC has the right to choose which sponsors appear, I would just like to know the explanation why condom depot was dropped. Is it really that offensive? To continue your nascar example, isnt viagra and enzyte at least equally offensive?
Oh I would be interested to know too but when you get right down to it we may never know and they don’t owe us any explination at all. It’s their tv show and their decision to make on what does and doesn’t get shown on it. In this situation I would have to wonder if there was a complaint or if it was Spike who told them to pull the plug, but really who knows what is going on.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I still don’t get why sex-related sponsorship is considered unacceptable from the perspective of making this a ‘family friendly’ sport.
It’s a bloody, vicious combat sport. That’s why we love it. It’s never going to be Sesame Street compatible.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2009 6:25 PM EST up reply actions
LAME
Fighters are among the lowest paid athletes already so take away another sponsor?? Its not like they had a picture of their mascot Peter the Penis across the back of the sponsored athletes shorts. I am not christian so the “jesus didnt tap” shit offends me so why not ban them too. (relax, just an example). This is a very stupid move. Zuffa is fueled by vengeance and animosity which will in the long run hurt them (Clinch,Affliction).
Oh man, please stop
The organization doesn’t have to bend over for Condom Depot because the fighters profit from them. They have every right to define what can and cannot be sponsored on their broadcasts. They will be replaced with other sponsors. The doomsday scenario shit is tiring. Dana could fart in a crowded room and people would be on here talking about how he’s pushing away fighters.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
by Blackout612 on Dec 22, 2009 3:56 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
The organization doesn’t have to bend over for Condom Depot…
Ha!
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 22, 2009 11:50 PM EST up reply actions
Actuallly fighters aren’t the lowest paid professional athletes, heck most althletes in professional sports don’t make crap. Just because we see guys in the big three ball sports making huge bucks doesn’t mean that professional athlete is a good career choice.
The median expected salary for a typical Professional Athlete in the United States is $29,484. This basic market pricing report was prepared using our Certified Compensation Professionals’ analysis of survey data collected from thousands of HR departments at employers of all sizes, industries and geographies
http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layouthtmls/swzl_compresult_national_ar17000014.html
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 4:29 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Just One Less
Its just one less form of income for the fighters who already make very little money. Zuffa does have every right but after years of allowing it why now?
Condom depot was always an eye sore for me when seeing it during promotions. Yeah they offer good money to fighters but there are others that will step up in their place…maybe not immediately but if the fighter is successful they’ll find someone or multiple replacements.
Cuz he buys his raincoats from rubbersrus.com.
by ufc4 on Dec 22, 2009 5:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Personally I always wondered if it was a very good idea to have fighers wandering around with giant condom ads across their asses but thats because it’s so darn funny.
not as funny as Benavides’ winged skull centered on his weenus and poopchute last saturday, though.
Helluva fighter, I ought to mention.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2009 5:45 PM EST up reply actions
Meh
I’m going to withhold judgment until I hear the reason behind it.
That said, Jennifer Amato’s email comes across as whiny and unprofessional. There is no need to trash the organization or it’s president simply because they have exercised their right to no longer do business with you. Burning bridges on the way out is never good business. The UFC has always been willing to bring back ‘banned’ sponsors after the issues behind the ban have been resolved, but most of those companies also had the good sense to be gracious on their way out the door.
by Steve4192 on Dec 22, 2009 4:18 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
I have a feeling this isn't her first tantrum
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the reason Zuffa doesn’t want to do business with them. It seems like something Tito would say on the way out.
Finally a super reasonable post
It’s hard to say one way or the other right now without knowing why this was done, and yes her email was atrociously written. You’d like to think that someone who is doing PR for a company wouldn’t use words like “runned” or capitalize letters in the middle of a sentence when it isn’t warranted. Yikes.
Rec’d for a rational post.
For anyone out there thinking about starting a company called Der Condom Führer be warned the evil empire is out to stop you from putting your label on fighter’s asses. Oh the horror of it all.
Honestly it’s a internet bulk condom reseller, I could care less about their plight although I wonder at how they even stay in business.
by who me on Dec 22, 2009 4:25 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
I’m sure useful details will filter out eventually and then we can all decide if this move was done for good reason.
If it was done simply to make the UFC look classier, then it’s just sad. Particularly because the move will actually work. It’s a online condom store, people (a good one for the record). There’s nothing wrong with condoms or the sale of condoms.
runned?
English 101 fail.
It’s the right thing to do as more and more blue chip sponsors come aboard.
File this one under growing pains of a growing sport.
F***, even Dana f***ing White will have to f***ing tone down his f***ing pottymouth some f***ing day.
What happened to the yak skin option?
Keep firing Assholes!
Fedor has accomplished nothing until he fights Kimbo.
I'm glad CondomDepot.com is gone
I’m not a fan of the way UFC is executing their sponsorship policy . . . assuming they have an official policy. It seems every couple of weeks UFC bans a different sponsor for some presumed different reason.
If UFC is still evaluating sponsors they might be better off waiting until their comprehensive evaluation is complete. Send out a press release hinting at their evaluation criteria along with all those who have been banned. What they have been doing so far makes them appear moody and at times ungrateful . . . who knows, they could be acting very professional about this behind closed doors but completing fucking up the PR.
It's a sad day...
When fighters have to bend over and just take these stiff financial hits, specially when we live in such hard economic times. Plaguing injuries causing fighters to pull out, contracts not being honored after being wrapped up which fighters use as protection, etc are hurting sponsors and fighters at the moment. Constricting contracts and being able to slip sponsors in and out only hurts the fighters pockets. This type of friction only creates financial holes and uncertainty for the fighters. I know the UFC wants to penetrate the main stream, and it takes stiff moves like this to get it done, but we just need to remember that we can’t keep raping and f*cking over fighters like this without some sort of favors or locker room compensations to offset the losses.
Sorry, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore and needed to get that out.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 22, 2009 5:35 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Copy that from someone on the UG? I know you aren’t that clever.
by ufc4 on Dec 22, 2009 5:40 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, that's the thing that sucks...
It’s better for the long-term growth, but the short-term it sucks for those who really depend on those sponsorships to train/eat/whatever….
Exactly. Taking HUGE hits like this only make that much more rough on these fighters. It completely SUCKS! I hope they don’t blow their financial wad during this Christmas.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 22, 2009 5:46 PM EST up reply actions
Please tell us how
horrible Zuffa is. I think they pay more top to bottom than any promoter you shill for.
was it a sad day when Strikeforce banned Holzeir Reich as well?
There has to be a line somewhere. Nazi’s and porn are over the line, now condoms are.
by Phildo on Dec 22, 2009 5:57 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Fancy Pants was indeed sad, as he was being courted and sponsored by them. Like I said, these are hard choices, and these stiff moves are sometimes required for MMA to penetrate the mainstream. You have to feel for the fighters who have to clutch their wallets and hope another sponsor slips in to satisfy their financial needs though.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 22, 2009 6:02 PM EST up reply actions
That’s why I think this is good timing. It’s a lull in Zuffa’s schedule. Anyone fighting soon that has them as a sponsor should have plenty of time to get their affairs in order.
Affliction was a much bigger sponsor than Condom Depot, and the only fighter that stepped into the cage not looking like a billboard when they were banned was GSP, and for good reason.
One is gone, but others will step in and take their place.
by Phildo on Dec 22, 2009 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
This would have been full of win
If you typed “at the moment” as “ATM”. So close!
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
by Blackout612 on Dec 22, 2009 6:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
LOL
In my defense, it was a very quick and rough draft.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 22, 2009 6:16 PM EST up reply actions
The best part is that everyone is taking you totally seriously.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
I mean defense, I really don’t read many of his posts, it’s hard to tell when he’s trying to troll from when he’s trying to do whatever it is he does that isn’t this.
Fair enough
It’s all innuendo.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
everyone always hatin on supremecy… i found it hilarious
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 6:33 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed, everyone getting PO’d is making me lol.
by ufc4 on Dec 22, 2009 8:21 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I don't agree with your points
But good job with the puns. rec’d
So now we’re going to start a campaign demanding Zuffa compensate these guys for sponsorships they just took from them, right? Right???
In the meantime, I am going to be offering those fighters a new sponsor opportunity:
by smoogy2 on Dec 22, 2009 7:10 PM EST reply actions 8 recs
best part- blankin out kosheks face like hes committing a violent crime haha
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 22, 2009 11:36 PM EST up reply actions
Well, if the soon-to-be-incarcerated War Machine needs a sponsor when he’s freed…
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 22, 2009 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
I think the issue is how suddenly it happens.
Some guys end up stressed out before their fights because their managers are scrambling to secure a replacement sponsor. If the UFC announced that as of Q3 of 2010, there would be no more Condom Depot sponsorships allowed, they could get athletes to move away and build new relationships with other companies. It would be a much easier transition, and it would shut the internet right the hell up.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
helll, even as “as of ufc 109” would be easy enough. but not under ten working says from an event
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 6:34 AM EST up reply actions
Has anyone actually ordered anything from the site?
From my two experiences they had great service and a good product….. Maybe our Puritan roots are getting us in trouble.
Notions of chance and fate are the preoccupation of men engaged in rash undertakings.
by TheWorldForRansom on Dec 23, 2009 9:16 AM EST reply actions
There are a half dozen drug stores and a super wal mart 5 minutes from my house, why would I order bulk condoms online when I can get them 24 hours a day a couple of blocks from my front door? They may have great customer service I just don’t understand the need for ordering condoms through the mail.
good point
Maybe they are a big porn provider or something. Or got a deal with Planned Parenthood…
but who orders bulk condoms online? Unless you have a freakishly small/large/mis-shaped member that you need custom tailored condom depot baggies for
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 10:34 AM EST up reply actions
It’s one of the many things sold online that I just don’t understand the appeal of. It’s like buying alkaline batteries or Tylenol online, what’s the point? Wal mart has a whole aisle of condoms and if your too chicken to go through a register line they have the automated check out now.
if youre too chicken to buy a condom...
good luck later that night!
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 10:58 AM EST up reply actions
:D
The only reason I can think of for people to order condoms online is that they are ashamed to go out and buy them in a store (I guess some people see them as the same as buying porn for some odd reason) but that sort of goes against the whole “Puritan roots” angle defenders keep throwing up for this story. If you are ashamed to be seen buying them or you are 14 then perhaps you would order them online but if you are either of those things then perhaps you should just be keeping your willie in your pants.
Im sure if we went to their website there would be some crazy space aged “condoms” that rotate and glow and not only prevent any more children but the raise the ones you already have.
How else could a condom website be forking out “hundreds of thousands” to fighters?
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 11:19 AM EST up reply actions
They have a condom newsletter and condom awards and Japanese condom sampler tins. They do seem to be taking their condoms seriously but I agree I don’t understand how they could be paying out “hundreds of thousands” to fighters.
its a conspiracy...
maaaaaaan
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
by Chris Toffer on Dec 23, 2009 1:31 PM EST up reply actions
lmao
“a classy organization RUNNED by an even classier guy”
Classy
Even a broken clock is right two times a day.
This is great.
I HATE seeing that garbage on fighters’ shorts. Seriously, that was classless and I am very glad to see it gone. There are plenty of fighters who have other sponsors excluding Condom Depot, so they will be fine.
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