Gina Carano Is Popular, But So Are a Number of Human Interest Stories
by Luke Thomas on Jul 2, 2009 11:40 PM EDT
in News
45 comments
I'm not suggesting the fronting won't work, but Strikeforce is fronting here:
According to a release circulated by Strikeforce and highlighted by Fanhouse, the promotion is set to dangle some mainstream media bait by hosting a press conference for the Aug. 15 Gina Carano/Cristiane Santos fight at Madison Square Garden’s WaMu Theater on July 14.
Considering that it wouldn’t take roping off a city block to house MMA media, it’s clear Strikeforce is counting on a surplus of mass press attention for what has easily become the highest-profile women’s MMA bout to date. Securing the WaMu Theater lobby may not be practically necessary, but it is an interesting bit of status posturing, particularly for an industry that doesn’t see a lot of PR stunt work outside of the UFC. (Both Carano and Santos will have a public demo/workout on 8th Avenue and 33rd Street, which is likely going to crane a lot of necks passing by in walkthrough traffic.)
Look, I certainly hope this fight meets the expectations of those who suggest Carano can single-handidly outdraw the entire UFC 100 event in terms of PR or attention. Her success as well as that of her promoter would be good for their goose and MMA's gander. But let's also keep in mind what's driving the popularity of Carano - and this fight in particular - is a compelling human interest component that has dubious utility for MMA's or Carano's long term viability as a draw. While the attention being paid toward Carano for her stark challenge of gender roles can sway attitudes of skeptics or the concerned to the point that MMA is more palatable than they once assumed, we also must examine the motivations for the media coverage.
It is well documented both traditional and new media alike are prone to exploring the issue of females who not only challenge gender roles with ability or aplomb, but also simultaneously support or maintain those traditional gender constructs as they turn conventional wisdom on its head. I do not fault Strikeforce nor Carano for this reality nor for using it to their advantage. I also, again, do not see this as something harmful for the sport, but I also don't think this is a watershed moment for the larger sport of women's MMA. I have some suspicion about how long Strikeforce can milk this to keep the Carano hype train moving. For now, it's an asset and should be welcomed as a means of maximizing the amount of media coverage available. But to borrow from Ayn Rand (not an endorsement of her views, mind you), we also need to check the premises of what's going on here in the press. A significant portion of the hype behind Carano and this fight has little to do with MMA at all (yes, MMA as something male dominated or only for men is a machine for Carano to rage against, but that demonstrates little about MMA's intrinsic value here). If converts can be created in the process, so be it. But how long the engine of human interest can be used to promote what is ultimately a static person over the long run is quite another.
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This is the single most overhyped event in the history of MMA.
Women’s MMA is going to continue to work towards mainstream acceptance with or without this fight – and the fact that the millions of people that will see this fight will come away from it thinking they just saw the two best women fighters in the world go at it should disturb every other woman fighter on the planet (especially Megumi).
I’m always rooting for entertaining fights no matter the venue, but a significant portion of me wants Cyborg to wipe the canvas with Gina in ten seconds. In brutal fashion.
by subo on Jul 2, 2009 10:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I get the desire to see the postergirl for women’s mma fall, but after Cyborg’s weight-cutting debacle, I want karmic justice.
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Jul 2, 2009 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To get karmic justice for weight-cutting debacles, as soon as the fight starts, Gina and Cyborg would have to double-KO each other by tripping over their own feet and accidentally butting heads.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Jul 3, 2009 3:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
its going to be a really good fight though. both these women are going to come out like animals and bang it out
by MattPa on Jul 3, 2009 4:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is the front page loading slowly for anyone else?
by Luke Thomas on Jul 2, 2009 10:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So do you think gina can get more press and media coverage than 100?
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 2, 2009 10:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
To some extent, MMA itself is a human interest story. Members of the media often do armchair psychoanalyzing about what would make someone fight someone else in the cage. So part of the UFC’s coverage is a little of that. But on balance, the coverage of UFC 100 is far more oriented towards documenting the sporting event, whereas with Carano it’s much more about documenting the human interest story. So even if Carano gets more attention for her event than all what UFC 100 can do, there is still the issue of what type and quality of coverage was pulled in.
by Luke Thomas on Jul 2, 2009 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I simply don’t believe that TMZ.com and ET are going to start covering MMA because of this fight.
by subo on Jul 2, 2009 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Has UFC 100 garnered a lot of mainstream press so far? In MMA circles she won’t get more press than UFC 100 and in the mainstream if she can get one blurb on ESPN then she will be beyond what the UFC gets. Of course that’s a hollow victory too, I don’t think the mainstream media is going to embrace her and make her a media superstar because of this. Lets face it the silly John and Kate woman is already light years more famous than Carano and the entire sport of MMA for that matter. The only way Gina would break those kind of media levels would be if she started dating a A-list actor or had 6 kids at once and got a reality show about it. The fight isn’t going to do it.
by who me on Jul 3, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Artest Signing With Lakers Or Shaq Signing With Cavs or Manny Coming Back to Dodgers Or William Sisters Meet At Final Or Anthony Kim Leading Tiger Woods > UFC 100 or any MMA at this point.
Seriously, it says a lot that the off season of a sport can get more media than the biggest even in UFC history. We still have a long way to go.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 3, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
artest on the lakers is 100x bigger than UFC 1000
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
by ekc on Jul 3, 2009 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
oops… ufc 1000! cant wait for that!
"I’m not going to stop yelling because that would mean, I lost the fight!"-Kenny Powers
shooter/cutter for AllElbows.com
by ekc on Jul 3, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As a Laker fan, potenially, and by potentially I mean many championships.
As an MMA fan, no.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Jul 4, 2009 1:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not a chance.
Everybody who thinks that this fight is going to be huge, is coming at it from the MMA fanboy POV—Gina vs. Cyborg is the big fight she’s been building towards.
To those who are not MMA fans, IE the main stream media, Gina fighting Cyborg is only negligibly more notable than Gina fighting anybody else. Gina is the draw, and we’ve already seen exactly how much attention she gets.
by Foxskinrug on Jul 3, 2009 1:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Strikeforce has to play this card… the only point of differentiation they have with the UFC is to be known as the “Female League”… whether they can leverage that to something bigger is highly unlikely.
Making Gina the main event is a gamble – the safer bet would have been the co-main but the gamble could go either way.
Gina was already on showtime and CBS at the height of american gladiators and her popularity – what has she done for MMA so far? well thats exactly what she’ll do now. OK strikeforce is a better operator so multiply the impact by 2 or even 3 and you still have nothing.
The other problem is having a title at 145lbs… there’s already limited talent now you have a title in a weight class where there’s really only 2 fighters.
Can fronting Gina bite strikeforce in the ass like Elite XC experienced fronting Kimbo? There’s not a single sport where the female version has done anything significant in terms of numbers and impact.
If Gina loses will anyone care to watch female MMA besides some in the hardcore fanbase?
This is why I say Gina should have been the co-main event. You could still use her popularity but mitigate any damage if it goes the wrong way by having a very good heavyweight title fight which they have… there’s no gamble in Male MMA.
by mmalogic on Jul 2, 2009 11:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
There’s not a single sport where the female version has done anything significant in terms of numbers and impact.
The Williams sisters would like a word with you.
by madiq on Jul 3, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
As would Nacy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding
and Nadia Comenici and the entire 1996 US Womens Gymnastics team and the 1999 US Womens National Soccer Team. And Steffi Graf.
"We're not the other teams' farm system." - Andy MacPhail
by duck on Jul 4, 2009 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Only...
If only people were interested in this fight got MMA reason…
This fight will be hyped for all the wrong reasons.
by Paradoxx on Jul 2, 2009 11:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think that she’s been very graceful in the spotlight. She’s done a better job of it than most males… and probably all American males. With Fedor being the standard bearer.
She’s a better main event than Kimbo Slice, anyway.
by penxv on Jul 2, 2009 11:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
This discussion shouldn’t be about anything bad for Gina Carano at all, she deserves the attention and money she gets and should be respected for what she is doing for women’s MMA but that doesn’t mean that people should toss reality out the window. The media is a fickle mistress and they have shown time and time again they prefer a celebrity scandal to a celebrity human intrest story. She isn’t going to become some huge media draw that takes MMA to the next level like a lot of people seem to think she will be.
by who me on Jul 3, 2009 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Whats the most important metric here? Gina getting more press than ufc 100 is meaningless.
If the AUG 15th show can get 500k viewers then that’s big news and very worthy of Loretta Hunt shitting out of her mouth.
by mmalogic on Jul 2, 2009 11:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
+1
I completely agree with your appraisal of the situation, Luke.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Jul 3, 2009 12:34 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Headline is kinda snide
Brock Lesnar is a human interest story
by bignerd on Jul 3, 2009 12:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Agreed. Why is Brock Lesnar being a draw because of people interested in a “pro wrestler” starting to do MMA more legitimate than Gina Carano being a draw because of her representing “girl power?”
Yes, the UFC is a bigger platform, but it is a testament to Gina’s star power that she drew 5 million TV viewers on CBS, and was voted #5 on the Most Influential Women List. This means that Strikeforce is right to capitalize on her publicity, and try to use her to attract eyeballs to their shows…whether she’s fighting for them or not.
Put another way, Gina Carano is a bigger deal than Urijah Faber, and no one argued when the WEC promoted the hell out of him as a poster boy. Why wouldn’t an up-and-coming MMA organization like Strikeforce attempt to do the same?
by madiq on Jul 3, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not sure at all what you are getting at? I think he was talking about human interest stories in general in the title not sure where Brock Lesnar came from. The point is that people are overrating her drawing power compared to the general public, 5 million on CBS is good numbers for MMA but nothing that exciting for CBS in general, CBS can pull 5 million with a rerun of Ghost Whisperer. In MMA it’s a big deal but in the regular world it’s not all that, people seem to be losing perspective about what she will actually accomplish here (including Strikeforce).
This isn’t about them using her to promote, who has said anything bad about that? It’s about people going over the top talking about it.
by who me on Jul 3, 2009 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What does any of this have to do with Brock Lesnar?
by who me on Jul 3, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The fact that one reason why Brock Lesnar gets so much coverage by ESPN is that his whole “former pro wrestler trying his hand at legitimate sports” started out as a human interest story…albeit in the sports realm. Trying out for the Vikings transitioned into possibly fighting, and continued with him debuting in the UFC, culminating with him fighting for and winning the Heavyweight Championship. Now he is half human interest story, half legitimate story covering the UFC, and I guess that’s the point that bignerd was attempting to get at.
by madiq on Jul 3, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He’s a human interest story in that invaribly every guy who interviews him in the mainstream tries to hit him on the steroid question. The media likes to tear guys down because the ratings are better that way, human interest is a small time story.
by who me on Jul 3, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
OK but this story has more life than Michael Jackson
I see that you included the obligatory Gina Photo, what can we glean from that?
by sharktank on Jul 3, 2009 2:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That the #1 reason people care about her is that she’s hot?
by subo on Jul 3, 2009 2:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So simple, but so true!! Thats probably a good thing though coz win or lose, she’ll still look good in photos!!
by GeeDub on Jul 3, 2009 3:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And Luke does not go for her type but added the pic.
That is all that I am saying.
No pic of Cyborg (maybe she should be Syborg so we know the difference at a glance, but I digress.)
by sharktank on Jul 3, 2009 3:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
To what extent can Strikeforce mold the public perception of this fight? I think that’s the big question. Anyone whose following MMA reasonably closely should understand the underlying value of this fight. It’s a decent draw, because of Gina’s media darling status and, to a lesser extent, Cyborg’s aggressiveness and fighting style which resembles that of a buzzsaw. I imagine that each of these ladies could potentially be regarded as the best in female MMA, but that day is not today or immediately following this fight. It’s still quite interesting if not a battle to determine the top female fighter. However, Strikeforce may be able to really help themselves out if they can convince enough people that I (many others) don’t know what I’m talking about or that opinions like mine are inaccurate.
I just don’t look at fights like this one as ones to set a solid foundation for a sport. It could be viewed as a step forward for women, but what would it mean if it were to garner more hype than UFC 100 – though I’m not sure how to assess that? What happens next? For instance, if Lesnar or GSP were to lose at 100, we could go on forever in contemplating what’s next for those two, their divisions, and Mir and Alves. I don’t have the foggiest idea what happens as a result of the Carano/Cyborg bout.
by Cannon Jacques on Jul 3, 2009 3:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t have the foggiest idea what happens as a result of the Carano/Cyborg bout.
Erin Toughill makes the most sense, but that fight – even if it’s Gina – won’t sell shit. Frankly, with the state of women’s MMA as is, Gina would probably be made to fight The Karate Hottie. Hell, even if Lesnar and GSP win, you have the potential of Thiago upsetting Fitch and then we all get to talk about who’s going to win between Cain and Shane.
This is a singular, one time, flash-in-the-pan event that isn’t the culmination of anything. UFC 100 is the best card in the history of the sport.
by subo on Jul 3, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah.
The match with Toughill makes a lot of sense, but there aren’t a lot of ways they can go. That would suck if they matched Gina up against the Karate Hottie. There’s probably a twenty pound weight difference when Gina’s at here thinnest.
I just sort of used the GSP and Lesnar losing as an extreme example to illustrate how much potential there is after 100. If GSP wins, which I expect him to do, there’s going to be a lot more talk of a GSP/Silva showdown. Then of course, the heavyweight picture is in such a state of flux that every fight among the better guys has a real impact in the entire division. That’s what I like so much about the UFC. It relates well to the traditional team sports that I’ve followed through my life. Each game/match/race is only a piece of a much bigger puzzle.
by Cannon Jacques on Jul 3, 2009 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly
When you have contenders fighting contenders all the time and a deep roster, the matchmaking possibilities are endless. Instead of endless debates about who will make the playoffs/win the division, you’re wondering who will emerge as the next superstar and whether or not x has what it takes to make a serious run. Superfights are fun, but it’s the fights that shape the future of the division that really intrigue me – and those fights are almost exclusively in the UFC.
by subo on Jul 4, 2009 1:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think some of the posters here miss the point: It isn’t that Gina is popular/influential because she’s hot — she’s popular/influential because she’s FEMININE.
Women in traditionally male-dominated sports don’t just have to be good; they have to fight against the notion that being associated with those sports makes them more “manly.” When a woman succeeds in a “man’s world,” while retaining her femininity, she becomes a role model for women and young girls. When the women who are successful in a “man’s world” are those that can be derided as “butch” or manly, this only serves to reinforce existing gender stereotypes, and doesn’t typically empower women as much. That’s why Carano-Cyborg is such a compelling fight — it’s a battle between a Girl Next Door Who Fights, and a Scary Chick Who People Consider Manly. It’s the MMA equivalent of Evert-Navratilova, which was THE feud in Women’s Tennis 20 years ago.
The BEST case scenario for Strikeforce is a Griffin-Bonnar type war, with both looking great, but with Cyborg getting the nod. This is because Gina will still be credible in defeat, but Cyborg will be seen as the hill to climb, and the rematch between the two would be even higher-rated than the first. Ideally, of course, Gina would win the rematch, setting up a Carano-Cyborg Trilogy to mean as much to Strikeforce’s growth as Couture-Liddell I, II and III meant for the UFC’s.
Worst case scenario is that the fight is a snoozer, and Cyborg wins an uninspired, but one-sided, decision. That would simultaneously kill Carano as a contender, or as an exciting fighter. I would hope that no one would be rooting for that.
by madiq on Jul 3, 2009 4:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
And if I remember, Scary Chick Navratilova wiped the fucking court with Evert.
by subo on Jul 3, 2009 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
43-37, Navratilova all-time. Your recollection is off.
by madiq on Jul 3, 2009 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's not the first time that's happened
Navratilova was probably the best woman tennis player I’ve ever seen.
by subo on Jul 4, 2009 1:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think some of the posters here miss the point: It isn’t that Gina is popular/influential because she’s hot — she’s popular/influential because she’s FEMININE.
To be honest, I think almost everyone here grasps that point.
by Cannon Jacques on Jul 3, 2009 11:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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