Why They Can't Hang Up the Gloves
by Michael Rome on Mar 11, 2010 6:34 PM EST
in MMA News
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A lot of sports fans have trouble figuring out why their favorite athletes can't call it quits at the peak of their game. These fans say they want to remember their heros at their best, not as faded shells of their former selves, and watch with sorrow as their icons become mere mortals. Why does Chuck Liddell want to fight again?
There are a lot of reasons, many of which are financial. There's no other job in the world a guy like Liddell could do that would pay him millions of dollars for an 8 week training camp and then a one-night performance. Fighting doesn't just bring another paycheck from the UFC, it also opens the door to renewed sponsorship and endorsement opportunities. But it's not just money. Guys like Chuck aren't starving for cash, the real thing driving him is the rush of fighting.
Over at Sherdog, Dr. Matt Pitt has an article entitled "Becoming Superhuman." It's must-read material for those trying to understand the physical and emotional motivations to fight for a living. A sample:
There is of course a downside of the tremendous power unleashed by the SNS. Researchers describe the performance to stimulation relationship as "inverted U" shaped: Once optimization is achieved, further stimulation results in decreased performance. A little fear is exciting, a little more elicits a fortifying flood of neurochemicals and a little more renders an individual paralyzed and incapacitated. Some fighters rise to the occasion and some fighters choke at the moment of greatest pressure. Part of the mental art of fighting lies in consciously initiating the SNS and then preventing the fight or flight response from revving out of control. The fighters capable of that seem to have dynamite in their fists and ice in their veins…
When people wonder what keeps athletes in a sport where pain and injury are unavoidable, the answer may lie in the tremendous SNS stimulation it provides. Few human activities, and no other sport, can match the incredible stimulation an animal experiences by stepping into the ring with a known predator. Within seconds after the fight the SNS shuts down, adrenaline degrades and the fighting high is replaced by an emotional and physical crash. The only hope of recapturing that intense power, focus, thrill -- of once again being superhuman -- is to fight again.
The real reason that older, wealthy fighters continue fighting is very simple: nothing else in life can match the rush of a fight.
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That's shortsighted
With a good business plan Chuck could make more retired then he ever did fighting.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
"With a good business plan"
Didn’t he just lose a shit ton of money in some mortgage fraud scheme?
I doubt writing business plans are Chuck’s strong point, and I doubt many of the people these fighters hire to handle their money are making grade A decisions.
Money and ego are the primary factors, of course the rush is good but many of these guys just can’t swallow going out with big losses at the end of their careers.
Seems like a ridiculous and condescending blanket statement.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
How is citing money and ego as primary factors for fighters fighting past their prime a “ridiculous and condescending blanket statement?”
Are you of the opinion that there’s some yet to be discussed noble reasoning that’s being missed.
Its ridiculous not to mention that certain fighters can still get really good paydays from their name draw and its only human, who wants to go out on a loss or four.
Spare me the feigned outrage.
You are correct. As if a star getting looted by his manager is a new thing.
On Y2K Alex Jones was on the radio yelling that Russian was nuking the USA.
Now is this an indictment of Alex Jones, or an indictment of Jones' fans.
It seems as though people love being lied to & having their money stolen from them.
Viva L' America
by liptondrift on Mar 11, 2010 10:24 PM EST up reply actions
Not really, at least in regards to money
There was just an article posted on the front page of Yahoo that cited Sports Illustrated in that 80% of NFL guys declare bankruptcy two years after they retire and 60% of NBA guys declare bankruptcy five years after they retire. According to the article, Evander Holyfield made something like $250 million in his career and is now broke.
The thing is, a lot of these athletes live paycheck to paycheck, not fully grasping that life is a lot longer than their careers, so they should probably be saving at least half their income or have some future employment lined up if they don’t want to suffer a sudden and drastic drop in standard of living once they retire. Chuck probably doesn’t have much of a future in commentary, which is where a lot of retired stars from other sports lined up, so he probably has to build up a nice nest egg before he hangs them up for good.
http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ys-investopediamoneyloss031010&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
So could Ken Shamrock or Jose Canseco, how’d that turn out?
by ufc4 on Mar 11, 2010 6:16 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
poor comparison. Both Canseco and Shamrock are pariahs in their respective fields with little to no appeal to any cash paying business with the exception of steroid companies. the only way they all really compare is that they’re about as interesting to watch speak as it is interesting to watch paint dry. Shamrocks only marketable if you like a moron toughguy act. Canseco is just awful in most things he does, and is somehow completely unlikeable to most people even after a lot of what he wrote about was proven to be true, and Chuck, good God, Chuck. Watching him try and stumble(and mumble) thru an interview is just painful, but he’s got enough appeal to the mainstream that with proper management, he could cash in pretty well as evidenced by the recent Reebok commercial that spread like wildfire
As interesting as that article is...
it’s total crap. He provides no real documentation and only describes anomalies. Medical science isn’t based on anomalies.
I tend to assume Rome’s comment that they can’t find a better rush is correct, but I’m not claiming to base that on scientific research. Pitt should either provide some citations for legitimate research or else write an opinion piece that doesn’t rely on his medical degree.
And if we’re just speculating… I suspect fighting is the only place that guys like Chuck and Jens Pulver have ever felt comfortable, and it’s hard to give up that comfort zone and admit to yourself that you’ll never experience it again. As MMA evolves, we’ll see less of this, as the athletic barriers get too high.
by mma_critic on Mar 11, 2010 5:20 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, a 39-40 year old could never be successful at top levels in a sport like football
where the biggest, strongest, and fastest athletes go, starting around age 22.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
Thanks, but....
I’m not sure how that’s a reply to my post. Were you agreeing or disagreeing with me?
Age is a factor, but younger does not imply better. There’s a peak that I’d argue is roughly 28-34, but I’m pulling that range out my ass. You need to develop adequate all-around skills, which takes time, but most skills (speculatively, motor skills, if you want an anatomical argument) will start to fade around mid-30s, at least given our observations of current MMA fighters (though Randy is the obvious exception).
And while Jens is very young to be retiring, he’s been an active MMA fighter for a long time, which may explain his relatively early decline. Karo and Joe Riggs are two other guys on that path if they’re not careful.
by mma_critic on Mar 11, 2010 5:30 PM EST up reply actions
I was referencing this.
As MMA evolves, we’ll see less of this, as the athletic barriers get too high.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I experience the inverted U from time to time
I have a highly stressful, underpaying, and at times dangerous job. The rush I get after a successful day at the office beats anything, sex, drugs, etc. I’ve had jobs that pay more, offered huge risk/reward scenarios, but still nothing does it for me like chasing someone down and throwing them in cuffs.
by ScooterMagruder on Mar 11, 2010 5:24 PM EST via mobile reply actions
You’re Dog the bounty hunter?
by ufc4 on Mar 11, 2010 6:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
That guy is a horrible writer. if Sherdog wants to copy the Dr. Johnny Benjamin articles, they’re going to need somebody that can spell out complex medical concepts in plain English.
For those without the patience to read through the Sherdog Medical Journal’s latest piece, I’ll sum it up for you in one sentence:
“They fight because it’s exciting.”
Shocker, huh?
I found it informative and neat,
but then again I read constantly and anything I can get my hands on.I think he balanced the divide between keeping interesting and informative.
by ScooterMagruder on Mar 11, 2010 5:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Oh, I guess you already knew about the SNS system, how it effects the body, and what the results are. You didn’t learn how certain chemicals released in the brain deaden pain reception or create more acute cognitive focusing, because you already knew it and therefore the only shred of information you got out of the article was “They fight because its exciting.”
“hey’re going to need somebody that can spell out complex medical concepts in plain English.” That’s exactly what the article did. Is “lowered vascular resistance” just a little too ivory tower for you? Maybe you were referencing “Endorphins and endocannabinoids”, except that is exactly what they are called.
by Cocytus on Mar 11, 2010 11:09 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatic_nervous_system
Its really not an incomprehensible article if you can get past a bit of bio jargon. Writting off the motivations of athletes who often come out of bouts looking like they were just hit by a moving vehicle as “They fight because it’s exciting” , really doesnt do them justice.
I agree completely
Chuck and Wandy could loose all their remaining fights in the octagon. Ill still be excited to watch them fight it is what they love.
Can't say I'm surprised
The phenomenon has shown up in pro wrestling too.
one time when i was about 17 i was at a house party and through a series of events i ended up fighting someone in the backyard surrounded by like 20 people, it lasted all of 1 minute , and i was very lucky and caught a bigger and stronger guy with a ugly right and put him down.
i felt like king king for a week
i can barely comprehend what it must feel like for a main event fighter to win while over ten thousand people chant your name and go wild
how can anyone walk away from that?
Agreed
Winning a fight in front of a crowd is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had, I could see myself getting addicted to it
I'm in that same boat.
Sports are that kind of “release” for a lot of athletes
That’s how it’s always been with me.
Playing rugby, lacrosse, and football (all really tough, physically demanding sports), was the only way I really felt “alive”. The rush of closing in on a guy, laying a completely demoralizing hit on them and watching them hit the ground because of the impact was one of the most satisfying things in my life. Hearing the crowd react, hearing your team react…it’s just one of those things. It hits a spot. Scratches that really weird itch that you could never get rid of.
It’s the same reason I’ve started getting into MMA training. I miss that feeling. I miss the rush of performing in some type of athletic event.
Jerry Rice on the Seahawks, Johnny Unitas on the Chargers and Michael Jordan on the Wizards
this has been going on forever and probably will never stop athletes want that one last shot at glory
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