Mike Fagan Blasts Joe Rogan Unfairly

Sorry Mike, out of all the BE staff I find myself agreeing with you most often, but this time you are pretty far off base. I don't agree with pretty much any of the details or supporting arguments in your piece, and most certainly not with what seems to be the thesis of "Joe Doesn't Understand/Represents the UFC whenever he opens his mouth". I think Joe understands completely, the lack of understanding seems to lie... elsewhere.

You hold Rogan up to the standards of ethical journalism when all he was doing was posting on an internet forum, "The Underground", (not "The Mainstream"). There is quite the difference between an off the cuff rant on the UG and doing a piece for ESPN.com or even BE. I find it hard to believe you don't feel the same way.

"Joe Rogan returned to the Underground to discuss his use of some choice words for Yahoo! MMA blogger Maggie Hendricks. I think Joe, in an attempt to explain himself, digs himself into a deeper hole here, as it seems that he doesn't understand why he came under fire."- Fagan

I would say Joe understands all too well why he is "coming under fire", and that is because of over conservative zealotry typically resulting in this type of blowback whenever a public figure uses a bad word. I can't find a single instance where Joe seems confused at all about why all these people have their collective panties in a bunch. The fact that so many weak ass b*tches (male and female, I'm all about equal opportunity) find issue with what was said is what he finds alarming- The fact that so many W.A.B.'s grabbed onto this thing and propogated it in a negative light. I can see it now: "Did you hear what Joe Rogan said about this woman's writing? tsk, mmmmhmmm." Imagine one of those ghetto snap/headshake combos to accompany that one, if you will. 

But confused? Joe? I really don't think so.

"However, the game changes when we enter the world of fight sport and interacting with the media. Joe, whether he wants to admit it or not, acts as a representative of the UFC."- Fagan

This is where you and I disagree. First of all, Joe was not interacting with any part of the media, he was posting on a fringe website forum. A forum for fighters and fans, not "The Media". Your tone suggests that the UG should be considered on par with MMA Live or Inside MMA. Really? Considering the cesspool of vulgarity that is the UG comments section I would think that this would be the last place Mike Fagan would consider as a credible media source. The UG news section perhaps, but an un-moderated internet forum?

 His post was addressed to the members of the forum who were active in that particular thread, not Maggie Hendricks herself. There was no instance of Joe looking at Maggie and saying "You're a c*nt, your writing is c*nty,and frankly all I can think of when I look at you is C*NT." You have to remain cognizant of your environment, right? Joe was perfectly cognizant, he knew exactly where he was and who would be reading. I think it's you who is a little confused about where things like the UG comments section sits in our "environment".

I posit that the environment in question is located in a very specific societal sphere of influence than what you would suggest. To keep it simple we can call them "Fringe" and "Mainstream". In the Mainstream we have things like Wal-Mart, ESPN, The Morning Paper and basically anything that won't frighten Grandma or little Suzie and Timmy. In the Fringe? Hmmm, let's say 2 Guy's With Pipes, HDNET, The Joe Rogan Experience, and anything you or I would consider a good time on a Saturday night (Including UFC PPV's). The UG is firmly entrenched in the Fringe, without a doubt.

My point is that it's a little unfair to force Joe to be a represenative of the UFC 100% of the time. If he doesn't have a UFC mic in his hand then he has the right to say or do whatever he wants as long as it doesn't harm anyone. And to say Hendricks was harmed by this in any way is ridiculous. If anything she has her name out like it never has before, and she has Joe to thank for that, not her own sh*tty writing.

Anyone who thinks he is over the line in anyway with this mild little opinion of his needs to go check out his podcast, and listen to him discuss DMT, Mushrooms, smoking weed everyday, gorilla f*cking Mrs. Rogan and then move on to UFC discussions for half an hour without skipping a beat. We haven't heard one little peep from this site or any others regarding "He should watch what he says on the podcast he IS the UFC." And the podcast has been going for over a year now. A tad inconsistent in the Witch Hunting, no?

But the real kicker for me? Comparing what Joe wrote to standing up in a NAACP meeting and dropping some N-Bombs? So, NAACP = UG Forum.

C'mon son.