THOUGHTS FROM A SEPTUAGENARIAN by Leo Haggerty PFWA

THOUGHTS FROM A SEPTUAGENARIAN. Aa I approach my 72nd trip around the big yellow ball in the sky, I still shake my head in amazement as to the popularity of what is called Mixed Martial Arts. This was an event that wasn’t even a blip on the sports radar when I became interested in following as well as participating in athletic endeavors.

Let me give you a little history as it applies to MMA. The initial foray in the United States was in 1980 when CV Productions held the Tough Guy Contest in Kensington which is a neighborhood in the Pennsylvania city of Philadelphia. The modern MMA came to fruition with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. It morphed in 1996 with the first state regulated event in the Mississippi city of Biloxi.

Not everyone was happy with this new sport. In fact, Arizona Senator John McCain in 1996 referred to the MMA as “human cockfighting.” The former high school wrestler and amateur boxer at the Naval Academy also described that when the MMA allows combatants to pummel each other on the ground he states that “to hit a man when he was down is un-American.” Pretty strong stuff, right?

Well, that didn’t affect its popularity. MMA, particularly the UFC, has exploded with its biggest growth among younger demographics. Though it’s not to the level of football or basketball or baseball, Mixed Martial Arts is a fast-growing sport with millions of fans globally.

For me, I’m still old school like McCain. Any activity where you can beat someone up when they’re down isn’t a sport in my eyes.

Book it Dano!