As we are seeing with the biggest of sports like Formula One and the Premier League, the economy is having an effect on business.The latest example is in the MMA world, where Elite XC went from large numbers in its CBS debut and even solid numbers in its October show to being out of business this week, effectively leaving the long-standin.UFC as the remaining dominant player in what was thought to be a growing sport less than two years ago.high barrier to entry because of large event and TV and production costs and th.hold back of sponsors who can effectivelyt aggregate large numbers of activation against a niche event. Now some, like the Dew Tour, have built around NBC assistance and promotion over time, but those on the “time buy” game, where networks are pushing back on promotional assistance, find even more of a struggle. With fight sports like MMA, the push back comes in a double blow with limited audienc.?and sponsors hesitant to go in because of its perceived violent nature.UFC over time has built an “experience” for its fans, ala the WWE, which is a limited but winning formula and will probably be the long player in MMA again soon.Unfortunately in this 24/7 world, time is a very precious commodity for those tryiong to build a big business on a grand and very costly scale.?
Some other good reads…The Boston Globe has a good look behind the scenes at ESPN's Monday Night Football crew…the New York Times has a good look at Phils President Dave Montgomery…the New York Post has an interesting read with Jets kicker Jay Feeley, a former financial advisor…and the Montreal Gazette has a good profile of Canadiens owner George Gilette…
