Grant Ellis
28th October 2004, 06:38 PM
I am writing these simple guides in order to help new users get the most out of these forums without endangering themselves or the peace of mind of their fellow members.
On The Subject of Athletes
One would think it obvious to treat all athletes of the sport with some degree of respect. All too often have I seen combatants of my sport treated as fighting dogs or roosters by both members of the media and actual fans of the sport alike.
It is one thing to form an educated opinion on a mixed martial artist, yet it is another thing all together to personally attack someone who has sacrficed sometimes up to 8 weeks of his personal time in order to entertain you. Think about those numbers for a minute if you will.
Suppose a fighter trained six hours a day, six days a week. The fighter then took eight weeks which he dedicated to fight preparation. You'd have about 288 hours spent towards something that will probably go no longer than 20 minutes at the most. Sometimes only 10. It often ends in less than 4.
Many of these competitors have families and responsibilities outside of the sport. Many have suffered numerous injuries which can reoccur with no prior notice. They do not complain about it. They simply deal with it.
So the next time you feel the need to possibily demean someone who has just spent what could quite possibily be their entire lives preparing for this sort of competition you might want to understand what it is you are doing.
Example:
WANDERLEI IS A BAD FIGHTER.
This exact phrase took me no more than 3 seconds to type. In three seconds I just attempted to rip apart a man that has had more or less four surgeries in the past two years, has been in constant training since he was a teenager, is a new father, has been willing to get in that ring everytime he was asked, and will face whoever the promoters place in front of him.
It is best to let all judgements be done in the ring.
Criticism should be constructive, not destructive.
Does this mean you have to love every fighter that steps in the ring?
Certainly not.
There are some fighters I cannot really stand. However, I will not demean them or try to put a voodoo curse on their yet unborn children over the fact that I don't like them. I would rather not stoop to their levels of unprofessionalism.
Therefore, let it be stated that if you learn to appreciate all athletes to some degree you will not only find yourself enjoying actual matches, but also conversing about them.
Cheers.
Part II Grant's MMA Netiquette Vol. 2: On Styles (http://forum.kakutougi.info/showthread.php?t=33)
Part III Grant's MMA Netiquette Vol. 3: On Nations
(http://forum.kakutougi.info/showthread.php?t=34)
On The Subject of Athletes
One would think it obvious to treat all athletes of the sport with some degree of respect. All too often have I seen combatants of my sport treated as fighting dogs or roosters by both members of the media and actual fans of the sport alike.
It is one thing to form an educated opinion on a mixed martial artist, yet it is another thing all together to personally attack someone who has sacrficed sometimes up to 8 weeks of his personal time in order to entertain you. Think about those numbers for a minute if you will.
Suppose a fighter trained six hours a day, six days a week. The fighter then took eight weeks which he dedicated to fight preparation. You'd have about 288 hours spent towards something that will probably go no longer than 20 minutes at the most. Sometimes only 10. It often ends in less than 4.
Many of these competitors have families and responsibilities outside of the sport. Many have suffered numerous injuries which can reoccur with no prior notice. They do not complain about it. They simply deal with it.
So the next time you feel the need to possibily demean someone who has just spent what could quite possibily be their entire lives preparing for this sort of competition you might want to understand what it is you are doing.
Example:
WANDERLEI IS A BAD FIGHTER.
This exact phrase took me no more than 3 seconds to type. In three seconds I just attempted to rip apart a man that has had more or less four surgeries in the past two years, has been in constant training since he was a teenager, is a new father, has been willing to get in that ring everytime he was asked, and will face whoever the promoters place in front of him.
It is best to let all judgements be done in the ring.
Criticism should be constructive, not destructive.
Does this mean you have to love every fighter that steps in the ring?
Certainly not.
There are some fighters I cannot really stand. However, I will not demean them or try to put a voodoo curse on their yet unborn children over the fact that I don't like them. I would rather not stoop to their levels of unprofessionalism.
Therefore, let it be stated that if you learn to appreciate all athletes to some degree you will not only find yourself enjoying actual matches, but also conversing about them.
Cheers.
Part II Grant's MMA Netiquette Vol. 2: On Styles (http://forum.kakutougi.info/showthread.php?t=33)
Part III Grant's MMA Netiquette Vol. 3: On Nations
(http://forum.kakutougi.info/showthread.php?t=34)