FanPost

What MMA writers won't dare write about?

MMA writers are quick to jump on athletes who overstep the bounds of political correctness, fail drug tests, and in some cases even break the law.

Here’s an idea (it’s not new) that you aren’t very likely to ever hear a sports writer write about. The idea is that CEO’s embrace their leadership position by submitting to the same drug testing expected of their employees. Absurd you say? Ridiculous? Not really. As mentioned before, it’s nothing new.

Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, and Civil Service Directors across the country routinely submit to drug testing just like any other employee. Why not? "To whom much is given, much is also expected."

Furthermore, leading by example is the true hallmark of any good leader. Surely responsible owners would want to do everything they can to ensure that those who are making critical decisions in their organizations are not affected by alcohol or drugs?

What’s so ridiculous about drug and alcohol testing for those at the top? One of the most important functions of any leader is to set the ethical and cultural standards of their organization. Why shouldn’t employees, fans, and writers expect the people at the top to be the good role models? If drug testing is good enough for the fighters, why not for the people who enforce the company code of conduct?

Amid increasing concerns around unfair salaries, fighter’s morale, and public perception; why don’t more writers call for drug and alcohol testing of executives who are making decisions that affect the lives of so many fighters? Why is it that sports writers, and in particular MMA writers turn a blind eye to the classic symptoms of what reasonably astute fans recognize as classic signs of drug and alcohol abuse?

Perhaps it’s a rhetorical question because the fear of retaliation for speaking up is at the heart of the matter. Lost privileges; interviews, Las Vegas comps, preferred seating, and even the threat of firing stifles their voices and their pens.

And yet, when we continue to hear allegations of fight rigging scandals, when we witness out of control behavior towards employees, fighters, and fans – well it reminds one of the classic tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen.

For those who are unfamiliar, it’s about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions; stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, no one dares to say that he doesn't see any suit of clothes until a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"

So how about it, Ariel Helwani, Luke Thomas, Chuck Mindenhall, and all the rest of the sportswriters out there? Who will dare to step forward and finally say what even a child can see?

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