{"id":52525,"date":"2015-05-11T01:46:03","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T06:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=52525"},"modified":"2015-05-11T01:46:03","modified_gmt":"2015-05-11T06:46:03","slug":"the-ufcs-reebok-deal-mysterious-or-phenomenal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=52525","title":{"rendered":"The UFC\u2019s Reebok Deal: Mysterious or Phenomenal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ufcheader\"<\/a>By Dave Madden<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the buzz surrounding a terrific night of fights, UFC Fight Night Adelaide, Australia could still not escape the issue that has enveloped a heaping dose of controversy, the sponsorship deal between Reebok and the UFC. No matter which side of the fence you find yourself, the fact remains that almost everyone outside the corporate round table that seats UFC and Reebok executives do not have a clue what the end result of this partnership will look like, both for fighters and fans. <\/p>\n

Maybe the unknown of the Reebok deal is comparable to the unknown of how prolific a night of fights will truly be? The fight card on display in Oz was discounted because, apparently on paper, the UFC didn\u2019t caravan every ranked-fighter on their roster down under. Those who were pessimistic without knowing the details of what was to come should simply rest easy in their favorite MMA viewing chair and mimic Bill Gates who stated,<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieving that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path.\u201d<\/p>\n

All in all, allow for time to tell to fully pixilate the end result, whether it\u2019s a fight card or a new endorsement deal. Sit back, relax, and let\u2019s see how everything pans out.<\/p>\n

Displeasure for the Reebok deal, currently understood as piecemeal, was highlighted in the post-fight interview with \u201cSmile\u2019N\u201d Sam Alvey (26-6-0 1NC) after his crushing knockout victory over Australian Olympiad in Judo, Dan Kelly (9-1-0). For much of the time on the microphone, Alvey had the crowd roaring with pleasure and eating out of the palm of his hand with his charisma.<\/p>\n

First, he admonished Mothers all over the world,<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to thank the Mommas out here. I heard a couple of Australian gals calling all of you Mums. In America you\u2019re Mommas, so Happy Momma\u2019s Day; I love each and every one of you!\u201d<\/p>\n

The audience also chorused in Alvey\u2019s attempt to do as the Romans, or Aussies in this case,<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, thank you all! Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! That\u2019s what you say, right? Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!\u201d The crowd responded, \u201cOy, oy, oy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Shockingly enough, the smile on Alvey\u2019s face widened before he got to the next order of business, to the delight of viewers, calling out TUF Nations: Canada Versus Australia contestant Elias Theodorou (11-0-0),<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy I want to call out; ya know, I\u2019m trying to remember his name because we just picked him last night.\u201d Alvey turned to his corner for a refresher on who the person was, got the name, and proceeded, \u201cElias Theodorou, I\u2019m coming for you buddy. I want you; I\u2019m going to knock you out. He was bragging about having the best hair in MMA. I\u2019ll tell you what. If I lose, I\u2019ll shave my head. When you lose, I want you shaving your head because I\u2019m coming for your hair buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rolling with laughter, Alvey was compiling fans with every syllable uttered until Alvey shared his appreciation for Reebok. Alvey\u2019s sentiment for Reebok sent his newly acquired fan-base running for the hills,<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019ve got to thank Reebok; you guys make the best shoes in the business.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crowd rained down boos onto Alvey. Granted, the bulk of the talk about Reebok, with no empirical evidence one way or another, provides support to the argument presented by Amanda Ripley in From the Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way (2013),<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout date, you are just another person with an opinion\u2026\u201d (p.19)<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to love the invasion of Reebok onto the UFC scene, but we all need to accept it. The unknown presents forlorn mysteries, and social media has created a number of unofficial badges for us all to play detective. Curtains drawn, fans simply need a perspective other than the dark and gloomy that\u2019s repeated over and over.<\/p>\n

Jen Wenk, former Head of Public Relations (PR) for the UFC, made an appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, and her perspective on the collaborative inner workings of the Reebok and UFC will, in her opinion, produce a product that very well may send consumers flocking to websites or brick-and-mortars for some shopping. Wenk\u2019s background in PR affords her the opportunity to visualize the hustle and bustle of deal making and promoting that the common enthusiast can\u2019t imagine. She explained the potential enormity of the Reebok deal,<\/p>\n

\u201cThey [Reebok] are super powerful. They can open a lot of doors. This is a very big deal for the UFC. Not just for the way that it effects the presentation and production of an event, but the channels it opens. Like I said, big brands attract like brands. This is a good thing all the way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listening, the audience was given a sense that it\u2019ll all work out. From a consumer\u2019s standpoint, there have been a number of rumblings about the fact that Reebok isn\u2019t the name it once was in prior decades. Yes, eras resurge, though Reebok hasn\u2019t really been a name associated with professional athletics, at least not yet. Wenk presented why this perception may alter,<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did not just do this overnight. They have a plan. You haven\u2019t even seen them debut yet. You haven\u2019t seen their marketing and advertising campaign. When these two [UFC and Reebok] get together and break this thing out, I wouldn\u2019t underestimate their ability to achieve cool. We haven\u2019t seen the different uniforms, and we haven\u2019t seen the different styles that they\u2019re going to come out with. Just wait, we\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patience being a virtue isn\u2019t only good advice from a reputable name in the industry, but it\u2019s the only thing UFC fans and fighters can do until the UFC and Reebok merger is rolled out the way the powers that are planning to do so. Whether the Reebok deal has you downtrodden because you want answers or optimistic for the changes to come, the back and forth should accompany the words of American author Bernard Malamud (1914-1986), not matter what side of the argument you find yourself,<\/p>\n

\u201cTeach yourself to work in uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dave Madden With the buzz surrounding a terrific night of fights, UFC Fight Night Adelaide, Australia could still not escape the issue that has enveloped a heaping dose of controversy, the sponsorship deal between Reebok and the UFC. No matter which side of the fence you find yourself, the fact remains that almost everyone […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10374],"tags":[12757],"class_list":["post-52525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mma-2","tag-the-ufcs-reebok-deal-mysterious-or-phenomenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52525"}],"version-history":[{"count":-4,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52525\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}