It's being reported by The New York Post that government officials will be voting on a bill soon which will determine whether or not Mixed Martial Arts is legalized in the Empire State. If it's approved, the sport could potentially have a decent sized economic impact on WWE considering Madison Square Garden could become a key venue for companies like UFC. Below are excerpts from the New York Post, and you can read the entire article if you click here.
"Of the 44 states that have athletic commissions, 36 regulate MMA. The New York State Athletic Commission is one of the most thorough and meticulous commissions in the country. It would be just as diligent in regulating MMA, which chairman Melvina Lathan supports.
If the bill is approved and signed by Gov. Patterson, the UFC said it will hold an event at Madison Square Garden in late 2009.
"It's definitely inevitable and the sooner the better," Serra said. "I think they'll be selling out Madison Square Garden in record time. I think it's going to be insane. I know from just walking around Manhattan and Long Island and the e-mails I get, it will be such an historic event."
It's an event that's long overdue."
Honestly, I didn't know that it wasn't legal in New York. Does anyone else find it stupid that it isn't? Sure people can get hurt, but people can get hurt worse in other sports too. Just take hockey as an example. in the past year, a guy's gotten his throat slashed open from an errant skate, a guy died after a fight when he hit his head on the ice, and another died just sitting on a bench in Russia. I'm sure there are examples such as this in every sport.
Which leads me to the question of why MMA is not legal in New York? The economic repercussions of NOT being able to hold a UFC event at MSG alone must be huge!
And it will be huge. I don't think it will affect WWE though. People are not going to go to a WWE event or watch a WWE show because of UFC, i don't think they've really felt the effect other than what's their own fault. I'd love a big UFC event at MSG, I didn't go to the one in Montreal a few months ago but it was HUGE.
