For years, Bob Reilly has had some pretty nasty things to say about MMA, most of it due to his uninformed idea of what MMA is or is not.
And for years people have tried to inform him, so that he would be able to speak more intelligently on the subject. He’s had MMA explained to him in careful detail; people have crafted outlines on how MMA works, the differences in his perceived dangers of this sport as compared to boxing, football, ice hockey and other violent, dangerous contact sports.
Frustratingly, this poor man just does not seem to be able to grasp the concept of the sport. You’d think after hearing from professionals in the industry, he’d at least conduct further research, before continuing to spread false and misleading information about MMA to his constituents who may be new to the sport, all in an effort to get votes and score points.
You won’t believe this, but he actually said mixed martial arts, or “ultimate fighting” (yes…the man is STILL calling it ultimate fighting!) is more dangerous than any other sport out there, because it’s not just boxing – it includes other forms of fighting!!! My response to that is: “HUH???”
And it does appear he’s at least attempted to understand MMA, because at one point he says “now, all of the the mixed martial arts, ummm, there’s a great history to them…” and then spouts some more rhetoric his PR people made him include in this video statement. The problem is that “all of the mixed martial arts” does not have a great history to them. Rather, all of the martial arts systems that make up MMA have a great history to them.
So – good try in attempting to placate the masses, Reilly, but sadly…you still don’t get it, and you’re still misinforming your constituents.
Seriously – isn’t it about time for this guy to retire and stop trying to get re-elected by spouting half-truths? Check out his latest video. Hard to believe he actually is STILL this ignorant, after years of discussions with MMA-industry experts:
In this article from BC Local News.com, a Lions Gate emergency room physician, Dr. Samuel Gutman, warns that the push by Canadian doctors to ban mixed martial arts matches, much like Reilly is trying to do, could do more harm than good. Per the article, “Although all doctors can agree they want to protect the safety of athletes, it’s not realistic to prohibit the popular sport. Instead he (Dr. Gutman) says the association should focus on harm reduction.”
This is a concept that seems beyond the scope of Reilly’s brain cells, even though it’s been explained to him that, while there are risks during a fight bout, per Gutman, “athlete conditioning, referee training and having proper medical support can mitigate dangers.”
I guess Reilly feels MMA competitors should continue to fight unrestricted, unsanctioned, and unregulated, underground, in back alleys or underground garages, without the benefit of a trained referee, and medical personnel, and with only the financial welfare of the promoter and his profits being the priority.
Per the article, “In his 20 years in the field, Gutman has only once seen a (sic) injury resulting from MMA in the ER, but several mountain bike and snowboarding injuries can come through in a single day, he notes.”
Guess Reilly should start clamping down on mountain biking and snowboarding next, right? Yeah – sure he will.
Sadly, it appears Reilly comes from the “it’s my way or the highway” school of thought. Pretty much, once he’s made up his mind about something, come hell or high water – he’s right, and everyone else is wrong – even industry experts.
Right. And blue is not blue, it’s green; the sky is not up, it’s down; and hey Bob — the world is flat. Because you say it is…
