I read that article by Leonard Shapiro from the Washington Post. I was not at all surprised by the overall tone of his writing, and there are millions more like him around the world. MMA is not for everyone, I guess. People will always try to tear it down. But I figured I'd let Mr. Shapiro hear what I thought about his article.

Mr. Shapiro -

I am an avid fan of mixed martial arts, and have been for quite some time. I am not alone in this classification, either. MMA is growing steadily throughout the world. It is a recognized form of competiton in Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, the United States and, most recently France, just to name a few. People from every corner of the globe, from every walk of life, are enjoying MMA. I guess I just can't seem to understand why you feel MMA will "sully" CBS' good name.

"Your parents' MMA" of fifteen years ago is barely a memory. Rules have been put in place to avoid serious injury. According to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, there are no head-butts. There is no biting, no eye-gouging, no fish hooking, no groin attacks, and no hair pulling. You can not strike the back of the head or the spine. You can not throw elbows aimed downwards. You can not strike the throat area. There is no pinching or clawing. You can't kick, stomp or knee the head of a downed opponent. There are many more "fouls", but I do not want to waste your time just rattling them off. Basically, the reason I am reiterating the rules of MMA is to be sure you understand what you are writing about. I understand you called it "a stretch", but comparing a legalized fight between two men who are in the same weight class to the Christians vs. the lions? Please, sir.

Your description of "MMM" - mixed martial mayhem - is a bit of a reach, too. "You put two guys (usually heavily tattooed) in a ring enclosed by a cage, surrounded by a howling mob, and just watch the blood flow as they pummel themselves into submission, or occasionally break a bone or three. That's entertainment?" No, sir. I would not pay my hard-earned money for that. You could go to any dive bar and watch the description you just gave. These men (and women) train hard. They fight, usually, between two and three times a year, spending the majority of their "off-time" keeping their bodies in peak physical condition, preparing for their next contest. Sure, some MMA fighters have tattoos. So do some stock brokers. And some politicians. Even some other athletes in other sports have been tattooed. It is certainly not exclusive to MMA. On to the 'ring enclosed by a cage'. The UFC and EliteXC do use a cage, but PrideFC (and others) used a ring, much the same as boxing does. Would that be preferable to you? I remember watching boxing as a child on network television. I can still remember Jorge Paez and Troy Dorsey pounding each other into bloody pulps on a Saturday afternoon. I was twelve then, in 1990, and I remember it as one of the greatest fights I ever witnessed. Is there much of a difference between the howling mob that supports MMA and the ones that pay top dollar for NBA tickets? What about the NFL? Fans are rabid, regardless of the sport. Sure, you will see blood or broken bones in MMA, occasionally. But you say it as if boxing has any less blood pouring through it. Do you remember Tim Krumrie? He was a defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals that, during the Super Bowl, in front of millions of fans, on NATIONAL TELEVISION, snapped his leg in two places. He suffered two breaks in his tibia and one more in his fibula. It turned my stomach as a 12 year old. Broken bones and cuts causing blood to spill happen in professional sports. It is not the goal of a MMA fighter to break an opponents bone or to cut him. It is his goal to win. Same as in every sport. But admittedly, it does happen on occasion.

One thing I do agree with you on is that MMA fighters should be paid much better than they are currently. Some fighters earn just $3,000 for a fight on a UFC card. This, after weeks or months training. Fighters who earn their living via MMA need to be paid accordingly. The gate needs to be better distributed to the fighters.

Fine and suspend Mark Cuban? For what reason? Because he is using some of his well-earned money to take part in another professional sport? Do you fine William Davidson because he owns the Detroit Pistons and the Tampa Bay Lightning? Senseless.

While I love Jim Nantz' coverage of college basketball and golf, I don't believe he has the knowledge (and I could be wrong there) to cover MMA. That is not to say he couldn't learn MMA, if he indeed does not know it. But to put Nantz on the first broadcast and expect him to know the difference between and omoplata and a gogoplata would be ludicrous. I would hope CBS would bring in announcers that knew the sport, as opposed to just plugging in the current announcers they have under contract. MMA is not that far removed from boxing, and the greatest of all time, Howard Cosell, was a boxing announcer. I do not believe for a second that the reason you wouldn't have a big-name announcer commentating on the fights would be becasue the sport would sully their reputation. It would be their lack of knowledge on the sport that would be the hinderance. As time goes on, you may see a bigger name sign on, especially as the sport continues to grow.

As for your last paragraph, I feel that you will get the bottom-of-the-barrel e-mails from some of the fans that think you should be strung up because you have a different opinion. But I feel you will receive a few well-thought out responses as well. Hopefully, you will read all of them and notice that the fans of this sport are not able to be generalized into a "howling mob", and the fighters are not just thugs looking to cure their blood lust. We are doctors, lawyers, union roofers and bartenders. We can afford those $500+ seats at the arenas, and most of the time, don't mind shelling out for those tickets. We are a small portion of the country, but we are growing by the event. I am not attempting to convert you into a fan. You obviously have your mind made up. But while you are watching your DVD, or reading your book, or working on your taxes, or cleaning your garage, know that the MMA fan will be tuned into CBS for that nights event, enjoying every minute of what these elite level athletes are giving us. They deserve our respect, and our small tight-knit community will give it to them even if you won't.

While we fundamentally disagree on this topic, I appreciate that you will take the time to read the e-mails you are sent.

Sincerely,

Thomas MacKay

South Amboy, NJ