Sen. Reid embraces endorsements from Dana White, fighters
Reid is a relatively new convert to UFC fandom. He’s been to two fights, he told The Associated Press in…
Reid is a relatively new convert to UFC fandom. He’s been to two fights, he told The Associated Press in July, and they were enough to convince him that the sport was not just a “passing fad.”
“These, to me, are a fair street fight, and I’ve been around a few of those in my day,” Reid told the AP. “They have 31 different rules. That’s a fair street fight.” He added, “Of course people get hurt, but you get hurt playing basketball or football or baseball. I’ve just enjoyed this so much, and it’s so good for Nevada.”
Reid’s penchant for boxing is also well-known: In 2006, Reid faced criticism for accepting free ringside boxing tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission while the Senate was considering boxing regulation.
Reid’s partnership with the UFC comes at a time when Democrats are delivering harsh criticisms of World Wrestling Entertainment under former CEO Linda McMahon, now the Republican Senate nominee in Connecticut.
Irv Muchnick, a vocal critic of the WWE’s employment and safety record under McMahon, said he saw a crucial difference with Reid’s involvement with the UFC.
One, neither Dana White nor his wife is running for the Senate,” he wrote on his blog. Second, he said, UFC doesn’t have the same troubling record of fighter deaths as pro wrestling.
While the McMahons sought to deregulate professional wrestling starting in the 1980s, he said, White and the UFC have gone in the opposite direction, seeking legitimacy by embracing regulation from state athletic commissions.
The UFC also has increasingly sought political clout as it advocates for legalization nationwide. After he attended the July fight, Reid urged New York state lawmakers to proceed with legalizing the sport.
Couture responded to criticism for his Reid endorsement on Twitter on Monday, writing, You can question my political taste if you like but what you don’t know is harry Reid has been instrumental in the sanctioning of mma. And continues to help the sport in places like nyc! So even as a republican I support him because he supports us!
New York legalization is UFC’s “holy grail,” said Ted Butryn, professor of sports psychology and sociology at San Jose State University who studies the sport. “It makes perfect sense that Dana White would look for powerful friends like Harry Reid.”
From an ideological perspective, Butryn said, UFC hardly represents liberal political values — the sport celebrates “cro-magnon masculinity,” aggressiveness and domination. “It’s not birdwatching,” he said. “Some people are going to be OK with guys punching each other in the face, and some aren’t.”
Whether Reid’s UFC endorsements will help him with the Spike TV-watching 18-to-34-year-old male voter remains to be seen. But according to election officials, Couture, Mir and White are all registered to vote in Las Vegas.