A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
by John Genco on Feb 10, 2010 10:49 AM EST
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A rising tide lifts all boats…
John F. Kennedy popularized the maxim way back in 1963. He was explaining that the improvement of the general economy will improve individual economy. In other words, the more money made overall will bring more money into your household, what is best for America is what is going to be best for your family.
It also goes to reason, what is best for boxing is best for HBO Sports. What is best for MMA is best for the UFC. Why can’t they get that? Knowing how fond both organizations are of acronyms maybe this will help. SCP. Stop Counter Programming! It could be called short-term thinking, but there can’t be that much thinking going on. It’s two 800 pound gorillas being spiteful. There’s a case of bananas and every time another gorilla goes to grab one, the giant comes over and wants half. Why? To try to slowing kill that gorilla? Why?
The more healthy gorillas, the more popular gorillas will be. The more popular the gorilla is, the more attention it attracts. The more attention, the bigger the audience! It’s better for everyone.
On Saturday, January 30th, Strikeforce put on a show featuring some of its best and most intriguing fighters. A nice night for fight fans. By now it is expected and accepted that the UFC is going to stick its cauliflowered ear and pug nose into every other promotion’s night and steal some market share with a free replay of their latest pay-per-view.
A message to UFC’s Andre Agassi look-a-like, lower the tide enough and your ship looks a lot bigger for a while, but ultimately it won’t be able to move any further forward.
The message the UFC sends back is simply, this is bigger than you. You don’t count. It’s not about what is best for you. It is about what is best for the short-term dominance of this company. Anyone who gets in our way is just a casualty, even the fans. Sure, we could give you a whole other weekend to look forward to, simply by showing the replay another night. But we won’t.
Boxing’s turn…
Showtime is putting on a dynamic showcase called the Super Six World Boxing Tournament. There are six boxers. It is super. And the fighters are from all over the world. How’s that for truth in advertising? For the fighters that perform well, the benefits are going to be enormous. The fans are already benefiting enormously. Instead of HBO trying raise their game to match the excitement and put together something as intriguing, they’ll go with the same old, same old and counter program. Trying to take half the banana.
On Saturday March 6th Arthur Abraham (31-0) will take on Andre Dirrell (18-1) in the second round of the Super Six. If Abraham was an American, he’d be as big of a star as there is in boxing. Dirrell is as slick as they come; only his unwillingness to stay in the pocket can keep him out of the super middleweight top 5 for the next bunch of years. Why not hope Abraham’s legend and record and violent finishes continue to run like a HBO dramatic series. Then everyone, HBO included, could benefit from a giant pay-per-view between Abraham and say…Bernard Hopkins in 2011?
That might take too much effort or original thinking, so just counter program with some fights that boxing fans would also love to see… on any other night except March 6th (not going to mention the card). Do it the week before or the week after and fans win. Boxing wins. Therefore, I know the readers can figure it out, not sure about HBO, so I’ll spell it out…HBO ultimately wins also.
Instead HBO will try to diminish Abraham’s audience, therefore weakening the economic viability of a pay-per-view that HBO could be a part of down the road.
UFC’s Agassi-look-a-like always says he gets the things right that boxing gets wrong. That is why the UFC is so popular. But in this case it seems like HBO and the UFC are both two big dumb, short-sighted 800 pound gorillas getting fat and lazy half a banana at a time.
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"The more healthy gorillas, the more popular gorillas will be. The more popular the gorilla is, the more attention it attracts. The more attention, the bigger the audience! It’s better for everyone."
Possibly the most bizarre statement on this site, ever. :)
Some people are acting like Pacquiao should be expected to have just gone, "Yeah sure, let’s do something I’ve never done before because your dad made some dumbass baseless comment."
(SC, 28/12/09; http://www.badlefthook.com/2009/12/27/1221143/mayweather-pacquiao-update-bob#comments)
Poor abused metaphor
Someone should call social services.
"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Feb 10, 2010 2:44 PM EST up reply actions
just wait
You think that’s bizarre? Just wait till you see what I have to say about Pacquiao in my next blog.
Competitive businesses undercut each other all the time.
Your feelings are very valid and I agree with you to a certain extent. With that said, the great thing that is coming from this competition is that the end product of HBO’s plan is Bute-Pavlik. That would be a great compliment to whoever ends up in the Super Six final. I’m not sure Pavlik can even get past Martinez, so that would throw a wrench in that plan, but that’s another argument.
The difference between the HBO-Showtime competition and the UFC-Strikeforce struggle is that both boxing networks are putting on great live matchups while UFC is just replaying an old show to cut a little bit into Strikeforce’s viewers. I’m looking forward to April 17 and the future fights to come.
Good point
But everyone knows Showtime doesn’t have the money to compete with HBO, and if the Super Six gets the numbers, we can count on more innovative shows from Showtime. If HBO chops at their numbers, I get very scared that Showtime could one day get out of the boxing bussiness.
they won't
Unless it’s a purely corporate decision. Their boxing is still featured programming on their network and they don’t operate under the idea of beating HBO in the numbers. In a lot of ways, they take the best of what HBO can’t/won’t, and they appeal to the boxing diehards in that way.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 11, 2010 5:31 AM EST up reply actions
missing the boat
Some may be missing the point here a little. Can you watch both events when they are on the same night? Yes, of course. Just more money coming from your pocket to do it. HBO$ Showtime$ DVR$. Many are lucky enough to afford the extra cash for a DVR. That is great. But watching the event live is certainly better, even if it is just a few hours after. No question.
The point is, it is not what’s best for the sports. Counter programming is hurting them. And it is evidence of those in power not seeing the bigger picture, or caring about it.
No question Showtime does not have to beat HBO in any programming, but they do have to get a number. When that number gets cuts or not reached there is a real chance it becomes not worth their while.
Dude, HBO is too dumb to figure anything out. They play “Fred Claus” once every couple days regardless of the season. I get pissed off every time I check what’s on HBO, except for the occasional Sat. night.
The only good movie I can think of they’ve aired in the past couple years has been “The Dark Knight”, and $hit we have Tivo, I only needed them to play it once.
If HBO does anything out of the ordinary realm of intelligence with their boxing programs I’m pleased.
"And so, as, uh, Heavyweight Champion recognized by nine of the fourteen sanctioning bodies..." -Drederick Tatum, The Simpsons
The only good movie I can think of they’ve aired in the past couple years has been "The Dark Knight"
Well to be fair this sounds more like you don’t like very many movies than any problem on HBO’s end. They play plenty of good movies.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Feb 19, 2010 1:47 AM EST up reply actions
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