Affliction Needs to Slow Their Role

by Jamie Uyeyama… It’s hard not to be intrigued by the card that Affliction is putting together for July 19th in Anaheim. Some are calling it one of the most stacked cards in MMA history. The card would be absolutely worthless thought if Fedor Emilianenko was not fighting on it. Hell, I’d sit through a bunch of other terrible fights to watch Fedor break Tim Sylvia’s arm. The big issue is not the card right now, but what they are going to do for the next one.

They’re already in trouble going head to head with a UFC card that is going to be on for free and feature the 205 debut of Anderson Silva. So success is far from guaranteed for their first venture into pay per view and they could easily be taking some losses right away. While the card looks good for their first go round, they don’t have anyone else on the roster to put on their second card. So they will have to continue to pay huge to lure MMA free agents until they have stocked the roster. It’s not impossible for them to compete with the UFC (the UFC obviously views them as enough of a threat to pit a free card running against them), but they are in for a long fight if they want to compete.

That basically means they are going to have to be patient and build up a roster from within. The UFC has a great way of making young fighters recognizable with The Ultimate Fighter and it has worked brilliantly so far. Affliction doesn’t have that luxury. Neither does Elite XC or any other organization. So until they do build up a system by which to introduce young fighters and groom them at the same time, they are going to continue to have to pay big bucks for UFC rejects (the whole card is composed of them with the exception of Fedor). Any idiot could tell you that it will be an uphill climb if that is your business strategy.

For more you can check out his blog Top Cheddar at www.topcheddar.com.

99 Should Gun it to 88

by Jamie Uyeyama…

It’s an age old question that will always be around. Everyone makes mistakes in their life and not many people have lived a life where they have not experienced some regret in at least one decision they have made. So you have to ask yourself, if you had the opportunity to jump in the De Lorean to go back in time and change something, would you do it?

I often wonder if Wayne Gretzky asks himself this question from time to time. I know, I know…the Gretter couldn’t possibly have any regrets, right? The guy is a hockey immortal. Actually he is not just an immortal; he is Zeus among the hockey gods. There is a reason that his nickname is the Great One. No one did it better than him and no one ever will. The guy was simply the best on the ice and remains the best as a first class guy off of it as well. Why would he want to change anything?

Maybe because, as great as he was, he could have been so much more. Not in terms of what he did as a player (there is no way he could better what he did on the ice), but in the way he built his name and the game along with it. There is no doubting that he has been an ideal ambassador for the game of hockey in so many ways. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t blow an opportunity to take himself and the game to new heights. He should have been his own brand…he should have been Michael Jordan. He could have been even greater than Jordan. He is Jordan without the infidelity or the gambling. Gretzky is the guy who has done everything right. Except when it came to taking his name to new heights.

He never truly marketed himself the way he should have. It doesn’t matter if it was his fault, or the fault of others (like his agent, the NHL, and hockey companies). The point is he wasn’t all that he could’ve been. He really only needed to do one simple thing and it could have changed everything. He needed to sign an exclusive deal with a hockey manufacturer like Bauer.

Think about it this way, what would Michael Jordan be without Nike? Jordan is who he is because of Nike. Nike did not make him the greatest basketball player of all time, but they did make him a global icon. It took Jordan’s ability along with Nike’s foresight to make him what he is today. Jordan is not just a name, it is a brand. Go into any Nike store and you will see at least one section completely dedicated to the Jordan brand. The number 23 and the Jumpman symbol are mainstays in the athletic industry and always will be. He has not played a game in over five years, yet his brand is bigger than ever.

Tiger Woods has moved into the same category as Jordan now. His athletic ability and his relationship with Nike, is also at a different level than other athletes. They will both be billionaires because of how they have been branded. They are unique individuals when it comes to professional sports though. There are so few athletes that have dominated like these two have. Wayne Gretzky is one of them though.

Just imagine if the Gretter signed an exclusive deal with Bauer back in the day and that Bauer realized how big this could be. How many kids do you think would have bought Wayne Gretzky’s skates in the 80’s and 90’s? Bauer would have dominated the market and Gretzky’s name would be larger than ever. The guy has the greatest nickname and greatest number in sports history. 99 could have been just as big as 23. It’s crazy to think what Nike could have done with the greatness that is Wayne Gretzky once they bought Bauer in 1995. They still had four years for them to expand the Gretzky brand until he retired in 1999. His brand would still be growing and kids would still be buying his stuff today. It would put him on that same financial level as Jordan and Woods.

It’s easy to say, “Gretzky’s already a rich man, why would he need to go back and do this?” If it was just about the money, then I would agree it would be easy for him to turn down. One thing though about Wayne Gretzky is that he has always been about promoting and growing the game of hockey. I don’t think he is doing that by selling dress pants at the Bay. He could have done that if he would have signed with Bauer.

There was no real Nike Basketball presence before Michael Jordan and Nike Golf was non-existent before Tiger Woods came along. Now, Nike Basketball dominates the market and Nike Golf went from not even in the market to a major player in the industry. Bauer was already a huge part of the hockey market and if Gretzky had signed with them they would have transformed into a dominant force. That is how influential he could have been. The potential for expanding his and the Bauer brand because of him, would have been through the roof. It could have grown into something special.

The best thing that ever happened to NHL in terms of growth of the game was when the Gretter got sent to LA. It started the eventual blowing up of a dynasty, but the exposure of having the greatest player that ever lived playing in the second biggest market in the US opened up a lot of doors for the NHL. It opened up expansion possibilities that never seemed possible before and the game grew exponentially at the grass roots level down south largely because of him. An entire new generation was introduced to hockey because of Wayne Gretzky playing hockey in Los Angeles.

How many of this new generation of young fans do you think would have bought hockey equipment or apparel with Wayne Gretzky’s name on it? I can picture all of the kids coming out with 99 on their skates or gloves. I could see 99 on everything from long johns to elbow pads. I could see 99 on everything. So why didn’t Gretzky or the hockey manufacturers see this as well?

Maybe they did see it and Wayne didn’t want it. Maybe Wayne wanted it, but no one else had the vision to make it happen. Either way, it was a huge opportunity missed to build up the brand that is Wayne Gretzky. He should have been much bigger than a men’s clothing line at the Bay or a restaurant in Toronto. The guy was on Pro Stars for Christ’s sake!

I’m sure he doesn’t stay up at night thinking of the possibilities that might have been as far as endorsements go. The guy has lived a pretty awesome life with probably minimal regret. If I was in his shoes though, I’d call up Michael J. Fox. Then I’d hop into the De Lorean and gun it 88mph. I’d go back in time and make myself a Jordan or a Tiger. And I would tell myself to never do that Wai’ki’ki’ Hockey sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Jamie Uyeyama

For more you can check out his blog Top Cheddar at www.topcheddar.com

Nobody wants to be Robin

by Jamie Uyeyama…

With Paul Maurice getting gassed, it has fired up the burners on the next step for the Leafs which would seem to be hiring a new GM. Now there are all of these rumours out there that they want to talk to Dave Nonis about taking the job. I actually think it would be a good move and that he might be the best possible guy who isn’t currently employed right now. I would normally be ecstatic that a guy like Nonis (who should have had at least one more year in Vancouver) would be getting a look for this job. With all of the talk that was going around regarding all of the other big fish they were pursuing, it sounded like the Leafs top brass were actually coming to their senses.

Then I hear this part of the equation. They reportedly want Nonis to come over and keep the seat warm for a year at which time his good buddy Brian Burke would leave Anaheim and come run the Leafs. Wow. I don’t even know how anyone could even think that this situation might be possible. There are an infinite amount of reasons why this would and should never happen.

Think of it in these terms. Say Warner Bros. is desperately trying to get Matt Damon to play the next Batman in the next installment of the series (hypothetically of course because Christian Bale has been awesome so far). They are doing what they can to get him on board, but he can’t take the role because he is contractually obligated to film the next Jason Bourne movie the same time Batman is shooting. So they decide to go after Ben Affleck for the role and he takes it. He surprisingly does a great job. The critics give him good reviews and the movie does well at the box office. By the time the next Batman is supposed to shoot, the producers are still hung up on the thought of Matt Damon being the next Batman. So they hire him but decide to keep Affleck around to play Robin.

Now, tell me if you think that situation is even in the slightest bit plausible. That is pretty damn close to the situation the Toronto media is suggesting could happen with the Leafs. Do you think Nonis wouldn’t feel insulted if he was asked to take a step down after a year where he was being praised for the job he has done? There is no way Affleck would accept being Robin after doing such a good job as Batman and the same goes for Nonis. No way this would ever happen.

For more you can check out his blog Top Cheddar at www.topcheddar.com.

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