Bum ads

I hate the way ads have crept into every aspect of daily life.

I've just been watching a few mma bouts on TV. It's just ridiculous. Of course there are regular commercials, but they are almost relaxing.

The competition is held on a mat which has massive advertising labels plastered all over it. The above-the-action camera is nicely situated to feature these ads.

Out come the fighters, wearing ugly t-shirts, and stupid hats which are also covered with adverts, and I do mean covered. Front, back and sides. Each fighter has at least half a dozen companions walking with him, all wearing a similar number of adverts. That's the only reason those guys are there. Part of their job is to unroll a massive ad banner behind their boy while the introductions are made.

The fighters shorts? Covered with ads. Dozens of them. I'm sure if anybody tried to ban this practise, the fighters would sell skin for advertising tattoos.

I don't see how any of this works. The ads are meaningless. Some guy fighting right now has about ten logos visible on the back of his pants. Right across his butt is the word "Legends". How does that sell anything? Some ads I do recognize, and they are for specialty items like martial arts wear. How much can a martial arts clothing company pay for an ad on somebody's bum? How much will it increase their sales?

A million ads for nickel-and-dime compensation and with minimal effectiveness. Worthless and useless, but we still have to look at it all.

I would love to see one fighter buck the trend. Just one.

He could walk to the ring unencumbered with extraneous shirts and hats. Not needed if it weren't for advertising. He could be accompanied by only a couple of people who were actually going to work his corner. No banner men. He could wear shorts free of ads, perhaps with his name or nickname proudly displayed.

That would be classy.

Ali and Foremen didn't wear ads.