Comments on: Random Rant: Promoting a Nick Diaz chat

By: DC Jitz

DC Jitz — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:44:34 +0000

Great article Sam! It’s good to hear smart people who don’t smoke marijuana talk about it in a rational manner.

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By: FightOpinion.com - Your Global Connection to the Fight Industry.

FightOpinion.com - Your Global Connection to the Fight Industry. — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:20:53 +0000

[...] How to or not to promote Nick Diaz. [...]

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By: Anton K

Anton K — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:29:08 +0000

I understand that. My point is that NSAC ruled the fight, a very brutal one, as a no-contest. Given the nature of marijuana laws in the state, that decision seems arbitrary and political.

Sure they can suspend him, but taking away the victory is downright lame. If Diaz knew ahead of time what the penality would be, he might not have had the THC in his system at all… it just seems like NSAC makes this shit up as they go.

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By: Ivan Trembow

Ivan Trembow — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:16:50 +0000

Wait… fighters shouldn’t even be suspended for using marijuana? Even if it was legal, there are plenty of substances that are not illegal in the United States that are still banned substances to anyone who fights in a major athletic commission state.

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By: Anton K

Anton K — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:15:12 +0000

One question and I’m off this point. Marijuana was recently decriminalized in Nevada. Possession of an ounce or less is a misdemeanor subject to a fine of, I believe, $300. What kind of impact should that new legislation have with respect to the NSAC ruling on a positive marijuana test?

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By: Anton K

Anton K — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:54:42 +0000

Obviously, Marijuana sub-culture represents a large, potent commercial demographic. For example, hip-hop music is filled with images and references to the drug… and hip hop tracks sell millions. It seems to me Diaz is aligning himself and marketing himself, wisely or unwisely, to that subcultural demographic. The marijuana leaf has long been a symbol of rebellion and “sticking it to the man”. Diaz is placing himself smack into the middle of a cultural debate that positions him as an outspoken rebel. Rebellion sells. His outspoken criticism of marijuana laws is refreshing… and a bit daring. Fans respond to that honesty, especially given the hypocrisy of the current War On Drugs. Let’s get real here and watch a Mickey’s replay, shall we? The Alcohol industry, which has a huge impact on public health, sponsors athletes… what’s up with that? Given the damage that alcohol does to society, I’d rather see a pot leaf in the center of the octagon mat than a bottle of malt liquour.

Frankly, the ridiculous ruling by NSAC is the real culprit here. Their ruling that marijuana is a performance enhancing drug set the stage for Diaz’s image/marketing niche. The NSAC is square and out of touch. Diaz is a successful athlete who on some level, espouses the use of marijuana… Millions of Americans feel the same way about the drug. If Diaz keeps fighting and keeps winning, he’s likely positioned himself to become an icon of the marijuana movement.

Let’s face it, if more people came out about their use of marijuana, this wouldn’t even be an issue would it?

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By: NealTaflinger

NealTaflinger — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:14:02 +0000

No, Sam, I think it was pretty clear you meant that there is an invisible force field around your neighborhood that keeps out drugs, crime, and dudes with mullets on BMX bikes.

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By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:38:24 +0000

Ted (whoa, Ted DiBiase reads this site), my point of mentioning that I live in a drug free school zone was to say that I’m not going to mess around with drugs in an area where the penalties for getting caught with them are heightened. Even if I lived outside of a drug school zone I wouldn’t mess with the stuff, but hopefully you get my point.

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By: ted dibiase

ted dibiase — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:34:34 +0000

sorry to burst your bubble but i guarantee someone in your “drug free” school zone is selling weed. its a natural plant. if weed is a drug, so is sugar cane

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By: NealTaflinger

NealTaflinger — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:15:21 +0000

I think your interview was probably the catalyst for that kind of ad. I mean, it’s promoting a chat session, and that is definitely one of the subjects that will be brought up. If Tank Johnson was going to do a live chat with an NFL fan site, I wouldn’t be surprised if they hyped up his legal troubles to generate page views.

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By: Tanner

Tanner — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:16:40 +0000

Hey sam, I know this is a bit off topic but i didn’t feel like going looking for the announcement post. I haven’t really seen to much of a drop off from your postings here but it seems as though they’re on both your ProElite and 5 oz. site. Can we expect to see things both here and there or maybe something like haveing the article over there and just pointing to it from here. Also, hows things with MMAJunkie? do you still have a partnership with them as well?

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By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:54:09 +0000

Tad:

Unfortunately, I do not. I can ask around a little later today and see if I can come up with something for you.

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By: Tad

Tad — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:50:58 +0000

Do you have Hackelman’s email address?

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By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:38:42 +0000

Right, I guess I wasn’t clear enough that ProElite = ProElite, Inc. ProElite.com is underneath ProElite, Inc., just like EliteXC is underneath ProElite, Inc. Both ProElite.com and EliteXC are technically separate.

And yes, the association is already there. Don’t get me wrong, on one hand I love the edegy marketing and I think Nick’s persona should be spotlighted. Anytime though when you put it out there like that, it’s just a questionable area.

A Sam Caplan banner? LOL. That should be funny. I hope you guys aren’t too harsh Maybe you could put the Hackleman quote about me on it?

BTW, I guess we can announce it here, but I’ll be doing a chat on ProElite.com next Thursday. Nick’s chat tomorrow will be a hard act to follow though, I’m sure.

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By: Tad

Tad — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:28:14 +0000

I know, you’re right — it’s confusing! We’re working to get the word about the distinctions between the companies.

ProElite.com is not the parent company of EliteXC. ProElite, Inc. is the parent company of both ProElite.com (MMA community site, live events, etc.) and EliteXC (the fight promotion company). The two sides are pretty separate. For example, I didn’t ask for approval from EliteXC when we made that banner.

As to ProElite.com making the association between Nick and marijuana…I think you would agree that the association is already there, and the rest is advertising for the chat.

We’re going to do a Sam Caplan banner too. Wait until you see what we put in that one!

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By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:09:24 +0000

Tad:

I think that it’s cool that people will be able to ask whatever they want about Nick during his chat tomorrow at ProElite.com but I feel like ProElite is basically saying people can come out and talk about marijuana with Nick. I think most people know that Nick will address just about any subject and a lot of people know what’s in his past. I’m just saying that putting it out there as obvious as that might be a bit much.

While EliteXC isn’t making the association, its parent company is. It might be hard for the general public to have a true appreciation of the separation of the two entities.

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By: Tad

Tad — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:58:09 +0000

Way to jump to conclusions, Sam!

EliteXC isn’t promoting or making a statement at all about Nick and marajuana. ProElite.com , which as you mentioned yesterday, is run separately from EliteXC. Nick is going to be on ProElite.com on Thursday at 1pm PT to answer questions. If you look at the banner, it’s a ProElite.com banner and it has a variety of topics all to the left of a question mark. The statement that we are making at ProElite.com about Nick’s chat is that people can ask him anything they want.

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By: jaydog

jaydog — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:54:44 +0000

Yall are missing the real controversy here: How the heck is anyone going to get a word in once Nick gets going? Does he type in the same stream of consciousness that he exhibits in live radio interviews? Is there a keystroke short cut for “MF’n” that he can use to chat more efficiently? At this point in his career, I think these are Nick’s biggest PR concerns.

In other words, let him project whatever kind of contradictory conundrum persona that he wants. The best most other fightes can manage is to beat their chests and mimick the kind of hype they grew up watching in the WWF. In this regard, I think Nick is refreshing. He may be his own worst enemy (anger, paranoia, reactionary, self-medicating), but his big mouth is giving EliteXC a gift in terms of promotion. And, the MF can fight!

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By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:47:26 +0000

When I listened to one of Nick’s interviews since his last fight he described the situation of his drug test during his Pride fight with Gomi. It was a fiasco it seemed and one that seemed to annoy him greatly. Now maybe that was just a random case. But with EliteXC promoting him in this way what’s to say the athletic comission doesn’t do that again or even give him more tests because of it. If I were EliteXC I would want to avoid having my fighter distracted prior to his fight as much as possible and this seems to be going the other way.

As for Diaz’s free speech, he’s certainly allowed to it, but I think it’s a bit naive to think it might not be used against him in some way. Not that they will suspend him because of it. But perhaps they give him more stringent drug testing or multiple tests(if those are even possible under the rules) or the athletic comissions give him a tougher time being approved to fight.

When I was younger my friends and I used to tour with Phish. Now I have never once mentioned what, if any drugs, I ever did on tour to people at work. But all I have to do is mention that I went to shows and automatically things change. Suddenly I’m the Phish guy or a Deadhead(even though I never got to see a Dead show as Jerry died when I was 15). And I know for a fact at one job I had in the past, that thought went through managements thought process when thinking about promoting me to another position. My boss came right up to me and told me afterwards that at least now “I didn’t have to worry about missing and Phish shows.” Of course they weren’t touring any longer so it didn’t matter. But obviously it went into the process and it seems negatively.

So obviously words or free speech could potentially be used against him in some way I would think that he might not like. It might not be fair but that’s the way it is.

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By: Sam Caplan

Sam Caplan — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:15:33 +0000

Nick’s public comments have to be a concern in regard to CSAC and NSAC. However, as long as Nick never tests positive again, how can they use his words against him? As an American citizen, he’s afforded the right to free speech and if he wants to express a political view that marijuana should be legalized, I don’t see how he can be suspended for words alone. However, if he tests positive again then you know those transcripts are going to be introduced into the appeal hearing.

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