The Marine Corps currently sponsors the Ultimate Fighting Championship. (YouTube screengrab)
This week a group of union activists and veterans from “Unite Here” are calling on the Marine Corps to cut ties with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts contest. On Thursday, the group delivered petitions to recruiting stations across the country, making a push for the Corps to disassociate and end sponsorship of the UFC.
In a letter to Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, the group wrote, “We believe that, by aligning with the UFC, an organization that has tolerated homophobia, misogyny, and hate speech, the Marine Corps is violating its stated commitment of ‘maintaining dignity and respect for one another.’ Homophobia and hatred, in any form, are not consistent with the values that make the Marines an elite fighting force.”
In recent weeks, other military branches have been urged to cut sport sponsorship ties. In June, the Army announced it would no longer sponsor NASCAR following pressure by lawmakers in support of a House amendment to the 2012 defense spending bill. The proposal would make military sponsorship of sports illegal. In Monday’s edition of Marine Corps Times, Gina Harkins will have a report about the relationship between the Marine Corps and the UFC.
What do you think? Should the Marine Corps cut ties with the UFC?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWQHdDawQKw[/youtube]
2 Comments
The issues articulated in the petition regarding
inappropriate conduct, alleged or substantiated, by a handful of UFC competitors and leadership are an area of concern that has been addressed
with UFC. We are monitoring the issue and continuously evaluate the effectiveness of our advertising and lead generation partnerships. If
corrective action is not implemented, we reserve the option to respond accordingly. Maj. John Caldwell, Marine Corps Recruiting Command
The Union is PO’d because Dana Whites business partners run the only non-union casino in Vegas. It has nothing to do with any of the crap in the letter to the CMC. Instead of recruiting from UFC fans, maybe the Corps should start advertising on Berkeley’s website…see the ROI on that investment . Bunch of political BS.