Finally, somebody said it.
For years I've thought professional wrestling was essentially soap operas for straight guys. Many of the elements are similar: Good guys and bad guys who sometimes switch sides, long drawn out story lines that involve cat fights, romance (and bromance), highly scripted outcomes designed to heighten the drama. The only difference seems to be the target audience.
MMA is gay porn for straight guys. It has all the elements. Hot guys, naked (or nearly naked), demonstrating aggression toward one another — physical aggression, often wrapping themselves around one another.
As New York State Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell said this week, there is only one difference here:
"You have two nearly naked, hot men trying to dominate each other. That's gay porn with a different ending."'
The same ending, of course, would make it way too gay for straight dudes.
O'Donnell, the gay brother of Rosie, speaks from experience.
The rise of MMA and UFC really is brilliant. It allows straight guys – who whether they want to admit it or not have some need to bond with other men – the opportunity to watch guys go at it without calling themselves gay. Or bi. Dude.
What's even better for these straight guys? UFC gives them an invitation to "try this at home." Without two guys rolling around in the octagon on TV, most of these guys would struggle to find rationalizations to take their shirts off and tangle with one another. Now guys like Conor McGregor make it totally cool to get naked and touch each other. Man.
At the New York Assembly hearing, Deborah Glick said she was afraid legalizing the sport would lead to more children fighting. You know, doing in the schoolyard what these kids see on TV (they are, of course, already seeing it on TV).
Straight guys are already getting naked and "wrestling" more, in part because of what they see from Dana White's boys. So I see her point.
Bro.
