Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Class
Class
Dividing MMA
Working/Stratifying:
Karl Marx focused on
resources and means of
production as aspects that
determine class.
| 2019
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/106532292/new-zealand-suicide-rate-highest-since-records-began
“…there is a "toxic mix" of very high rates of family violence, child abuse
and child poverty that need to be addressed to tackle the problem.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40284130
SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Inequality
USA
• Level of trust
High • Mental illness (drug
addiction)
• Life expectancy/infant
Sweden
Low Japan
(Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K., 2011, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press).
Health, Social Problems, and Income SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Inequality
USA
High • Anxiety disorders
• Mood disorders Australia UK
• Impulse-control
disorders New Zealand
Percent with any mental illness • Additions
Canada
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Low
(Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K., 2011, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press).
Health, Social Problems, and Income SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Inequality
High Australia
USA
New Zealand UK
Canada Italy
Spain
Switzerland
Austria
Ireland
Denmark Israel
Belgium Netherlands
Germany Portugal
France
Norway
Finland Greece
Sweden
Low Japan
(Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K., 2011, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press).
Health, Social Problems, and Income SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Inequality USA
50
UK
30 New Zealand
Canada
Ireland
20 Portugal
0
Low income High income
inequality
Income inequality in society inequality
(Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K., 2011, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press).
Health, Social Problems, and Income SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Inequality
USA
1,100
Singapore
400 UK
Israel
New Zealand
Portugal
150 Canada Australia
Spain
Germany
Austria
France Ireland Italy
Belgium Switzerland
Poland Denmark
Netherlands
50 Norway Sweden
Japan
Greece
20
(Wilkinson, R., & Pickett, K., 2011, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger. New York: Bloomsbury Press).
SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Class polarisation
False consciousness
Class consciousness
SOCIOL 100
Mixed martial
arts (MMA)
SOCIOL 100
Combat Sport:
1-on-1 hybrid competition involving any combination of “fighting”
disciplines
Referee
• Amateur wrestling present
• Boxing
• Kickboxing
• Jiu-jitsu (wrestling with submission holds)
• Karate
• Judo
• Kung Fu
• Etc.
SOCIOL 100
• Groin kicks
• Minimal clothing
• Fish-hooking
Shorts, top (for
• Eye poking
women), cup (for
• Strikes to back of head
men), gloves
• Strikes to throat
• No knees/kicks do downed opponent Medical staff present
Proletariat?
What is their relationship, and how is that relationship driven
by power inequalities?
If owners want to maximize profits, must minimize worker
compensation. Thus, workers and owners always at odds in contract
agreements.
Proletariat?
What is their relationship, and how is that
relationship driven by power inequalities?
20% of payments:
$10k-$22k $160k+
> $160,000
20% of payments:
$65,000-$157,000 $65k-$157k
$23k-$33k
60% of payments: $63,000 or less
$33k-$63k
Fighters have additional expenses:
• General life expenses
• Payments get taxed
• Must pay their coaches Fighters compete 3X/year max,
• Must pay nutritionists (if they can afford one) usually less due to injuries and
• Might pay training partners contract disputes, and they have a
• Used to pay own health insurance short “fight life.”
SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
20% of payments:
> $1600,000
20% of payments:
$65,000-$157,000
Guy Mezger: “… to be honest man, most of the guys, a lot of the guys, they think there’s a huge
amount of money in this sport, and there is, for a very small amount of people.”
Bourgeoisie and SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Proletariat?
Owners have the power to set working conditions:
• Consumption driven by increased conflict
• Consumption driven by increased physical danger
• Fighters have no collective bargaining unit/union
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2019/10/ufc-israel-adesanya-compared-new-mclaren-to-spaceship.html
SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Max Weber
Rationalisation is characterised by:
1) an increasingly efficient division of labour
2) the progressive application of scientific or instrumental reason
to aspects of social life previously governed by (irrational)
tradition
All (including workers) in society have assets to use at their disposal, which assist
them with social mobility.
$10k-$22k $160k+
$23k-$33k $65k-$157k
Randy Couture:
Couture earns US$250,000 in win.
• legend in MMA
Toney earns US$500,000 in loss.
• elder (age 48)
• highly respected among fans Both have very high status.
SOCIOL 100
Manufacture “heat,” or
fan interest, before
competition. Use the
market.
http://www.sociologyinfocus.com/2012/07/06/the-sociology-of-mma-
fight-sport-theatre-silva-vs-sonnen-ii/
SOCIOL 100
“Everyone talks about how awesome the Olympics are, but you know what? After the
Olympics they give you ten grand a handshake. And you know what, it costs way more
than ten grand to get there. The Olympics didn’t give a damn about me after I was done.
And I gotta do what I gotta do to make a living. If I gotta pose for some magazines…I’m
not gonna show my nipples or [buttocks] or anything like that but if I gotta walk around at
the beach in a bikini, why not let someone take a picture of me and put it in a magazine?”
The Sociology of MMA: Breaking Arms and Making Patriarchal Bargains:
http://www.sociologyinfocus.com/2012/03/12/the-sociology-of-mma-breaking-arms-making-patriarchal-bargains/
SOCIOL 100
https://thesportsdaily.com/2021/03/07/ufc-259-fighter-salaries-incentive-pay-fox11/
SOCIOL 100
Dividing MMA
Substance Sexism
use Incarceration
SOCIOL 100