(pointless observation warning)
Everytime you go to the mall these days you can buy some kind of mma apparel, wheter it be tapout hats, shirts, xtreme couture, etc. Most of the time now in a social setting now there is always some guy wearing something related to mma, in the airport, restaraunt, etc. I myself have owned 3 pieces of mma clothing in my life all purchased in 2001(they are all too small now so I don't wear any of them). An orange Sakuraba shirt that said "where theres a will", a vitamins and minerals Minotauro shirt, and an original Chute Boxe shirt it was white with a dark blue star in the middle and dark blue lettering around it. These shirts always intrigued or confused people. For example most people thought my Chute Boxe shirt was somehow somekind of a "Dallas Cowboys" shirt(well I was in Texas and I guess the logos are somewhat similar.) It's too bad that most of the guys wearing thier tapout stuff in public today still wouldn't recognize 2 out 3 of my old shirts.
I had that vitamins and minels Nog shirt too. Well, I still do.. Somewhere. Some guy on my street has a tapout sticker on the back window of his car.
"I think that it's a good thing if clueless randoms buy the gear"
Why?
FranklyWashedUp -
I like to watch fighters who have the ability to focus on training full time, sponsorship money is a very important part of that. You have to realize how many guys rely on that income to be able to pursue their career to the best of their ability and that means not having to work a 9-5 while trying to train on the side.
I hate to agree with CRE, but he is absolutely right.
Without clueless casual fans buying 'MMA lifestyle' gear, the sponsorship money in MMA would be a fraction of what it is currently. Love 'em or hate 'em, those clueless Tapout douchebags are putting money in the fighter's pockets by supporting their sponsors. They are certainly supporting the sport more than the average online-stream pirating 'hardcore' fan who mocks anyone in MMA gear.