Blazing Knees -Nate is not paid for his work with Better Way Back. It's an awesome program. It was his idea, not Nuvasive's. It is a nonprofit.Kneeblock -Blazing Knees -Hammerstein - Just FYI, but you sound like a moran bringing politics into this.
If you can't keep up-step off.
It's relevant and brings the current mindset of this 'gimme mines' generation that hasn't earned jackshit yet, much less any self respect for self sufficiency. If you feel the need to suck on the gov't titty-go ahead. I'll be at work, generating the income neccesary to support some of your lazy asses.
I'm a full time single father of two boys 15 & 11-no help-no support-no nothing but me. I'm hardly 'rich' but I work 6 days a week to provide a better life for my two men-in-training and dream of better days. This 'defeatist attitude I see on here is puke worthy.
BK, just as you're criticizing the mentality of the modern generation, saying they're entitled and that they haven't earned anything, you're parroting a line of reasoning that comes from a different generation.
I would submit that neither generation has an intrinsically superior mentality, just one that seemed to fit the circumstances of the time.
There's nothing defeatist about wanting your employer to allow you free reign to develop alternative revenue sources. In fact, there's nothing more capitalist than a worker trying to get the best deal for themselves and trying to diversify their revenue streams, particular when they're an independent contractor (which the UFC says all of its fighters are).
And no one does anything with no help no support no nothing but themselves. We're all social beings and have advantages and disadvantages. Some we're born with, some we luck into by being in the right place at the right time. "Working hard" doesn't carry any intrinsic benefits because you can work hard every day and get nowhere. The fact that you've done right by your boys mostly independently is laudable, but I think the point is that at bottom if there were opportunities for you to not struggle so much, you would be insane for not taking them.
To systematically deprive a fighter of that for no good reason is greed, plain and simple.
Sensible post and thanks for the props. Life is hard sometimes and you have to work for what you want unless you're born 'lucky' financially. The truth is-some of the most miserable bastards I've ever known had been born into money or fell into it accidentally and discover that money does NOT buy happiness. I'm not such a blind capatalilst/patriot that I can't be reasoned with logic- 'Victory without struggle is empty'. I'm all for the fair treatment of the fighters and the sport that I love-or the other hand, I look at the salaries of some NBA players and bench riders in MLB and shake my head in disgust, It's a dual edged sword. I
I think initially what I took task with was the retrospective that Nate offered and it seemed so ungrateful. I don't know how you can thanksomeone like Dana and the UFC, work for them for years ( with preferential treatment, I might add) and then complain 9 years later that you got fucked. I don't think Nate would even have his current job at MMa uncensored' if not for the UFC-do you? He certainly would not be competing and having a somewhat 'normal' life if not for Dana ponying up for 100k to fix his back-and then wear NUvasive patches on his shorts for sponsor compensation would he? Was the 100k a loan or gift? If the latter, how can you say anything about 'not taking care of it's fighters" when he's one of the biggest recipients of it's graciousness?
Here's the website for Nuvaisive : http://www.nuvasive.com/the-better-way-back/
Gee, who's that on the home page? Who's in the bio of the company? From the home page;
"The Better Way Back is spearheaded by spokesmen Nate “Rock” Quarry (MMA Fighter) and Bill Walton (Basketball Hall-of-Famer)"
Would this particular door have been opened for Nate if not for the generosity of Dana and the UFC? It's none of anyones business if or how much Nate gets paid, but I know damn well it wouldn't be there if not for the 100k it cost to fix his back. So does Dana get paid back from this beneficial business relationship that he funded-or did he just throw 100k down the hole of ungratefulness? I know if I gave someone ANY money from the kindness of my heart and they turned on me later, I would be fuking pissed.
So did Dana get paid back while Nate was wearing the Nuvasive endorsements?. He gives him the money, gives him main card fights, let's him keep the compensation from them without getting paid back and now shit is being talked? wtf
SO, if you sign a deal with FOX to expand your company and FOX says 'no Condom Depot patches on asses' what do you do?- Pay the fighter his 'lost sponsor' revenue or have him stand in the cage like Brock did on a Bud Light cage mat and announce ' I'm drinking a fucking Coors light because Bud light sucks and it's for homo's and I'm goiing to go home an bang my wife"
This is a very complicated subject. There are thousands of variables that only lawyers can handle. The UFC is infantile compared to the NFL MLB NBA in it's existance and will never be mainstream-never.It's good to talk about the future success of the company and the fighters pay has increased every year and with every event-time will balance the fairness issues I'm sure. To start talking about 3 fiight minimum contracts, 30k a year salaries $10.00 an hour minimum wages, compensation for trainers, unregulated sponsors like you've drawn up some union negotiated employment contract is not coming off well. It smacks of ungratefullness and appears to be traitorous--- the timing is wrong and Nate is the last person that I think that should be spearheading this front because of the huge amount of hypocracy involved with his financial and personal opportunities that his employment with the UFC provided-not to mention the personal aspect of preferential treatment that Nate benefited from in every facet of his mma career because of Dana and the UFC.
For me, if Dana says he has nothing bad to say about Nate, that's good enough for me.
