Why dont bars and sports bar show boxing ?

[Thornton Melon]

This is BOXINGscene, not MMAscene or UFCscene...................most are hardcore boxing fans and dont care for MMA, if you do fine but dont come on a boxing website and act surprised that people arent loving MMA.

Nobody cares about kicking, wrestling, or choke holds, all people care about in MMA is the standup striking or the one punch knockouts and that is boxing. I never hear the crowd cheering when two guys are layiing on each other for 3 minutes but i hear the crowd go crazy when they stand up and start throwing, which is boxing.

[Thornton Melon]

In Richmond, VA, they NEVER show boxing at "sports bars". They will show some FNF's with the sound turned way down and then switch it to something else like a game show or poker without a second thought.

Someone told me that bars don't show PPV's because HBO charges them a ton of cash to air the fights. Instead of charging them a flat rate like they do homeowners, they charge them by the TV, so if they are showing the fight on 4 TV's, they get charged 4 times the price- they can't use one feed and put it on a splitter or something.

I don't know if this is true or not but that is what this one dude said a bar owner told him. I think the younger, bar crowd loves the MMA scene but that seems like it would create more violence in the long run with everyone rowdy and drunk. Boxing has more rules and supervision and less humping.

I have heard the same thing about having to order a PPV for each TV for boxing events. I guess that is not the case with UFC events ? Does anybody know?

[Rico1965]

Damn good question.......they don't show any PPV boxing fights here in Los Angeles at any sportbars only UFC fights.

[Scott9945]

Bars have to pay over 1,000 dollars to license a PPV in their establishment. Doing so they want a return on their investment and a show like Marquez/Diaz won't do that. Only the major shows have a chance of attracting a crowd that bars want.

That is true. I talked with a sports bar owner a few years ago and he told me that he had to pack the place to break even. The only plus was the higher drink sales, but that it still wasn't worth the trouble.

[oc9979]

I thought that the reason because they do not show boxing in some bars is because they have to pay a lisenced to show boxing.

[Kevin Malone]

Sports that aren't expanded basic cable (ESPN/ESPN2, local regional sports network) are extremely expensive for bars restaurants.

People think the home NFL Sunday Ticket (out-of-market games) package is expensive for individuals ($300) but it can run up into multiple thousands of dollars for large bars and restaurants. Any of the extra sports packages (MLB Extra Innings, NBA League Pass, and NHL Center Ice) cost a lot of money for bars, and so do PPV fights.

I hate the atmosphere of bars so I avoid them like the plague, but I've never seen a bar advertising they show boxing (only MMA)...

[oc9979]

the tvko used to put something on the bottom of the shows saying something about not showing in sport bars

[Vito Corleone]

Bars have to pay over 1,000 dollars to license a PPV in their establishment. Doing so they want a return on their investment and a show like Marquez/Diaz won't do that. Only the major shows have a chance of attracting a crowd that bars want.

Yes. many dumbasses like Mr.Copeland think that bars get charged the same $50 as homes.

The difference between UFC and Boxing is due to several reasons

1) Price: UFC fights are cheaper than boxing. Joe Hand is the field sales agent and he gets better pricing for MMA than for boxing. A UFC fight may be $1500 vs $2200 for a boxing event

2) Marketing Support: UFC is a company. One unified company. Boxing consists of an assortment of competing companies. When you go to a bar to watch a UFC match, you notice display materials, posters, trinkets, baby-T's, etc. Boxing promoters have not provided this additional support and trade spending.

3) Demographics: UFC events are younger, more mixed, with more women. When you go to a UFC bar, that IS the event. For a male-dominated boxing crowd, the place clears out as soon as the fight ends. The UFC crowd spends more, and the liquor companies do tie-ins.


,,,,and there are a few more reasons....

[Sweet Jesus]

Because boxing is as popular as soccer in America.

[Kevin Malone]

the tvko used to put something on the bottom of the shows saying something about not showing in sport bars

It says it now at the beginning of HBO telecasts that it's against the law to show a personal subscription PPV in a public business without paying the proper licensing fee.