Comments Thread For: Team USA: Can Claressa Shields be a Game Changer?

[TaurusJ27]

Had she expressed any interest in trying MMA?

[buge]

I think the reality is men are just better at sports on average.

you win the Captain Obvious statement of the week award

the bottom 5% of male athletes are better than the top 5% of female athletes

[yngwie]

No, she can't and isn't her fault, she is just to good for every other woman in the world, but she is one in a million.

[The D3vil]

People will watch her. I just watched a documentary about her on TV a few weeks ago, she's a charismatic, opinionated young woman, who is great at her sport.

Nobody cared about women's MMA, and Dana White even went out of his way to say that women would "NEVER fight in the UFC" some years ago.

All it takes is one woman to be that galvanizing force.

[Levity]

MMA is much more popular in the US than boxing is, and this was true even before Rousey broke out. Shields probably wouldn't have the same platforms to become a star on, and the divisions she'd likely fight in as a pro are laughably shallow, more so than the female divisions in the UFC. The US public isn't that interested in boxing, much less women's boxing, and regardless of how good Shields is I'm not sure there would be much appeal in her beating up 7-4 female cans who obviously ate their way up to the division.

Further, much of the attention the high-profile female MMA fighters get is sexual, and I just don't think most people will find her appealing in that way. If Shields were a lightweight (a much deeper division) and looked like Mayer there would be more opportunities for her in my opinion. I see her quickly running out of options if she turns pro, although perhaps she'd get a signing bonus which would make it worth it anyway.

Pro boxing isn't the be all end all for everyone, especially women, and I think Shields has found a nice, secure niche for herself as a standout amateur.