A (Nice) Open Letter to MMA Podcasters

Before I begin, I want to first offer up my thanks to the folks who take the time to produce free MMA podcasts. The guys behind the Fightworks Podcast, Fight Opinion Radio, MMA Predictions Radio, and the Sherdog Radio programs (Jeff Sherwood, Jordan Breen, Greg Savage, TJ DeSantis, and Josh Gross) along with countless others, have been a big part of keeping the rest of us engaged in the daily events of the sport. I know that I could never produce a broadcast with live callers, an email bag, or advertisements without ignoring my family or losing my job. Nothing bad can be said about everyone who has taken the time to talk about MMA through an audio show, but I think it’s time that we all begin taking these broadcasts to the next level. Allow me to explain before you take the title of this article too seriously (especially those who remember the whole Josh Gross vs. Dana White “Open Letter” fiasco).

I’m fortunate enough to work at a desk at work or even at home where I can listen to music or an audio show. I use this time to listen to music or find the latest shows from the podcasters listed above. Not only am I getting a lot of great MMA material, I’m also hearing a lot of filler material that hurts the overall feel of the podcast. Here are some things that nobody really wants to hear about on a MMA podcast – they created morning talk radio for the following topics:

• Mainstream sports predictions, results, or thoughts. I don’t want to know what you thought about the Super Bowl. There are thousands of other people talking about mainstream sports and they have little to say about MMA – most of which is negative or incorrect. If you’re a MMA podcaster, there’s a good chance that you know your MMA and that’s why you are hosting a podcast. Exceptions to other sports: Boxing or Pro Wrestling information as it pertains to MMA.
• The weather in your area. It’s either cold or warm. SoCal and Florida are the places to be right now, but as for the rest of us, we’re stuck.
• What you ate or where you want to eat. Unless you are giving us some MMA dieting tips, nobody wants to know that you are going out to eat. A lot of go out to eat too, but nobody else cares. (Tip: Secretly grab a sponsor from a restaurant chain if you want to make some money from this!)

Aside from some of the content in the podcasts themselves, there are a few other things that I think could be changed for the better.

• The commercials. Please mix them up a bit if you have control over your advertisers content. It’s hard to listen to the same commercial three times in an hour with some whiny kid talking about how he bought clothes from a store. If the company who pays you also gives you the commercials, ask them to come up with a couple different formats. This one is mostly for those Sherdog podcasters.
• The pace of the broadcast. Aside from Mauro Ranallo, many of you guys sound bored while you are on the air. If you sound bored, there’s a good chance that I am bored with listening to you and may switch to a different podcast. That’s bad for both of us. You don’t need to sound like a circus to get listeners hyped up, but don’t put me to sleep!

Otherwise, I think podcasts are a great way to stay involved with the daily news and opinions in MMA by people who know the sport. With the numerous lawsuits, upcoming fight cards, and constant barrage of books being written by MMA-practicing authors, these audio shows are necessary. And with only a few minor changes, these podcasts can reach the next level for everyone.