Don’t hold your breath on MMA in New York

During the summer it looked as though the legalization of MMA in New York may pass out of committee to go to the assembly floor. Unfortunately it collapsed due to a few members changing their vote at the last minute. There was a great deal of hope that it could pass, but as WKR reported 2008 legislative session was ending making a special session the only possibility to pass legislation in 2008.

Remember the New York Assembly is only in session for half the year and many of its members are part-time politicians while being full time lawyers or business owners. The Assembly won't reconvene till 2009.

The UFC has been a major lobbyist in trying to get MMA legalized in New York. Recently they held an economic conference call highlighting the positive effects of legalized MMA. With the increasingly sour economic news some have assumed that now it is all but a matter of time. To that I say, ‘don’t hold your breath’.

The state of New York is facing a fiscal crisis, with a projected 14 billion dollar deficit over the next two years. The governor just called a special session to try and cut 5 billion dollars from the state budget.

New York’s state government has become dependent upon tax revenue derived from the banking and financial sectors, which now are in ruins. Over 100,000 high paying financial sector jobs will be gone soon. With Wall Street in a period of volatility not seen since the 30’s the state government will be forced focus all their attention on getting through the next fiscal year. With all these budgetary problems legalizing MMA will instantly be placed on the back burner. Essentially the current market is creating a need for politicians to show ‘meat and potato’ economic progress. While legalizing MMA may be considered an economic plus, making sure schools and prisons are still running comes first in a politicians minds. Especially with their perceived notion of MMA as a hot button social issue.

States don’t always make decisions that are in their best economic interest. For instance the state of Ohio is hemorrhaging jobs, money, population, businesses and anything else that is important for a well functioning economy. But the voters of Ohio voted down an amendment to legalize gambling, an amendment billed as a job making measure. It shows that as long as people view something as a vice they will vote against their own economic interest.