Taking Sports to the Extreme

In a land of extremes, with the biggest, best and richest of everything, I shouldn't be surprised to find a great interest in extreme sports. I never paid much attention to these when I was in the states, viewing them as on the fringe, but you can hardly avoid noticing them here as the big events are heavily promoted and front page news. For a country that does not seem to produce many athletes of local origin, this seems odd, but then maybe the events are more geared to the expat community or to promote tourism.

Abu Dhabi, about an hour down the road from Dubai, seems to be trying to corner the market. In addition to opening a spectacular new Formula 1 Grand Prix track on Yas Island last fall, Abu Dhabi has hosted ultimate competitions in desert racing and air racing. The latest event to make its debut will be the mixed martial arts competition known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This event strikes some as particularly inappropriate for a Muslim country that values peace and harmony given the apparent violence of the sport. Sen. John McCain reportedly called mixed martial arts "human cockfighting" but others note that this was before the sport became heavily regulated and that it is no more dangerous or violent than other popular sports like rugby or football.

Talk radio in Dubai has been canvassing local opinion to see what listeners in Dubai think, and of course the reaction was mixed. The ticket prices, ranging from $1,000 to $100, were the biggest surprise for me. I'm not going to be here for the big event, but I have to admit that I'm tempted at the lower end of the price range to attend and see for myself what it's all about. (That's what took me to the Dubai World Cup last month.) The UFC will be held outdoors with grandstands set up in the Yas Island complex built for the Formula 1 race event, and is being billed as a fantastic video and audio spectacle.

Getting to see something new in a nice arena with a big show has been an interesting part of the experience here in the UAE. I can't wait to see what they come up with next! But I draw the line at Mamma Mia on ice, which I saw a sign for today. Now that just seems ridiculous.