Earlier this week video emerged exhibiting Dana White strike his spouse Anne White at the least twice throughout a New Yr’s Eve occasion at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The video was shared by TMZ, which instantly launched a video of White admitting to hitting his partner and a press release from Anne White citing alcohol as the rationale for what we will see within the video.
The incident has been met with silence from all main stakeholders concerned with White, the UFC and Dana White’s Energy Slap League (which is because of air on TBS subsequent week).
ESPN, the UFC’s official broadcast associate, did release a statement to Bloody Elbow’s Trent Reinsmith which merely acknowledged that questions concerning this incident be directed to the UFC.
That assertion doesn’t sit very properly with Dan Le Batard, the favored former ESPN host who moved his each day present to Meadowlark Media in 2021.
“Endeavor, the father or mother firm – no remark. ESPN, the printed associate – no remark. UFC – no remark.” – Dan
“They’re banking on the actual fact, or the hope, anyway, that it will largely go away.” – @lthomasnews about Endeavor and ESPN’s silence on Dana White slapping his spouse. pic.twitter.com/YnOm9cAMxz
— Dan Le Batard Present with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) January 4, 2023
Moreover, Le Batard has stated that he’s unsure if ESPN will dedicate the type of consideration that such an incident warrants.
“I’m curious how ESPN goes to cowl the information of Dana White and video of him slapping his spouse at New Yr’s festivities,” he stated on his present (ht MMA Fighting). “Apologizing, saying there’s no excuse, saying that he had been consuming. If it had been Roger Goodell or an proprietor of an NFL workforce, I think about it might be lined with quite a lot of zeal despite the fact that ESPN is a company associate of the NFL.
“On this case, Dana White is essentially the most well-known particular person on this sport, is he not? Essentially the most well-known particular person within the sport even with all of the fighters, as a result of he’s the face and voice for a sport. If he’s not, he’s near it. It’s not even the crime, it’s the scale of the celebrity of the felony. How does ESPN cowl that one?”
Le Batard defined that since there may be video of this incident, he believes there must be much more media consideration in addition to stress on UFC stakeholders to remark.
“Normally with these items if there may be video and there may be mainstream media stress, and ESPN is the one most able to making use of mainstream media stress — however they’ve an uncomfortable relationship with Dana White that ran off the one journalist that that they had in that sport, Ariel Helwani, and we bumped into it as a result of Dana White has quite a lot of energy at ESPN. How is that story going to be lined? How is that story alleged to be lined?”
“This doesn’t keep within the information stream except there’s media stress,” Le Batard continued. “There must be a media stress, there must be a media outrage to ensure that this to have penalties. They’re the worldwide chief in sports activities and so they do have a tendency to assist with how these items occurs, and so they’re compromised right here by a enterprise curiosity.
“I don’t suppose there will probably be penalties for this, as a result of there can’t be penalties for it except the extent of shock stays in a spot.
“[White is] so highly effective, so unbiased, and may even management, to a level, the media monster with which he has a partnership, that I don’t know what the implications will probably be to video of you slapping your spouse at a celebration, slapping her again due to the struggle that you just’ve gotten into. Regardless of the quotes out of your spouse saying how out of character it was, normally that video to an individual of energy is massively damaging in all places in sports activities. In every single place in sports activities.
“However this man works on a aircraft along with his personal outfit and an influence that doesn’t include quite a lot of governance. Who’s there to punish him? And if it occurred with Goodell or an proprietor — [White is] not a commissioner — but when it occurred with Goodell or an proprietor, do you think about that it might be quiet? As a result of I don’t. I don’t think about if we had video of that it might be quiet.”
Right now of writing Dana White isn’t included within the ‘Prime Headlines’ part of ESPN.com. Jake Paul signing with the PFL does crack that listing. On that web site’s MMA part the lead story is a characteristic concerning the fighters almost definitely to ‘shake up 2023’.
A narrative about White does seem within the ‘prime headlines’ for the part. It’s titled ‘UFC’s White on altercation with spouse: ‘No Excuses’.
Concerning the creator: Tim Bissell is a author, editor and deputy web site supervisor for Bloody Elbow. He has lined fight sports activities since 2015. Tim covers information and occasions and has additionally written longform and investigative items. (full bio)