Graph shows the evolution of UFC spending on lobbying. Photo: Reproduction/OpenSecrets.org
According to a survey carried out by the North American website “OpenSecrets.org”, the UFC is the second sports organization with the highest spending on political lobbying in the United States. The report points out that in 2012 Ultimate spent the equivalent of US$620 on lobbying, more than the NBA, MLB or the US Olympic Committee.
The value applied by the UFC in lobbying, which is institutionalized and regulated in the USA, mainly concerns raising awareness among politicians about the importance of martial arts and encouraging the drafting of new, stricter anti-piracy laws. In the case of pirates, Ultimate's target is websites that illegally retransmit the organization's events.
To the site MMA Junkie, UFC co-director of operations Lawrence Epstein spoke about the organization's efforts in this regard. “I think we have a lot of work to do to defend intellectual property in the United States. We have already done our part, but the politicians in power in Washington are the ones who make the decisions. These pirates are causing incredible damage to companies like ours. This needs to be a crime and these people need to be prosecuted more vigorously,” he said.
Check below the list of the ten sports organizations that invested the most in lobbying in the year 2012:
1 – NFL: National Football League – US$1,140,000
2 – UFC: Ultimate Fighting Championship – US$620,000
3 – PGA: Professional Golfer's Association – US$380,000
4 – MLB: Major League Baseball – US$310,000
5 – BCS: Bowl Championship Series – US$270,000
6 - US Olympic Committee – US$240,000
7 – NCAA: National Collegiate Athletic Association – US$150,000
8 – NASCAR – US$150,000
9 – NBA: National Basketball Association – US$125,000
10 – NFLPA: National Football League Player's Association – US$120,000
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