Fight Night at 1600: The Outrage Industry Meets the Octagon |
UFC Freedom 250 lands on the South Lawn of the White House this Sunday. A 92-foot steel structure called 'The Claw' frames the octagon. Up to 85,000 free tickets are going to the public, timed to the nation's 250th anniversary and the president's 80th birthday. Somewhere in the permanent Washington grievance machine, a small army of professionals is absolutely losing their minds.
I've watched combat sports most of my life. I trained in Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and judo. I coached football and rugby. I know what it takes to step into a ring or onto a field. I also know what it looks like when people who've never done either explain why physical courage is somehow offensive. What we're witnessing this week is the latter.
A federal lawsuit filed on Saturday by something called the Public Integrity Project seeks to halt the event on behalf of two Virginia residents claiming "aesthetic harms." Their lawyer called it "a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain." The UFC isn't charging admission. The tickets are free. The White House correctly described the lawsuit as "obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory." That's three words. I'd have used all three. But do carry on.
Here's some historical context the Outrage Industrial Complex would prefer you skip. Teddy Roosevelt installed the first tennis court on the South Lawn and held boxing matches inside........