Gov. Paterson looking to legalize MMA in NY

[1point2]

…in order to cash in on a piece of the pie, and hopefully ameliorate a piece of NY’s budget woes (which are hefty).

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/01/11/2010-01-11_gov_wants_deficit_to_go_pow_bam_crunch.html

It’s not official yet–it’s expected to be laid out next week in his budget plan–but Governor Paterson wants to allow MMA events in NYS. This could generate tens of millions of dollars of activity in the state, but the numbers don’t look as impressive for actual tax revenue (at my napkin estimate, maybe 3 million per fight?), particularly in comparison the the multi-billion dollar budget gap the state currently faces.

[JJX]

Someone… explain the concept to me.

There is a boatload of training halls in New York in a plethora of styles. However, there is no outlet for these styles in the Empire State?

Why are politicians and special interests afraid of fighters wanting to duke it out in the ring?

[1point2]

Because it’s asked like this in polls:
http://kevinmarshall.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/poll-on-mma-in-new-york-state/

And it’s reported on like this in the papers:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60S60Y20100129