Every so often an athlete connects so viscerally with the public they virtually supersede their own talent, rising above their inequities in the sport to so grab hold of the public conscious they are in held in regard far above their station.
Think of the Cult of Tebow a decade ago. Though an otherworldly star as a Florida Gator, as a talent, Tebow was mediocre at best on the professional level despite his prodigious athleticism. But as a pro-style quarterback, he was remarkably poor at even the most basic of fundamentals. He couldn’t pass, the game moved to fast for him to read defenses, and by some accounts, he provided little effort to tamp down Tebowmania to the detriment of his team, despite his aww shucks demeanor in his public persona. Buying into your own hype is often a precursor to a hard fall from grace.
But still, the Cult of Tebow still has its devotees; witness him be given opportunities unlikely to be given to a one -hit wonder of middling talent and one playoff win. Somehow Tebow has a job and Kaepernick doesn’t. Even if he fails spectacularly in Jacksonville playing for his old coach in switching to the tight end position, it’s highly unlikely he’ll receive any criticism from his fans. It’ll be blamed on the position change, his time away from the game, his age — any number from a myriad of ready-made excuses, but none regarding the fact that he’s just not very good. I’m sure there’s some interesting scholarship using cognitive dissonance theory to explain this blind devotion, but that’s a research study for another day.
I would argue that we are in the midst of just such a disconnect between talent and value with Nate “The American Ninja” Diaz, a fighter so beloved and so captivating to MMA fans that think he actually won his UFC 263 fight with a single punch despite being clearly dominated for the bulk of the bout.
Edwards himself noted that he was “lazy” and “complacent” in the last round thinking that his performance of the first four rounds was enough to secure the victory. It was, but he was still caught by surprise when Diaz followed up a slap to the side of Edward’s head with a heat-seeking straight jab that caught him reeling.
As Edwards stumbled around the octagon like a new born antelope on the Serengeti, Diaz showboated to the delight of the crowd, pointing and laughing at the wobbly Edwards. Unlike the predators who would devour the helpless fawn in its disorientation, Diaz couldn’t help but taunt Edwards as he stumbled about, eventually throwing a flurry of shots, but failing to capitalize and put the welterweight contender away.
After the fight and learning of the losing decision, Diaz remained unfazed to the cheers of those in attendance and no doubt to the millions of fight fans tuned into ESPN+ for the fight by inviting everyone watching to a party at his house. He just lost a fight that would most likely put him in line for a shot at the welterweight title versus Kamaru Usman and he’s inviting everyone to his crib for booze and weed?
Can you imagine Tom Brady celebrating with Gisele and all his celebrity friends after losing a Super Bowl? Or Tiger Woods hosting a kegger after losing the Masters by two stokes on the 18th?
What’s fascinating to me academically is the passionate devotion of his fanbase. Diaz is a fantastic fighter, don’t get me wrong, but his career has been in large part underwhelming. His career record is 20-13. He’s never been the dominant fighter in his weight class. Yes, he’s had a number of signature wins, but the three title fights he’s had a lightweight, he’s lost, and lost badly. Remember what Benson Henderson did to him in 2012?
But what he has accomplished is that connection with the fans. Diaz calls it the realness, and certainly fans identify with him and his brash tell it like it is persona. I don’t know if it’s his initial exposure as the season five winner of The Ultimate Fighter or just that America loves his kill or be killed attitude, but the love him just the same.
What is certain is that he is a box office draw and that shows no likelihood of waning anytime soon. He’s certainly paid like it. If anything the Edwards fight only served to burgeon his popularity and I can only imagine what a Nate-Conor III match would do in terms of a pay-per-view buy-rate.
The American Ninja is not disappearing from the conscience of the MMA world in the foreseeable future.