Latino Gamer for the Masses: 2009/07

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Battle in LA; Beckham vs the fans

David Beckham needs no introduction these days, husband of Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, ex-captain of English Football Team, and the $250 million dollar MLS superstar. The Armani underwear model, (no I will not post those pics), loses his cool by the mouth of a Disney Interactive Videogame Support Technician, David Martinous.

Kotaku's Stephen Totilo questions the odd behavior of "The World's Second Most Famous Athlete" and how a "videogame guy" story in the New York Times and Yahoo Sports pop up in his morning search ritual.

I really want to ask Totilo who he thinks is the first most famous athlete and why is he surprised that a videogame tech could be so loud and rude, at the very moment any twitter responses were not returned.

All the time behind a videogame screen, we have to get our jollies elsewhere, right?

During a preseason friendly, well preseason for AC Milan, but midseason for the LA Galaxy, the rossinerri squared off with the MLS team. The LA Galaxy really need a nickname. It was at half-time when the confrontation took place.

According to the LA Galaxy, the fan who jumped onto the field has been banned from the LA Riot Squad, but according the super-fans club there has yet to be a decision on the member, who according to their website, a recruit just needs to show up on section 138 and cheer. Tough requirements we all can agree.

The once Man U devil to wear the coveted number 7 jersey, strutted to section 138 and confronted the now infamous LA Galaxy support club, Riot Squad, and outstretched his hand. The incident reminds me of another infamous outburst of Red Devil #7. The kick that would go down in Football lore.

The incident in Los Angeles could of been worse, for all parties, Beckham's outburst was unbecoming of a superstar athlete who is a role model for children across the world and his own. For the fan Paige, who jumped off to greet Becks, could of recived a Red Devil kung fu kick, and ultimately the fans, who want the Galaxy to play well, make the playoffs, and win that MLS cup who has yet to be raise by the team.

Links visited;

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/07/morning-ticker-galaxy-tie-milan-wambach-nets-100th-and-more.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jul/20/david-beckham-confrontation-la-galaxy

http://www.mls-daily.com/2009/07/exclusive-fan-confronted-by-beckham.html

http://kotaku.com/5319791/did-a-video-game-guy-tick-off-worlds-2nd-most-famous-athlete

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/sports/soccer/21beckham.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=david%20bekham&st=cse

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=jo-beckham072009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

OP-ED; UFC vs EA Sports

Update: Added a link, pointing out the economical success of UFC 100.

With EA Sports announcement at E3 jumping into Mix Martial Arts foray, squaring up in the octagon and hitting the canvas with ferocity, fans of the sport and videogame enthusiasts would be open to the competition of having a competing title to THQ's superb, 1 million unit breaking (according to the NPD Group), UFC Undisputed 2009 game.

President of UFC, Dana White, is enraged at EA Sports decision to jump into the MMA business. Dana White comments on EA Sports on the night of UFC's most successful event, UFC 100 earned over 5 million at the gate, has confirmed a "war" with EA Sports. Has this pissing match of words gone too far or just started? Can President of EA Sports, Peter Moore, succeed in matching the sales of THQ's UFC Undispitued 2009? Is this beginning of EA Sports becoming a promoter of some kind of, EA MMA Fight Night at your local sports center?

Not everyone is an excited bunch, UFC President Dana White, speaking to MMA Junkie, had choice words for EA and any fighter who signs to fight (in the game that is) in EA's MMA,"

"We put our asses on the line, THQ and the UFC, to make a video-game deal in the worst economy in the world," White said. "We go out there and do this thing, and it's successful, and now [expletive] EA Sports wants to do a video game. Really? That's not what you told us a year-and-a-half ago.

"You told us you'd never be in business with us. They wouldn't even take a meeting because mixed martial arts disgusted them. This wasn't a real sport. Boy, they got over that real quick, didn't they?" "I'm not tap-dancing around this thing or whatever," White said. "I'm telling you straight-up, I'm at war with them right now. That's how I look at it."

"You won't be in the UFC,"

"You know what the difference is?" White asked. "I'm in the mixed martial arts business. EA isn't.

"EA doesn't give a [expletive] about mixed martial arts. They made that very clear."

To translate, Dana White offered EA Sports the UFC license, but were turned away, either because of the disagreement how fighting would be portray (too disgusting according to Dana White), or EA Sports said UFC was not a sport (probably meant as, UFC does do not high enough numbers to be considered a marketable sport a year and a half ago according to EA). Since UFC signed with THQ, Dana White has a special interest that his label succeeds (UFC is a label, like the NFL, MLB, MLS because they are not just sporting leagues but are marketable and profitable businesses as well). The hypocrisy weighs heavily on Dana White shoulders, as he should know, since he was the one who got into the MMA game by purchasing UFC from its previous owners.
Has two years really pass since Peter Moore's announcement from moving Redmond to Redwood Shores? It was actually July 17, 2007 when it was announced, and yes it is possible that Peter may have seen the EA MMA title in some form of concept before and right after that date. It maybe also possible, it was Peter Moore who said "NO" to Dana White, but according to White that meeting did not happen...

EA Sports President Peter Moore did not directly respond to UFC president Dana White, but in his official blog he wrote,"

"I love mixed martial arts, and we've been working on a game concept since I came to EA two years ago. I have great respect for the organizations and individuals that have invested in the sport's growth over the past decade - so this is one that is near and dear to me and I'm excited to see such good progress to date. I trace my MMA video game roots back to my support of Crave's UFC title on the Dreamcast in 2000, and have been a fan ever since. Our title will bring both innovation and further authenticity to mixed martial arts, not to mention a strong global publishing network that will help spread the sport's popularity around the world."

To translate, EA Sports president, of MS, Sega, and Reebok fame, Peter Moore has had his eye on the growing interest on mix martial arts in the Western World i.e. USA, UK and Europe. Peter has great respect to individuals and organizations who have invested in mma in the past decade, (he must be talking to philanthropists who have open jui juistu centers in flavelas or other poor areas in third world countries). Or is Peter referring to UFC previous owners, who must've worked with Crave and Sega to release a game on the Dreamcast (during a moment of hysteria, AZ Senator John McCain called MMA the equivalency of human cockfighting)? So how is EA Sports going to compete with a label that operates 90% of mma? By going worldwide of course, like its other game, FIFA, EA will probably sign with other smaller but known fighters from up and coming, although, smaller promoters.

Competition is a great thing, there is no doubting that concept, but in Dana White's business plan his company's goal on having the UFC become the NFL of mma in the US (the world?) really threaten by EA Sports coming into the marketplace? Or this the moment when EA Sports becomes more of a label of just videogames and become a promoter of some kind and partnership with smaller, yet competitive promoters?

Fight Night Round 4 Review

I believe words must be conquered, lived, and that the apparent publicity they recieve from the dictionary is a falsehood. Nobody should dare to write "outskirts" without having spent hours pacing their high sidewalks; without having desired and suffered as if they were a lover; without having felt their walls, their lots, their moons just around the corner from the general store, like a cornucopia...

-JL Borges 1926

There is only one sport near and dear to my heart I love, none other "the beautiful game." No on can agree on who coined soccer (other parts of the world, football) as "the beautiful game" however, everyone agrees soccer is special to the world. Playing roughly all of my adolescence on those green fields chasing a peppered ball to only place it in white net, and in college cheering wildly for our favorite national or club team with teammates. The beautiful game did not start with the "stars", but with the youth playing on grassy, dirt, and asphalt fields chasing a ball made of hope and dreams. A game is not won on statistics alone, but by securing goals. The English play with tactics, Germans with efficiency, Brazilians with flair and Americans with grit. Soccer by definition is a world sport.

Boxing is rarely about beauty, it pits two beasts, pummeling each other with jabs, uppercuts, and haymakers in 12 rounds that last 3 minutes long. Death is not a rare occurrence in the ring. The crowd present and at home want the drama of a knockout. We root for the challenger, and despise the champion. We hate the prettyboy, and marvel at the history of cuts and bruises of the old timer. Fighters win and primadonnas hit the canvas. A fight is won by knockout or by outpucnhing your oppenent, statistics matter. Boxing by definition is a mans' sport.

I never understood boxing before 1992, that is, until I saw my first Pay Per View championship fight. Julio Cesar Chavez, the Lion of Culiacan, defending his WBC Lightweight belt against the speedy challenger Hector "Macho" Camacho in September 1992. For me, Camacho had a few things going against him, he had too much flair, very pompous, and not Mexican, were the easiest of features only a 12 year old boy could dislike on a boxer. In my eyes, Chavez was the darling, the Champion, 81-0 record, a Mexican folk hero and a legend in the making. With Mariachi music as he entered the ring, all of us were in awe.

Being part of a youth traveling soccer team, weekends were spent in hotel rooms, prepping for a tournament of games in Sacramento, Fresno, Davis, Los Angeles and San Diego was never out of the ordinary. One particular weekend, the fathers could not imagine of missing a highly anticipated fight. After our second game of the day was over, we rushed to the hotel to shower, sped to a nearby eatery, and hauled ourselves back to the room to watch the Chavez v Camacho fight.

The fight is considered legendary, cat vs mouse, the stronger Chavez punishing the fleeing Camacho, as a cat toying with its prey. By the seventh round, Chavez was in total control of the fight, Camacho failed to throw in the towel as his ringside suggested, the challenger would last five more rounds surviving a bloody pulp assault to his face and figure.

It was probably the best fight a 12 year old boy could of witness as his first. There are a few first memories men will cherish, their first fist fight in the school yard (a bully named Ryan), first crush on a pinup (Cindy Crawford), their first soccer goal (five years old in AYSO game) and their first PPV Title Match.

I will always remember JC Chavez the way I did in 1992. A Champion, Pound for Pound best fighter in the world, and a folk hero Mexican. The scandals, the losses, the women, the ad campaigns over time would dent JC Chavez credibility in my eyes and countless of others, I hear he even has a junior who wants to fight PACMAN Pacquiao.

A couple of nights ago, memories began to fill my eyes with tears of remembered youth, as I knocked out Sugar Shane Mosley in the seventh round of a Welterweight title match in EA's Fight Night Round 4. Mosley leaned into a haymaker uppercut, Mosley falls, referee counts to ten, fight over.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Fight Night Round 4 Review of some sorts

I believe words must be conquered, lived, and that the apparent publicity they receive from the dictionary is a falsehood. Nobody should dare to write "outskirts" without having spent hours pacing their high sidewalks; without having desired and suffered as if they were a lover; without having felt their walls, their lots, their moons just around the corner from the general store, like a cornucopia...

-JL Borges 1926

Boxing is rarely about beauty, it pits two beasts, pummeling each other with jabs, uppercuts, and haymakers in 12 rounds that last 3 minutes long. Death is not a rare occurrence in the ring. The crowd present and at home want the drama of a knockout. We root for the challenger, and despise the champion. We hate the pretty boy, and marvel at the history of cuts and bruises of the old timer. Fighters win and primadonnas hit the canvas. A fight is won by knockout or by out punching your opponent, statistics matter. Boxing by definition is a mans' sport.

From Untitled Album

I never understood boxing before 1992, that is, until I saw my first Pay Per View championship fight. Julio Cesar Chavez, the Lion of Culiacan, defending his WBC Lightweight belt against the speedy challenger Hector "Macho" Camacho in September 1992. For me, Camacho had a few things going against him, he had too much flair, very pompous, and not Mexican, were the easiest of features only a 12 year old boy could dislike on a boxer. In my eyes, Chavez was the darling, the Champion, 81-0 record, a Mexican folk hero and a legend in the making. With Mariachi music as he entered the ring, all of us were in awe.

Being part of a youth traveling soccer team, weekends were spent in hotel rooms, prepping for a tournament of games in Sacramento, Fresno, Davis, Los Angeles and San Diego was never out of the ordinary. One particular weekend, the fathers could not imagine of missing a highly anticipated fight. After our second game of the day was over, we rushed to the hotel to shower, sped to a nearby eatery, and hauled ourselves back to the room to watch the Chavez v Camacho fight.

The fight is considered legendary, cat vs mouse, the stronger Chavez punishing the fleeing Camacho, as a cat toying with its prey. By the seventh round, Chavez was in total control of the fight, Camacho failed to throw in the towel as his ringside suggested, the challenger would last five more rounds surviving a bloody pulp assault to his face and figure.

It was probably the best fight a 12 year old boy could of witness as his first. There are a few first memories men will cherish, their first fist fight in the school yard (a bully named Ryan), first crush on a pinup (Cindy Crawford), their first soccer goal (five years old in AYSO game) and their first PPV Title Match.

I will always remember JC Chavez the way I did in 1992. A Champion, Pound for Pound best fighter in the world, and a folk hero Mexican. The scandals, the losses, the women, the ad campaigns over time would dent JC Chavez credibility in my eyes and countless of others, I hear he even has a junior who wants to fight PACMAN Pacquiao.

A couple of nights ago, memories began to fill my eyes with tears of remembered youth, as I knocked out Sugar Shane Mosley in the seventh round of a Welterweight title match in EA's Fight Night Round 4. Mosley leaned into a haymaker uppercut, Mosley falls, referee counts to ten, fight over.