
This week, we look at the marketing of violent sports.Starting with a man named Tex Rickard, who wrote the playbook on fight promotion back in the 1920s.We’ll analyze how WWE pro wrestling took a p…
Loading summary
Terry O'Reilly
You don't like ads on this A podcast about advertising. Listen ad free at the link in the description
Progressive Insurance Announcer
Insurance isn't one size fits all. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's name your price tool for years now. With the name your price tool you tell them what you want to pay and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So whether you're picking out your first policy or or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy to see your options. Visit progressive.com find a rate that works for you with the name your price tool Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates Price and Coverage Match limited by state
Verizon Advertiser
law Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT and T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill. Walk in, run in, pogo stickin', teleport if you can, ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or flyin on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your at, TNT or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best Network based on RouteMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd half 2025 all rights preserved must provide very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply Immersing
Alex Abnos
yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup. I'm Alex Abnos, senior sports editor from the Guardian. Whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered. From one of the fastest growing soccer newsrooms. The Guardian brings you in depth World cup coverage that gets into the winners and losers on and off the pitch. Read, watch and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, a global perspective and a squad of Americans, including me, on the ground with the U.S. national team. Plus, if you want to test your soccer knowledge, try on the Ball. It's a game in the Guardian app and it's really, really fun. And if you're into stuff like this,
Terry O'Reilly
well, I think the problem is if you give footballers an inch, they will take a mile. Is it too much when it's this close? It's a bit much.
Skyrizi Advertiser
It's a bit too real.
Terry O'Reilly
Maybe you could just talk with a slight delay.
Alex Abnos
Be sure to listen to our football weekly podcast for on the Move Expert Analysis the Guardian bringing you the whole picture on Soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more.
Terry O'Reilly
This is an Apostrophe podcast production. We're going to show you our big new Studebaker.
Verizon Advertiser
Start the car.
Terry O'Reilly
Mamma me. That's a spicy meatball. What love doesn't conquer, Alka sells her will.
Verizon Advertiser
What a relief.
Skyrizi Advertiser
Under the influence with terry o'reilly.
Terry O'Reilly
On July 3, 2025, President Donald Trump was giving a speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. During that speech, he made a surprise announcement. We're going to have a UFC fight. Think of this on the grounds of the White House, he said. The UFC fight would be part of the nation's 250th birthday celebrations. It seemed a bit surreal and odd, a full UFC event outdoors on the lawn of the White House. Was Trump serious? Was it even possible or just a whim? On August 29, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed it I'm with the President watching the fights and he looks over at me and goes, you know what we should do? We should do a fight at the White House. I said, okay. The White House fight was on. Dana White is a loyal supporter of Trump as Trump held a few UFC events at his properties 20 years ago. The event has been christened UFC Freedom 250 in keeping with the USA's 250th birthday celebrations. The event is to be held on the South Lawn of the White House and seat between 3,000 to 4,000 people on although no public tickets will be available for security reasons, screens will be set up at the Ellipse, which is capable of hosting 85,000 more fans. Dana White has confirmed that no taxpayer money will be used to stage UFC Freedom250. The UFC is picking up all expenses, including the cost to restore the South Lawn after the event, which which alone is estimated to cost between 700,000 and $1 million. The event is scheduled to happen on June 14, which is flag Day and also happens to be Trump's 80th birthday. It will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount. The weigh ins are to be held at the Lincoln Memorial and believe it or not, it's rumored the fighters will walk to the Octagon directly to from the Oval Office. Estimated cost of the entire event $60 million. The fight at the White House is a dream come true for Dana White and the ufc. White is a master promoter and what could generate bigger news than staging a historic, one of a kind fight event on the South Lawn of the White House? Marketing Combat Sports has always Been tricky for years. Boxing was illegal in many states and provinces. So was mixed martial arts fighting until recently. In the early days, boxing matches were held in the shadows and in the back rooms of saloons. It would take a master promoter with vision to drag boxing out of the shadows and turn it into a national event. That would attract thousands and a bevy of celebrities and revenues that were eye popping. That blueprint would be the foundation to this day.
Skyrizi Advertiser
You're under the influence.
Terry O'Reilly
Tex Rickard was born in Kansas city, Missouri in 1871. Rickard was a shrewd man who had a yen for gambling. When the Klondike was roaring, he moved to Alaska to establish a number of gambling houses where he accumulated $500,000, then lost it all to worthless gold claims. Rickard eventually ended up in Nevada where he operated yet another gambling establishment. But it was there that Rickard found his true calling. He staged and promoted his first professional boxing match in 1906. Rickard staged a lightweight title fight and promised the unheard of amount of $30,000 to the fighters. He then boldly stacked $30,000 in gold coins and put them on display in the window of the local bank. That generated a lot of attention. Everyone thought Rickard was crazy putting that much money on the line. But he ended up making $62,000 on the fight. With that success, he decided to take up boxing promotion as a profession. Next, he staged a heavyweight title fight between champion Jack Johnson and the great white hope, the undefeated James J. Jeffries. It was called the fight of the century because it was the first time a black boxer fought a white boxer for the title. Rickert offered a jaw dropping purse of $101,000 with 75% of that going to the winner, the equivalent of over 3 million today. A crowd of 18,000 attended the fight and watched Johnson knock Jeffries out in the 15th round. That victory led to race riots that broke out across the country. For the next few days, Rickert not only ended up with a nice profit, he got a taste for staging big events and was learning how to promote fights using tension as a marketing tool. One day, Tex Rickard laid his eyes on a young upstart boxer named Jack Dempsey. Born in Manassa, Colorado, Dempsey would soon become boxing's first superstar. He seemed to be fueled by pure rage. He relentlessly stalked his opponents, pummeling them with a two fisted attack. Many of his bouts ended with knockouts in the first round, sometimes within seconds of the opening bell. Tex Rickard thought Dempsey had world champion potential and he knew a Money maker when he saw one. The heavyweight champion of the world in 1919 was a giant named Jess Willard. Willard stood six six and a half and weighed in at 245 pounds. Jack Dempsey was 61187. Most didn't think the smaller Dempsey had a chance. Willard was the betting favorite to win. But the pairing of the giant Jess Willard and the upstart brawler Jack Dempsey was a dream come true for Tex Rickard. He advertised the fight as a massive patriotic spectacle. Holding it on July 4, he generated hype by guaranteeing Willard $100,000. Rickard had huge bleachers built in an outdoor field for the bout and created special seating for celebrities. Reports say that upwards of 50,000 spectators attended the fight. To the astonishment of the crowd, Dempsey knocked Willard down seven times in the first round alone. By the fourth round, Willard threw in the towel. He had suffered a broken jaw, several broken ribs and had four missing teeth. Jim Jack Dempsey was now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He was on his way to becoming as famous as Babe Ruth. Tex Rickard rubbed his hands with delight. Rickard intuitively knew that people were attracted to boxing events not just because of the boxing match itself, but but by the spectacle surrounding it. He framed bouts with importance and meaning. He made big purse money the central anchor, a tactic that has resonated in big fights to this day. He also knew how to use tension, which he demonstrated in his biggest event to date in 1921. The famous bout between champion Jack Dempsey and European champion Georges Carpentier. The Dempsey Carpuncier Championship super fight was expected to attract the largest live audience in history. Although Dempsey would later become a revered champion, there was a sizable percentage of fight fans who were against him at that time. They called Dempsey a slacker who had dodged the draft during the First World War. They labeled Dempsey unworthy of the heavyweight title As a result. Truth was that Dempsey was married at the time and thus was ineligible for the draft. Georges Carpentier, on the other hand, was a decorated war hero. The dashing Frenchman was also the reigning light heavyweight champion of Europe. Tex Rickard knew exactly how he was going to promote the fight. He stoked the anti Dempsey sentiments and promoted Carpentier's war record. It was the good guy versus the bad guy, a record promotional tactic that would inform combat sports to this day. Looking for the perfect site for the match, Rickard chose Jersey City, N.J. a wooden stadium was constructed specially for the match. Originally it was to seat 50,000. When the demand for tickets exploded, it was expanded to 70,000 seats. When that was thought to be insufficient, it was modified to seat 90,000 fans. At a time when $10 was a week's wage, 93,000 fans paid the astonishing sum of $1.7 million to watch the battle. It was the first time a boxing match had ever produced $1 million in revenue. When the fight began, it was apparent that Carpentier was faster, but Dempsey was the heavier puncher. In the fourth round, Dempsey sent Carpentier to the canvas with a left right combination. The Frenchman managed to rise on the count of nine, but a few seconds later, Dempsey knocked Carpentier out. There were 823 reporters present at the fight, and for the first time, a world championship title fight was broadcast on the new medium of radio. Dempsey made $300,000 for his win, the equivalent of 5.4 million in today's dollars. Carpentier took home 200,000. Tex Rickard made a profit of $550,000, or 9.9 million. The golden age of sports had begun. When we come back, the WWE tag teams with mtv.
Verizon Advertiser
If you're enjoying this episode, you might also like the Lean Mean Fat Reducing Money How Marketing affects Sports Season 6, Episode 22, where we tell the amusing story of George Foreman and his Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grill. You'll find the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Progressive Insurance Announcer
You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions and and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings by $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary.
Verizon Advertiser
Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT and T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill. Run in Hogo Sticking Teleport if you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or fly in on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your AT and T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the Best Network based on Routemetric's Best Overall Mobile Network Performance US Second Half 2025 all rights reserved. Must provide a very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
Alex Abnos
Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup I'm Alex Abnos, senior Sports Editor from the Guardian, and whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered. Read, watch and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, reporters on the ground with all the big teams, and the legendary football Weekly podcast the Guardian bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more.
Terry O'Reilly
Prior to the wwe, wrestling was a patchwork of fragmented regional promotions. There was no central brand and no national marketing strategy. Wrestling lived on the fringes of pop culture. Then along came Vince McMahon. In 1982, McMahon purchased the World Wrestling Federation, or WWF as it was then called, from his father. The younger McMahon had a vision. He wanted to turn wrestling into a national, possibly a global phenomenon. And he had a plan. He wanted to blend professional wrestling with high end entertainment and music. And he wanted to turn his wrestling athletes into larger than life celebrities. Just as Tex Rickard had leveraged radio to reach the masses, the WWF leveraged an unlikely tag team partner, mtv. It all began with a chance meeting. Music manager David Wolff met wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano on an airplane. Wolff was a huge wrestling fan and he also happened to manage singer Cyndi Lauper. He invited Albano to appear in Lauper's MTV video for the song Girls Just Want to have Fun. The wild success of that video took the WWF along with it. Hulk Hogan started to make numerous appearances on mtv. That pairing would lead to a torrent of cross promotions between MTV and the World Wrestling Federation. MTV then aired a WWF event called the Brawl to end it all in 1984 and it became the most watched show in MTV history. It made wrestling hip and cool and was watched by millions of young hip trendsetters. The network would air various WWF events from that point on and was instrumental in promoting Vince McMahon's inaugural WrestleMania. In 1985, McMahon held the first WrestleMania at Madison Square Garden. The famous stadium built and managed by none other than Tex Rickard 60 years earlier. McMahon's promotional streak came naturally. His grandfather Jess was a boxing matchmaker at Madison Square Garden in the era of tex Rickard. While WrestleMania was an enormous financial gamble, McMahon went all out. He arranged the matchups. He invited Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T, star of the A team, and promoted Hulk Hogan as the centerpiece. Hogan and Mr. T had just appeared in Rocky III, so they teamed up to wrestle Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main tag team extravaganza. McMahon knew that celebrity relationships could take wrestling into the pop culture mainstream. So he invited Muhammad Ali to be a referee. Yankees manager Billy Martin was the ring announcer, and in a completely unlikely choice, Liberace was the official timekeeper. 19,000 people attended that first WrestleMania and over 1 million watched it via closed circuit television, making it the largest closed circuit wrestling event in history. At that time, WrestleMania took wrestling from a local attraction to a national phenomenon. It was the start of something very, very big. By the time of WrestleMania 3, where Hulk Hogan became the first wrestler to body slam the 520 pound Andre the Giant, the WWF was a merchandising empire. McMahon shrewdly used broadcast cable and pay per view and soon had 300 television affiliates. With some 20 million viewers watching WWF's weekly syndicated shows. The WWF appealed to every age and economic group, from kids and teens to blue collar workers to film stars, lawyers and bankers. There was even a Saturday morning cartoon series. The WWF created dramatic storylines to promote fights. And because it was scripted by actual WWF writers, the organization had the unique ability to control the characters, the plots and the outcomes and tap into anything in the pop culture zeitgeist. Through it all, McMahon leaned heavily on the record formula of heroes and heels. The WWF changed its name in 2002 to become the WWE and had its share of ups and downs, but it would become a global integrated media and entertainment company. Stars like the Rock and John Cena have gone on to have incredibly successful movie careers. By 2023, the WWE was generating over $1 billion in annual revenue with 90 million fans, numbers Tex Rickard could never have imagined. Then someone came knocking. When we come back, the world of combat sports is put into a headlock by mixed martial arts.
Verizon Advertiser
Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill. Walk in running pogo stickin', teleport. If you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or flyin on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store. Today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based on RouteMetric's best overall mobile network performance. US 2nd half 2025 all rights preserved. Must provide very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
Alex Abnos
Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup I'm Alex Abnos, Senior Sports Editor from the Guardian, and whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered. Read, watch and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, reporters on the ground with all the big teams and the legendary football Weekly podcast the Guardian bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more
Skyrizi User/Testimonial
My perfect day as sand, salt water and friends, but my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis can take me out of the moment. Now I'm all in with clearer skin thanks to skyrizi risen Kizumab RZA, a prescription only 150mg injection for adults who are candidates for systemic or phototherapy with Skyrizi. Most people saw 90% clearer skin and many were even 100% plaque free at four months. Skyrizi is just four doses a year after two starter doses.
Skyrizi Advertiser
Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
Skyrizi User/Testimonial
Thanks to Skyrizi, there's nothing on my skin and that means everything is everything. Ask your doctor about Skyrizi, the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic in psoriasis. Visit skyrizi.com or call 1-866-Skyrizi to learn more.
Terry O'Reilly
For a For a long time, mixed martial arts fights, or MMA fights as they are known, were illegal in many states and provinces. As an early fan, I remember having to go to Quebec to watch matches as it was allowed there but not in Ontario. MMA events didn't become legal Canada wide until 2013 and New York was the final state to legalize professional MMA in 2016. The first mixed martial arts championship event was staged in 1993. It was called the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC for short. The word ultimate was a strategic choice. It positioned mixed martial arts above wrestling and boxing. In other words, everything else was south of Ultimate. UFC had only three rules. No biting, no eye gouging, no shots to the Groin. Other than that, anything goes. UFC 1 marketed itself with the quintessential pitch by posing the question, what martial arts fighter and what style was superior? In other words, who would win a battle between Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee? The UFC was the place to find out. The UFC was completely different. Different from boxing and WWE wrestling. Boxing has 12 three minute rounds. The UFC bouts featured three five minute rounds. Championship bouts had five five minute rounds. The UFC ring wasn't square. It was an octagon made of fencing material. And it wasn't called a ring, it was called a cage. Boxers train in long held traditional methods at boxing gyms. MMA fighters train in a mix of styles including wrestling, kickboxing, karate, judo, and the most dominant style, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. At UFC 1, over 90,000 people bought the pay per view event and when it was done, fans wanted more. At that event, there were no weight divisions and fighters kept fighting until only one man remained standing. That meant fighters faced three or four opponents in one exhausting evening. By UFC 9, that format was dropped. Now there were weight divisions and fighters only faced one opponent in the event. But while it gained popularity over the next few years, the UFC was struggling financially. In 2001, two brothers, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, purchased the UFC for $2 million. They formed a company called Zufa, which means to fight in Italian, and installed fight promoter Dana White as president. Since then, the rise of the UFC has been nothing short of remarkable. To begin with, Dana White marketed the UFC as a sport with elite athletes. In 2005, Spike TV aired the first season of a reality show titled the Ultimate Fighter. The series followed a group of hopefuls as they competed for a three year six figure contract with the UFC. The very first episode attracted 1.7 million viewers. The weekly Ultimate Fighter TV series was a powerful marketing tool as it taught viewers about mixed martial arts and stoked a hunger for the big UFC events. The UFC has groomed its own superstars, from George St. Pierre and Ronda Rousey to Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. And Dana White has channeled Tex Rickard to stoke those rivalries. To date, there have been over 300 Ultimate Fighting Championship events. There have also been over 700 additional UFC events held in 169 cities and 32 countries. As of this writing in 2022, the UFC generated $1.3 billion in revenue. It was the fastest growing spectator sport in the world with an estimated global fan base of 650 million. That year, the Fertitta brothers sold the UFC to a company called TKO for $5 billion. Then in 2023, TKO announced that the UFC was merging with the WWE. In September of 2023, the UFC merged with the WWE in a $21.4 billion deal. The UFC was valued at $12.1 billion and and the WWE at $9.3 billion, which underlined how remarkable the UFC's growth has been in its short history compared to the wrestling business, which has been around since the 1950s. TKO is led by Hollywood power player ARI EMANUEL, Vince McMahon serves as executive chairman and Dana White is the Chief executive. The crossover potential is unlimited as the UFC and WWE are now packaging events in the same city on the same weekend. For example, in one City in 2024, WWE's SmackDown was held on June 7th and the UFC's Fight Night was held on June 8th. Fans were offered bundled ticket options. Remarkably, boxing is now a bit of a niche sport, having lost its luster to the ufc. But Dana White and company have now started Zufa Boxing and plan to reimagine the sport of boxing worldwide. Without a doubt, the marketing of combat sports has come a long way since the first Jack Dempsey Super Fights. But underneath it all, the ufc, the WWE and boxing is one consistent element. The Tex Rickard Blueprint. Tex Rickard was the origin of the species in combat sports. He instinctively knew how to market fights. He had a good eye for matchups, he pioneered the good guy versus bad guy promotional tension, and he made eye popping prize money an incredible draw, by the way. In addition to his career as a boxing promoter, Tex Rickert also founded the New York Rangers hockey franchise in 1926, which he owned until his death. He was a man with vision, as are his successors. Vince McMahon took the WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment, put an emphasis on the E, and taught the UFC a thing or two about how to stage a spectacle. Dana White was the ideal face of the ufc. He was big and tough talking, but he also charted a course for MMA's future. Rickard believed he could take boxing out of the back alleys and market it as a national pastime. McMahon believed he could make wrestling bigger than fight night at a local arena, and Dana White believes there is no limit to where mixed martial arts could go, including the lawn of the White House. When you're under the influence, I'm Terry O'Reilly. This episode was recorded in the tear stream mobile recording studio. Producer debbie o'reilly chief sound engineer jeff devine theme music by casey pick, jeremiah pick and james ayton tunes provided by apm music follow me at terry oinfluence this podcast is powered by acast, terry's top slogans of all time. Number 10 what happens in vegas stays in vegas. See you next week.
Alex Abnos
Immersing yourself in all things soccer ahead of this summer's World Cup. I'm Alex Abnos, Senior Sports Editor from the Guardian. Whether you're a soccer beginner or you know the game inside and out, we've got you covered from one of the fastest growing soccer newsrooms. The Guardian brings you in depth World cup coverage that gets into the winners and losers on and off the pitch. Read, watch and listen as our journalists connect the dots between the games, the cultures and this political moment. We'll have daily newsletters throughout the tournament, a global perspective and a squad of Americans, including me, on the ground with the U.S. national team. Plus, if you want to test your soccer knowledge, try on the Ball. It's a game in the Guardian app and it's really, really fun. And if you're into stuff like this,
Terry O'Reilly
well, I think the problem is if you give footballers an inch they will take a mile. Is it too much when it's this close? It's a bit much.
Skyrizi Advertiser
It's a bit too real.
Terry O'Reilly
Maybe you could just talk with a slight delay.
Alex Abnos
Be sure to listen to our Football Weekly podcast for on the Move expert analysis, the Guardian bringing you the whole picture on soccer. Search Guardian Soccer for more
Skyrizi User/Testimonial
My perfect day as sand, salt water and friends, but my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis can take me out of the moment. Now I'm all in with clearer skin thanks to Skyrizi Risankizumab RZA a prescription only 150mg injection for adults who are candidates for systemic or phototherapy with Skyrizi. Most people saw 90% clearer skin and many were even 100% plaque free at four months. Skyrizi is just four doses a year. After two starter doses.
Skyrizi Advertiser
Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
Skyrizi User/Testimonial
Thanks to Skyrizi, there's nothing on my skin and that means everything.
Verizon Advertiser
Nothing is everything.
Skyrizi User/Testimonial
Ask your doctor about Skyrizi, the number one dermatologist prescribed biologic in psoriasis. Visit skyrizi.com or call 1-866-Skyrizi to learn more.
Verizon Advertiser
Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better so bring us your bill. Walk in running pogo stickin' teleport if you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or flyin on the wings of a majestic falcon. Any way you can bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd half 2025. All rights reserved. Must provide very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
Skyrizi Advertiser
Hey, it's Paige from Giggly Squad. You already know once I'm in my jammies, I'm in my final form. And lately my last step before fully clocking out is the covergirl Jammy Lip Sleeping Mask. I just twist, apply with the mess free applicator and let the dreamy lavender scent literally tuck me in. By morning, my lips feel smooth, revitalized and baby soft while I'm doing absolutely nothing iconic behavior. So shop covergirl Jammy Lip Sleeping Mask at your nearest retailer now only from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl.
Under the Influence with Terry O’Reilly
Episode Date: April 11, 2026
Host: Terry O’Reilly
In this episode, Terry O’Reilly explores the evolution of marketing combat sports—boxing, pro wrestling, and mixed martial arts (MMA)—tracing their unlikely paths from underground events to billion-dollar entertainment juggernauts. With signature storytelling and keen marketing insight, he examines the figures, tactics, and cultural moments that have shaped how violence is packaged, promoted, and sold to the masses.
"The fight at the White House is a dream come true for Dana White and the UFC. White is a master promoter and what could generate bigger news than staging a historic, one-of-a-kind fight event on the South Lawn of the White House?"
– Terry O’Reilly [03:58]
"Rickard intuitively knew that people were attracted to boxing events not just because of the boxing match itself, but by the spectacle surrounding it."
– Terry O’Reilly [09:29]
"McMahon knew that celebrity relationships could take wrestling into the pop culture mainstream… At that time, WrestleMania took wrestling from a local attraction to a national phenomenon. It was the start of something very, very big."
– Terry O’Reilly [19:52]
"Through it all, McMahon leaned heavily on the Rickard formula of heroes and heels."
– Terry O’Reilly [21:23]
"The weekly Ultimate Fighter TV series was a powerful marketing tool as it taught viewers about mixed martial arts and stoked a hunger for the big UFC events."
– Terry O’Reilly [27:32]
"Remarkably, boxing is now a bit of a niche sport, having lost its luster to the UFC. But Dana White and company have now started Zufa Boxing and plan to reimagine the sport of boxing worldwide."
– Terry O’Reilly [31:35]
“Tex Rickard was the origin of the species in combat sports. He instinctively knew how to market fights. He had a good eye for matchups, he pioneered the good guy versus bad guy promotional tension, and he made eye-popping prize money an incredible draw.”
– Terry O’Reilly [32:01]
“Rickard believed he could take boxing out of the back alleys and market it as a national pastime. McMahon believed he could make wrestling bigger than fight night at a local arena, and Dana White believes there is no limit to where mixed martial arts could go, including the lawn of the White House.”
– Terry O’Reilly [32:49]
| Timestamp | Topic | |---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | [02:58] | UFC White House Event – Announcement and Details | | [06:34] | Tex Rickard: Early Boxing Promotion and Showmanship | | [11:27] | Dempsey vs. Carpentier: Superfight Marketing | | [16:45] | Vince McMahon, WWF/WWE, & MTV Era | | [19:52] | Inaugural WrestleMania: Celebrities & Mainstreaming | | [24:43] | The UFC: Origins of MMA & Ultimate Fighter | | [27:32] | UFC’s Modern Expansion & Bundling with WWE | | [31:35] | Boxing’s Decline and UFC's Plans to Reinvent Boxing | | [32:01] | The Tex Rickard Blueprint for Combat Sports Promotion |
If you’re fascinated by the crossroads of sport, marketing, and cultural spectacle, this episode is a blueprint on “how to sell violence”—and why people keep buying.