One of the most controversial stories in combat sports this year has been the creation of Dana White’s Power Slap league and the UFC’s continuous promotion of it. The United States Congress has now joined the fray.
On Wednesday, New Jersey’s Ninth District Representative Bill Pascrell Jr. revealed that he and Nebraska’s Second District Representative Don Bacon reached out to both TBS and Warner Bros. Discovery to discuss their involvement in “Power Slap,” decrying the program’s “mindless violence.”
Today @RepDonBacon and I are asking TBS and Warner Bros about their crass new TV show “The Power Slap” glorifying terrible violence.
Where are the warnings to this mindless violence? Traumatic brain injury should not be treated as entertainment. pic.twitter.com/LIWGWtvm2s
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 15, 2023
Here’s our letter demanding answers from @warnerbros @TBSNetwork on their violent new TV show glorifying traumatic brain injury risks. pic.twitter.com/MV4rruLv6a
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. (@BillPascrell) February 15, 2023
Pascrell also included in their post their letter addressed to David Zaslav (the President and CEO at Warner Bros. Discovery, and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, noting his issues with Power Slap. The congressmen stated that the new league “capitalizes on violent behavior and lurid drama masquerading as athletic prowess for profit,” and noted that participants “are offered a paltry $2,000” for “endangering their mental and physical health.”
They also pointed out the lack of safety protocols around the event and asked Zaslav to answer any questions about disclaimers and long-term care and disclosures made to participants regarding the inherent safety hazards.
Pascrell is one of the longest serving active members of congress, having assumed office in 1997, and currently serves on the Committee on Ways and Means as the Chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee. During his Congressional tenure, Pascrell has been outspoken on matters of brain health, co-founding the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001, which “works to increase awareness of brain injury in the United States,” per his website.
In 2008, Pascrell introduced the Concussion Treatment and Cares Tools Act, which was endorsed by the NFL and the NFLPA as a means of creating guidelines for concussion protocol enactment in middle schools and high schools. In 2013, he introduced the Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act of 2013, again with the intent of combating traumatic brain injury.
You can read the letter in full below.
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Twitter, Bill Pascrell, Jr.
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Twitter, Bill Pascrell, Jr.
White recently defended his new league from criticisms over health and safety in an interview with The Jim Rome Show.
” First of all, I am the most concerned about safety and health than anyone,” White stated.
“Even if you can defend yourself, in boxing guys take 400 to 600 punches per fight. These guys take three slaps or less during an event. … So you’re talking about the wrong sport here.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/16/23603066/congressman-decries-dana-white-power-slap-warner-bros-ceo-traumatic-brain-injury-isnt-entertainment?rand=96749
