Boxer Jan Balog on the popularity of bizarre Czech MMA shows: We Roma should not allow people like Kotlár to represent us

How does Jan Balog, a former boxer and trainer who dedicates himself to coaching young athletes, view this new phenomenon? Why is it the case that among Romani social media users in the Czech Republic, the Romani mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Diego Kotlár is more popular than the country’s kickboxing champion of Romani origin, Vašek Sivák?

What does Balog think of the bizarre “Clash of the Stars” shows, where people who are inexperienced and unprepared fight each other after “challenging” each other online with vulgarities? What does he think of the arguments and challenges that end up in real street battles watched by dozens of Romani people?

How does Balog assess the impact of Romani people participating in these events on the image of Roma in Czech society? We discussed this with him in our exclusive interview.

Q: Is boxing, or martial arts generally, still a sport, or is it just a show by now? Where have the principles of fair play gone?

A: Classical boxing under the direction of international organizations is a traditional Olympic sport with clearly established rules. It’s necessary to distinguish classical Olympic boxing from the MMA matches being run by various organizations under the rubrics of different federations. Over the last decade, roughly, the popularity of these MMA matches has grown, they combine all kinds of martial arts. However, it is necessary to differentiate in the MMA arena between organizations which are professional and those which do this mainly as a show. It would be absurd to speak of fair play or sportsmanship in relation to those producing such shows.

Q: What do you make of the phenomenon of these “challenges” online? Who is responsible for the fact that any out-of-shape street brawler feels he doesn’t need years of coaching or training but just heads on into the cage? Is social media to blame for what has become a real phenomenon today?

A: I perceive this new phenomenon to be quite dangerous, I dare say the organizers are skating on very thin ice. Those organizations are using social media to create opportunities for publicity there that are particular to them. Anybody who comprehends what martial arts are knows quite well that without years of preparation, it is impossible to compete in such a match. You are actually risking your life! The so-called fighters who compete in MMA matches are risking their health and their lives, because they are unaware that a contest like that requires both physical and psychological preparation. During such a bout you get into critical, extreme situations and it takes many years of preparation to know how to work with such scenarios, otherwise it’s an enormous risk.

Q: What do you say to the popularity of the people who are appearing, for example, at the “Clash of the Stars” events?

A: Those people are willing to degrade themselves for “popularity”, in my opinion they are individuals who are psychologically unstable and who mostly come from environments that generate crime. The most recent series of those matches in which Roma were fighting was a disgrace to all Romani people who dedicate themselves to martial arts in the Olympic spirit and tradition.

Q: Who is keeping all this going? Are there promoters investing in it? Do the viewers who buy online access to the matches provide the support?

A: To be honest, I have no insight into that and I basically have no interest in researching it.

Q: What do people even see in these shows- the bizarre competitions between little people, the pillow fights, the mock sumo wrestling? Why are such shows so attractive to Romani people, both from the standpoint of consuming them and from the standpoint of participating in this kind of panopticon?

A: People have watched gladiator matches from time immemorial, it’s a special sort of theater, a thrill.  Wrestlers take on different roles, some of them always suffer, some of them are always ridiculed, etc. In recent years, Romani people have started to use social media in distinct ways, and we are in the process of coping with that and coming to terms with the impact it has on our real lives.

Q: Can the media attention paid to these bizarre Romani figures change the perspective on Romani people overall?

A: Unfortunately, I believe so. Thanks to social media, these people are becoming famous, and they create the image of all Romani people, even though it’s not a truthful image, overshadowing the Romani figures who actually have something to say and to show others, and not just in sports.

Q: What do you say to the fact that the phenomenon of these “duels” has moved from staged live broadcasts as events on social media into real life, to a street brawl between two fathers from two different families which several dozen (maybe even several hundred) people turned out to watch?

A: I regret it enormously, that kind of match is far beyond the realm of sports, those people are risking their lives. That others watch it for amusement is, in my opinion, a sign of low intelligence. Committing brutality on the streets is beyond the rules of society and I fundamentally disagree with it. Let’s try imagining what it would be like if such behavior became the norm in society, we would probably all become afraid to walk down the street.

Q: Why is Kotlár more popular online than an actual athlete like Vašek Sivák, who is far more appreciated abroad than he is in the Czech Republic? 

A: That’s exactly the downside to social media. It gives popularity to people not according to what they actually know how to do, but according to how they style themselves and are able to abase themselves. Vašek Sivák is a fighter, a genuine one, a Romani one who defines himself as such and who delivers feats of mastery in his sport that deserve attention and respect.

Q: In the 1990s, many boxing hopefuls were Romani. There was you, Mr. Tišer, and Rostislav Osička. Where are those people today? What happened to them?

A: Those people are living their lives as ordinary citizens today. Boxing in the classical, Olympian style has lost popularity a bit, exactly because of MMA and other similar martial arts which make it possible to put on more of a show.

Q: What should the old school trainers do? How can they convince young people to work hard for years in front of a mirror, to train three times a week, to actually learn how to do something, when today it’s “enough” to just challenge somebody on Facebook and hundreds of thousands of people will watch you right away? Where is the original purpose of the sport?

A: Trainers who have remained faithful to Olympic sport and who defend its values should stick with it. This is about conserving the ideas of the Olympics, the sport and its traditions. The only way to convince young people is to educate them and show them the positive values yielded by playing a sport according to the rules.  

I appeal to all parents not to permit their children to fight without following rules or without coaching and professional training just so they can get publicity on social media. Let’s not allow ourselves to be represented by people such as Kotlár, who publicly calls for violence and doesn’t even know that he is committing a crime by doing so. Let’s be a nation of proud people who reject violence and who respect democratic values and the rules of the 21st century.