OK, is a strong word hate - but it's clear that boxing is currently on the list of currently very few people of the most popular sports. Some people will tell you that boxing is too violent, too much corruption, and is too primitive to survive. I have to say that none of these explain, boxing's current state. Do not be fooled on the recent Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super fight, the health of boxing still needs urgent attention.
How did you find in boxesthese "sick" state? The reasons may surprise you.
Any institution must be built on solid ground - boxing is no different. In any professional sport, the talent base from a large pool of willing, young athletes will be trained at a semi-professional level. Boxing's talent base is covered urban and rural, national and global. However, the talent base is not the primary problem is when the talent comes from and where he's gone.
"Where theTalent comes from "Because of its historic roots as a socio-political platform, unlike any other sport in American history, boxing moves people like no other. Whether it was African American hero Joe Louis fighting German Max Schmeling for the World Heavyweight Championship In the height of World War II, the politically-radical Muhammad Ali fighting the politically neutral Joe Frazier in the later stages of the Civil Rights era, or the U.S. Olympic 1984Boxing Team Running Away With gold medals during the Cold War, boxing has long been a vessel for the Americans to show their power, both literally and figuratively, through a single man or a group of men.
As the sports world is becoming more global, many non-Americans (ie Mexicans have in the lower weight classes, and Eastern Europeans in the higher) started its presence Fistic was in the past years. Outside of die-hard fans is the interest inWeight classes largely populated by international fighters has confounded the major networks and sponsors who historically tried to cultivate Madison Avenue-friendly, cross-over American fighters to carry the sport (see Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya) and capture the general sports fan . The major networks and casual boxing fans often wanted to see their fighters, sound, and they represent in any way. How many places have now not, people gradually lose their enthusiasm for the sport. Andas zeal is lost, the all important TV ratings dip, let things fall on sponsors to drop out and networks for programming boxes.
"Where it has gone away" Speaking of programs, regardless of the U.S. National Boxing Team's happened? The membership of this team was often a pipeline to success in the ring at the amateur level, and finally, like a pro. Historically, the "minor league of American boxing," membership in the national boxing team sawcited as a privilege. Young fighters not only in the championships and world tournaments around the world participated, but were on the short-list of fighters with the ability to collect the sport Holy Grail - an Olympic gold medal. This long-cherished booty was like obtaining degree from Harvard, in view of the doors that it opened. Boxing's greatest modern stars such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya were all gold-medal winAthletes who use the gem as a springboard to lucrative contracts, promotions, advertising and television exposure.
Where did this pipeline go and why did she disappear? It's simple: Over the years, the Olympics lost its luster as must-see TV. When the Olympic sports coverage in general was suffering, amateur boxing as well. With this decline, the membership of the U.S. National Boxing Team and the value of boxing gold lost its luster. As a result of television coveragedeclined, and fighters lost this "free" promotional vehicle. With the weakening of this amateur-professional boxing pipeline was often left to cultivate fighters from scratch. The results are mixed, at best.
The biggest benefactors have been basketball or football. Since the early 1900s, boxing is often a "gateway (socio-econmic inclusion)" sport for the disadvantaged, especially ethnic and racial minorities. Dominated early on by theDisenfranchised descendants of Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants and later by African-Americans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, professional boxing in the United States in the past was a platform for members of different ethnic groups world-wide fame and wealth Garner. However, given the importance of sport is gradually increasing over the years (ie after the 80's "golden age"), it was nothing more than an ideal way for athletic fame or wealth to be seen. With their guaranteed contracts andEndorsement opportunities, basketball and football began to trump boxing in the '80s, as a safe and profitable alternative to greener pastures outside the ghetto for many ethnic and racial minorities, which historically dominated the sport.
These same groups, socio-economically, have continued to dominate the sport, but the big difference is that they are increasingly coming from abroad. Much to the chagrin of the major television and cable networks,chauvinistic and some fans, was the sports world sucked into ethnic enclaves - with many American fighters toiling in relative obscurity. The heavyweight division is the largest example, with many Eastern European fighters now dominating the rankings. Muhammad Ali and his "world tour" tendencies - fighting in places like Kinshasa, Zaire against George Foreman to Manila, Philippines against Smokin Joe 'Frazier, a truly globalized the sport for the better. AlthoughAmericans are very inclusive in many ways, we have come to learn that when it comes to boxing in general, and especially heavyweights, they often want their boxers as American as apple pie.
The effect of the networks that has the media and Hollywood sagging popularity of the sport can not be overlooked. Rarely has a balanced picture of the sweet science is given. It is best, boxing is often on the screen as the epitome of the gladiator spirit, described aCaricature, too - with two fighters punching each other to become, until you fall. The worst thing is to hit as the armpit of sports, with exploitative promoters, fixed fights, some bad decisions, criminal athletes represented filled, ring, and deaths. Boxing is frequently than the usual suspects, is on every politician (genuine or not ) would like to point out corruption in the sport. These factors have not helped to reduce the "black eye", the blurred view of the people in the last ten years.
I have alreadymarked the decline of amateur boxing on network television. However, this decrease was not limited to amateurs. As a teenager, I remember just boxing shows nearly every Saturday or Sunday afternoon on ABC's Wide World of Sports, CBS and NBC. Those days are distant memories. The only network boxes that you find are a handful of cards on FOX TV - usually mere showcase fights for the former star boxers (like Mike Tyson or James Toney modified) and is seekingto revive their careers. The explanation that the networks give is that everything comes to Nielsen ratings - that people watch the boxing, as they operate. The question is really asking: Why not? The reasons are varied, but greed and impatience are two of the biggest culprits.
The greed of promoters looking to cash by signing the most lucrative deal for their fighter (s) has created a situation in which everyone is looking so greatPremium cable deal. Instead can build up the long, hard road of fighting for shorter money on network television for a following as many fighters pre-1990, the cable and PPV blessing of the late 80s to early 90s had done, a new arena for fighters fight less often and earn more money. You can not blame the fighters that have Plying the brutal trade in sports, with limited benefits and long-term security. However, this shortsighted business model is driven by the promoters and the cableNetwork chiefs had a negative impact on long-term health of the sport. As the amount has risen from "pay" boxes, the quality of fights has decreased. Because rarely fight schedules, which are charged to protect rusty boxers and carefully selected matches for overly "cash-cow" fighters, boxing fans with victims - in order to see over-priced and over-hype fights that do not live up to its billing . How often have you heard someone say: "I can not believe thatI peel of $ 44.95 for this crap? "
I have the reasons why further chronicled sports world hates the sport, and it becomes more than Senator John McCain's proposal for federal control or "few and far between Take-mega-fights like Oscar De La Hoya v Floyd Mayweather to stem this tide.
How To Stop hate to gain the "love" of boxing to the Olympics a greater awareness of the networks carried them be promoted in order to cultivate AmericanBoxing stars. On the professional level, the networks have to carry more boxing cards in order to compete with the cable networks, including PPV. On the one hand, we know that HBO and Showtime can not the quantity of ABC, CBS and NBC would like - hence the networks competitive advantage. If "free" television has been shown for programmers who know boxing rent, slowly increase ratings among die-hard fan area, which then leads to larger shows - cable television networks would be forced torethink their model presented, which are often single fighter at the expense of many fighters and uses die-hard fans with a glut of pay-per-view cards to fund their line.
If we start here, maybe we can achieve something. When we go do not, my beloved sport the way of the dinosaurs, and it will not create a Steven Spielberg again.
