The Sport of Boxing Not Looking So Evil
By Keith Terceira
Boxing in recent decades has been kicked to the curb by the general public due mainly to the focus of main stream media on the few bad apples (promoters and fighters) and rather than balance the coverage the majority of print and television companies stopped reporting anything that was good in our sport, choosing to pander to other professional sports.
For example during what is now being called the steroid era of Major League Baseball, investigative reporters suddenly lost their need to be investigative and began operating as public relations officers for the teams in there assigned cities.
More than a decade of record shattering homeruns and inflated strikeouts numbers without so much as a whisper of steroid use. After the baseball strike it seemed that reporters covering baseball were more concerned with toting the MLB party line then investigating the sudden transformation in MLB players from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk. It was only after baseball was back that these brilliant college educated media hounds noticed the before and after HGH photo’s hanging in the Balco waiting room were wearing MLB uniforms.
The major media was more interested in the fact that baseball had saved itself from the disaster of the strike and the butts were back in the stadiums, than exactly how it was done. Reporters were relieved that they were not going to be reassigned to covering flower shows or bowling leagues. There were whispers of usage but no great breaking stories that snowballed into national coverage . Thanks to Balco, the Jose Conseco book, and the resulting congressional hearings, baseball may be putting fans in the seats but its reputation and records for 2 decades are suspect for eternity.
With the likelihood that neither Hank Aaron or Commissioner Bud Selig being present when Balco Barry smears the most coveted record in baseball. Let’s get real folks when your personal trainer would rather go to jail multiple times instead of testifying in court it don’t help your pleading of innocence. Thank God, that A-Rod will most likely restore the record to where it belongs in the future, with a class act in the mold of Hammering Hank.
Yesterday another poster boy, this time for the NFL, Michael Vick pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges relating to his alleged roll in a dog fighting ring and today it is being reported that this is just the beginning of criminal charges coming down the road for the leagues second best jersey seller. There is still a drug related issue being investigated. All across the country Vick jerseys are being put in moth balls out of fear that buckets of blood will be tossed at wearers by PETA. A right usually reserved for fur wearing blue bloods on Park avenue.
Perhaps the new jersey in Atlanta will be a pit bull X’ed out with the saying “Vick likes it Doggy Style” (copy written folks).
The kennel full of people being rounded up with Vick in this matter may have one missing mad dog when the pooper scooper is through because reports are that someone has turned states evidence to save himself from a stretch in the slammer, it may even be one of Vick’s own family members.
Throw in PacMan Jones, Tank Williams, and a variety of other less than stellar characters recently and what you have is a great big shiner for America’s most watched sport. After 48 years of witnessing the fist in the eye of boxing, the bully has finally found different marks. Ricky "Zig Zag" Williams (nickname not from his running style) still fades in and out the news more often than a pothead fades in and out of consciousness.
Of the big three the NBA has got to be in the worst position as it battles Michael Vick for top dog in the headlines.
In the Damage Control League it looks like David Stern has taken a slight lead over MLB Bud Selig, NFL Roger Goodell, and the newest member of the boob crew Falcon's owner Arthur Blank. Blank is now having the explain just how he could have shipped Matt Schaub out and go with the guy who was flipping off fans and having secret compartments in pot bottles.
Trials involving Kobe Bryant, Jason Williams, and fans being attacked in the Pistons game brawl were only a few of the problems that the NBA faced over the past few years. Now of course we have Commissioner David Stern doing damage control regarding an alleged betting scandal involving referee Tim Donaghy.
Yesterday’s press conference was more cover your asparagus than apologetic to fans especially to the Phoenix Suns fans who I suspect will be in a further uproar when the smoke finally clears in this matter. As with Bonds, Vick, and Donaghy the federal government doesn’t get involved to often unless they can actually prove a case and then they rarely lose when they go to trial. For Bonds, big brother is still working on his case.
Here are a couple of quotes from Stern’s press conference yesterday
Q: If I'm reading you right, is it yet to be determined whether Donaghy made calls that affected outcomes of the games?
Stern: I don't think you have to read me. You can ask me. I mean, what I said was my understanding is, that he is currently that the current state is that he's I have to choose my words carefully. His current state is what we are dealing with is betting and providing information. I don't know about any charges or any discussions or anything else with regard to fixing of games.
“We understand that the relevant time period being investigated is the past two seasons; that is, 2005 2006, and 2006 2007. I can tell you that during that period of time, Mr. Donaghy refereed 139 regular season games, eight playoff games, and four preseason games.
The fact of the matter is Donaghy was a disruptive character beginning in 2005 according to Stern.
“Now, with respect to Mr. Donaghy, in 19 in January of 2005, it came to the NBA's attention that he was involved in disputes with his neighbor which resulted in the filing of litigation in or about West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he resided. We hired an investigator to look into that through our security office, and looked at the allegations in the complaint. It had to do strictly with a dispute, and we had occasion to call Mr. Donaghy in where he informed us in January of 2005 that we he informed us that the allegations against him were untrue, and that he was the person that was being harassed by his neighbor, not as alleged by the neighbor, that he was harassing the neighbor."
"At that time, and as part of that investigation, there was an allegation made by two of our investigators on the ground, which by that time we had retained the Arkin Group to continue the investigation. Somebody suggested that he had gambled at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, at either the gaming tables or card games, I can't remember which one. There's no sports betting in Atlantic City."
"He had denied that he did that. We checked not only the Borgata, but every casino in Atlantic City and in Las Vegas to determine whether he had any presence in any of those places, and all of our investigation came up negative.”
I have one question for David Stern after you were investigating gambling in AC by Donaghy in 2005 and red flags were raised why didn’t your security people notice Donaghy leading the league in technical fouls called and say “DAH” . Perhaps that is why your security people are EX-FBI agents.
No sports betting in AC, there is sports betting in every city in America, Mr. Stern, just maybe not legalized sports betting.
It is now ten years since Mike Tyson cannibalized Evander Holyfield at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and boxing’s “Baddest (in more than one manner ) Man on the Planet” has rightly faded from the limelight. And except for the PacMan-Murad Muhammad civil issue, which was perpetrated mainly by a out of country manager things have been more or less quiet on the boxing home front. That’s not to say that former and current fighters haven’t had their legal issues it’s just that they seem now to be on the same par as the rest of the country and not as headline material as the ones above.
Perhaps its just that things are beginning to even out in coverage and people can now see there are good and bad in all the world. Not just the sport of boxing.
Looking for Investors;
I am looking for investors in a new concept in boxing. Fighters will compete in 4 ounce fingerless gloves (about the weight of a good handwrap) and are allowed to throw their opponents to the ground to end the round and score points on its style.
We can hold the fights in a cage anywhere, your back yard, cow pastures, factories, or some dockside barge in a bay near you. Not quite original, the fact is it’s boxing in the 1800’s and earlier. You know, the age of the sweet science that was outlawed and forced underground until it had to evolve into a more civilized sport to be accepted by society.
Seems we have come full circle and society has turned a blind eye, where is the AMA, where are all the soccer moms that seemed to have had all the time to persecute boxing in the eighties. Where is all the major media that crucified the sport for the last two decades.
I can tell you.
They are kissing the UFC’s backside for interviews, press passes, ringside seats and television dates.
If history tells us anything it is only a matter of time before society and the major media outlets turns a malicious eye on MMA.
Keith Terceira is a long time staff writer for Boxingscene.com and a weekly contributor to TalkinBoxing with Billy C on TPSRadio.net.