Tweet
Do American networks have an obligation to American fighters?
Ive asked this question a lot the past few years, and all this Ward talk has me back at it. it's a tough one to answer.
Elsewhere in, say, England, Germany, Japan, etc. when a fighter is champion, he gets a lot of attention. He gets media coverage, some level of popularity, has drawing power, and his fights are the subject of public interest. Some guys are more popular than others, but the fact remains: they support their champions.
In America, that ain't the case. In America, you have fighters from other countries fighting on high-profile and even PPV cards, while American-born champions (think 147 champ Williams, Bradley as 140 champ, Lamont Peterson, etc) aren't able to fill a bowling alley. America is also a hotbed where fighters come over from all over to world to make their names and become stars (Martinez, Golovkin, etc).
HBO is an American network marketing to a, seemingly shrinking, American audience. That leads us to some tough questions and some conflict of interest:
Should HBO give preference/focus on American fighters? Foreign fighters that are champions/high profile can often make money fighting at home, and chasing American audiences and dollars is merely an option. American fighters, on the other hand, either make it here or not at all.
Back when Hershman was at Showtime, they completely ignored demographics/nationalities and honestly tried to make the best fights. Froch, Kessler, Vic and Nonito, Agbeko, Vasquez and Marquez, etc. all were the main players on the network and the quality of the fights went simply unmatched.
Meanwhile, HBO's blunders in showcasing fighters based on demographics has been well documented (Bradley-Alexander anyone?).
But where does that leave up-and-coming American fighters? If American networks aren't showcasing them, and giving young fighters incentive to turn professional, will there be HBO and Showtime boxing in 10-20 years?
I'm not making an argument here, just looking to open a discussion.
Ive asked this question a lot the past few years, and all this Ward talk has me back at it. it's a tough one to answer.
Elsewhere in, say, England, Germany, Japan, etc. when a fighter is champion, he gets a lot of attention. He gets media coverage, some level of popularity, has drawing power, and his fights are the subject of public interest. Some guys are more popular than others, but the fact remains: they support their champions.
In America, that ain't the case. In America, you have fighters from other countries fighting on high-profile and even PPV cards, while American-born champions (think 147 champ Williams, Bradley as 140 champ, Lamont Peterson, etc) aren't able to fill a bowling alley. America is also a hotbed where fighters come over from all over to world to make their names and become stars (Martinez, Golovkin, etc).
HBO is an American network marketing to a, seemingly shrinking, American audience. That leads us to some tough questions and some conflict of interest:
Should HBO give preference/focus on American fighters? Foreign fighters that are champions/high profile can often make money fighting at home, and chasing American audiences and dollars is merely an option. American fighters, on the other hand, either make it here or not at all.
Back when Hershman was at Showtime, they completely ignored demographics/nationalities and honestly tried to make the best fights. Froch, Kessler, Vic and Nonito, Agbeko, Vasquez and Marquez, etc. all were the main players on the network and the quality of the fights went simply unmatched.
Meanwhile, HBO's blunders in showcasing fighters based on demographics has been well documented (Bradley-Alexander anyone?).
But where does that leave up-and-coming American fighters? If American networks aren't showcasing them, and giving young fighters incentive to turn professional, will there be HBO and Showtime boxing in 10-20 years?
I'm not making an argument here, just looking to open a discussion.
Comment