Comments Thread For: Arum: Majority of Americans Wants Pacquiao To Win

[ReIoaded]

Ur a pretty uneducated fella if u think appointing a black dude as President tried to ERASE the thought of racism, it perpetuated it or are u from a place where this doesnt exist, cuz if so id like to visit ur city of residence homie

I live in Los Angeles. I am aware of the racism here. I just have no interest in participating in such a primitive social game. All ethnicities experience racism in some form. When it happens to me, my attitude is simply to recognize that the racist person has yet to evolve in their thinking. This doesn't mean racism is non-existent, but this attitude really helps me treat racism lightly and to the point of it being other peoples problems and not my own allowing me to focus my energy on more productive thoughts.

I look at racists the same as I look at primates at the zoo. The people who play that race game are like our primitive neathandral ancestors who refuse to evolve. And when you see how many people blame Mayweather's skin color for the hate he receives, it is obvious that many posters here are using the computer at the zoo.

[JoeKidd]

Not true. Arum underestimates the American patriotism. How many non-Filipinos do you see chasing Pacquiao in his runs? And how many Americans bought his PPV when fighting in Macau?

[BOXEO _]

This is true.

I talked to 10 black guys today and 9 of them said they want Manny to win.

Americans love Pac.

[MELLY-MEL...]

This is true.

I talked to 10 black guys today and 9 of them want Manny to win.

Americans love Pac.

Pretty much everyone loves pac. Well, everyone that matters.

[BOXEO _]

Pretty much everyone loves pac. Well, everyone that matters.

True, the love for Pac is universal.

[sirron000]

True, the love for Pac is universal.

It's universal until it is time to buy his PPV. And I can safely say you are lying on 9 out of 10 black guys.

[Mooshashi]

I am a bona fide white person. I will be for Floyd because he is an American fighing for the USA way of life vs the foreign invader.

[paulf]

Pacquiao drew attention to boxing like we havent seen in years, and then proceeded to let the fans way the fuck down. Turned down the drug test, took a bunch of bull**** fights, got lazy as hell, and overall let everyone down. The average fan person doesn't care about Pacquiao any more, and a hell of a lot of them resent him because they thought Pac was going to be different from all the rest.... but after spending their hard-earned dollars to see him fight the likes of Clottey, Mosley, and Margarito, well, they learned that wasnt the case.

He let everyone down. And you know what? He's just a man, he shouldnt be expected to carry all of that on his shoulders for years just because he beat DLH. But the fact remains that he did not live up to what everyone was expecting.

But.... this fight is a chance for him to wipe away all of that. If he beats Mayweather, the fans, the public, and many of his harshest critics will be singing his praises the rest of their lives.

This is it: Manny wins, it will be 2009 all over again.

He loses? He'll be despised.

[Nic-NC]

I think this is actually a much more intriguing conversation than what is happening here. Has multiculturalism surpassed nationalism, or is Mayweather just that big of a scumbag? American boxing superiority is at stake here.

Well you're asking a rather loaded question without much possibility to definitively answer it. In terms of multiculturalism vs nationalism, I think most people are inclined to have their sport loyalties gravitate towards the local, or the country athlete. However post the 1970's or so, at least in America, there began to be an exploration into other cultures and less of a steadfast support for whomever the athlete is that lives in the same borders. Especially in combat sports. Now that doesn't mean America still doesn't enjoy a roaring "USA! USA!" chant, but as many of the top athletes in the world began gravitating towards our shores for the purposes of training at the best locations with the top trainers, and they began to fight more and more in our cities, they become almost adopted on a national level.

Manny hasn't had a single fight in the Philippines since 2006. Meanwhile the bulk of his money has been earned in fights in Vegas, he trains with Roach out in LA, and he's become a fan favorite to many Americans because they appreciate his style, or his personality, or whatever it is they find agreeable about him. On the reverse side of this coin, we have Floyd, an American born fighter who has openly talked about cultivating a persona to hype and sell tickets and buys with the knowledge people want to see him lose the 0. To barrow from pro wrestling lingo, Mayweather is a prototypical "heel" - the guy who's on top of the world, has the money, the record, the fame, and the skills to back it up and isn't afraid to be "hated" because he knows that translates to more ticket sales. All the flashy things he does are to garner attention, do you really think when cameras aren't rolling he tosses hundred dollar bills around like they are confetti? No, it's an act. So we have an instance where America has grown to love one fighter who was born out of the country, facing another fighter who they dislike who was born within the same country.

Someone earlier brought up the Yankees analogy with Money, and it's quite fitting. I know born and bred New Yorkers who HATE the Yankees, and are either Mets fans, or Phillies fans, or take your pick really...so come World Series (not recently, obviously) just because the Yankees are in the finals doesn't mean they are suddenly going to abandon their years of built up animosity just because the locals are involved. Same concept at play here.

So I don't think this is a sign that nationalism or patriotism is on the decline, merely that the narrative of these two athletes have been established for years now, and neither one particularly plays up their nation of birth in terms of why this fight is significant. Obviously Pac is going to carry a sweeping sense of support from the Philippines as the country has rallied behind him both in terms of boxing, politics, and even letting him and his laughably poor basketball skills be excused in exchange for being the National Hero. Mayweather seems far more content to be enveloped in celebrity culture, which works for some fans and sours others.

As for this fight holding American Boxing superiority in the balance? Ehhhh, I'd argue we lost the image of being the boxing power house quite a while ago. I've long said, it is going to take a dominate American Heavyweight Champion again to actually reignite the level of attention and fervor it would require for a country to become a super power in the sports world.

[Street]

Did Arum make a consensus poll and ask every American? Or is he only speaking out of his a** as usual?

As an American, I always root for the home team. In this case, that would be Floyd Mayweather Jr.

I am not racist, I am not jealous, I do not hate. He represents The Stars and Stripes.

They will wave two flags but only one will stand.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will proof through the night of May 2 that our flag will still be there.