Does Wilder prove the argument all the great American HW's went to other sports?

[The D3vil]

I wasn't arguing Rugby over NFL. Mind you, I'm not sure I can consider those guys athletes - they're built for a very specific purpose. They're not much use anywhere else at 6'5 and 320 pound.

You were arguing that Rugby players aren't taking talent from boxing.

I'm telling you there are 6'9" blokes with athletic ability running around Rugby pitches.

Let's face it, boxing champions overcome very small talent pools to get where they are. The best prospective talent all over the world goes into other sports.

I disagree.

The point of the thread is that once the NBA & NFL started handing out $100 million contracts, the best athletes stopped boxing in America, which is true.

In Rugby, the highest paid player (Israel Folau) only makes about $2 million per year.

Danny Jacobs probably takes home more money than him.

If that dude and other dudes could box they would because it would be financially worth it for them.

It's not worth it when guys in the NFL make $140 million with $65 million guaranteed and in the NBA guys are about to start taking home $300 million

[Toffee]

I disagree.

The point of the thread is that once the NBA & NFL started handing out $100 million contracts, the best athletes stopped boxing in America, which is true.

In Rugby, the highest paid player (Israel Folau) only makes about $2 million per year.

Danny Jacobs probably takes home more money than him.

If that dude and other dudes could box they would because it would be financially worth it for them.

It's not worth it when guys in the NFL make $140 million with $65 million guaranteed and in the NBA guys are about to start taking home $300 million

Only $2 million? (Actually he makes zero right now but that's another story).

The pay reflects the market and how unlikely it is to get there. America has a huge population compared to Australia. So yes they get paid more.

But you think the local Aussie kid with sporting ability and decent genetics is worrying whether his wage would 'only' be $2m a year if he made it? Nah, he's playing Aussie Rules, Rugby League or Rugby Union. Maybe even soccer.

He only boxes if his Dad's mad for the sport, he's got a local gym, and he fancies it.

Exactly the same as in America. And everywhere else.

You reckon if the contracts dropped from $100 million to $80 million we'd get more kids boxing? $70 million? $60 million? That's not why kids stopped boxing. They stopped because no-one cares about it anymore. America lost interest.

A big kid can just take it up once he's failed to make the grade. Just look at the current heavyweight division.

[The D3vil]

Only $2 million? (Actually he makes zero right now but that's another story).

The pay reflects the market and how unlikely it is to get there. America has a huge population compared to Australia. So yes they get paid more.

But you think the local Aussie kid with sporting ability and decent genetics is worrying whether his wage would 'only' be $2m a year if he made it? Nah, he's playing Aussie Rules, Rugby League or Rugby Union. Maybe even soccer.

He only boxes if his Dad's mad for the sport, he's got a local gym, and he fancies it.

Exactly the same as in America. And everywhere else.

You reckon if the contracts dropped from $100 million to $80 million we'd get more kids boxing? $70 million? $60 million? That's not why kids stopped boxing. They stopped because no-one cares about it anymore. America lost interest.

A big kid can just take it up once he's failed to make the grade. Just look at the current heavyweight division.

Eh, the kids stopped boxing once guys started making millions of dollars, period.

In the '70s the average NFL salary was $23,000, while Muhammad Ali was making millions.

Dudes in the NFL used to have to work regular jobs in the offseason up until the '80s.

Salaries escalated extremely quickly with the rise of cable TV

By 1986, the average salary was $198,000

By 1993, it was $800,000.

So, it's not like it was a gradual thing, like professional team sports players went from virtual poverty to being the most famous, highest paid athletes (especially once Nike started handing out crazy money in endorsements)

So yeah, that's how the culture changed.

If the NFL was still handing out 5 or 6 figure per year deals, then you'd better believe you'd have a heavyweight boxing division full of guys who want to make millions, but now they can already do that.

There's a long history of Black people in America dominating heavyweight boxing, so it's ingrained in our culture, that's why the theory exists. Those kids more than likely WOULD have been led toward boxing, but instead were led toward things that would allow them to make just as much or more money safer.

There's not a long history of Australians dominating any type of boxing, which is why that theory doesn't exist