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January 05, 2005
Future Considerations
The question that would plague boxing and keep it up at night, if boxing were a single entity that needed to sleep and not a badly organized money-bleeding last-chance saloon for various hangers-on with severe self-confidence issues, is this: where does boxing fit into the modern world? The word "modern" is so thorny that you can't even use it without inviting in its hard-drinking friends (Mr. Pre, Mr. Post, and Mr. Quote End-quote), though, so let's try it with a slightly retro feel: what is boxing in the sports world of today? But this sounds stupid. "Why do certain artist-types gravitate toward boxing" is essentially the same question, or part of it, but won't give us the answer we want. Ditto "Where is boxing still popular?" and "Why can't I see boxing on TV for free except on Univision," which is a loaded question, because there's nothing stopping you from watching Univision or Telemundo — or, if you're lucky, your local Spanish-language affiliate.
But the question sticks. Is boxing something left over from a world in which we no longer live? Is this why the penny-ante corruption that'll always stick like barnacles to the hull of any sport has become, in essence, boxing's exoskeleton? What kid wants to be a boxer, when almost any other sport offers a better chance of success? Does boxing have a future and if so what is it? The answer, I'd contend, lies in framing the question right, which is what we're trying to do here, at our own slow pace.
Posted by jd at January 5, 2005 03:29 PM
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