Vaudeville Modern
Fans booed Mike Tyson and Corey Sanders in their glorified sparring session on Friday night in Youngstown, Ohio. It was the first installment of "The Mike Tyson World Tour," the latest scheme for The Baddest Spendthrift on the Planet to try and make some money to give to the IRS.
Of course, I didn't witness the affair, but the descriptions and the photos make it look as embrassing as one would imagine - the former champ sucking wind, Sanders fatter than James Toney, both of them wearing t-shirts to cover their flab. It can't have been a pretty sight, and yet I wonder... did anyone think it was going to be? Did anyone think it was going to be anything other than exactly what it is?
Back in the golden era of boxing, fans would fork over dough just to see their heroes in the flesh, to see them hit the heavy bag or skip rope or, in the days of Dempsey and Johnson and Jeffries, just to see them say some stupid shit in a vaudeville theater. This Tyson tour reminds me of that in a way. For whatever reason you care to name, Tyson is the last heavyweight who entirely captivated the imagination of the audience. Despite the fact that he is now pathetic and fat and just a living tragedy with a tattoo on his face, people still want to see him in a pair of boxing gloves.
That's fine, almost reassuring. For me, it hearkens back to another age, when a great boxer held a power over the public that stretched far beyond the limits of his prowess in the ring. But look, if you go to see the Tyson Tour, remember - you're paying to see vaudeville and not sport, so don't boo when that's what you get. You don't boo at Burger King when they hand you fast food, do you?
Of course, I didn't witness the affair, but the descriptions and the photos make it look as embrassing as one would imagine - the former champ sucking wind, Sanders fatter than James Toney, both of them wearing t-shirts to cover their flab. It can't have been a pretty sight, and yet I wonder... did anyone think it was going to be? Did anyone think it was going to be anything other than exactly what it is?
Back in the golden era of boxing, fans would fork over dough just to see their heroes in the flesh, to see them hit the heavy bag or skip rope or, in the days of Dempsey and Johnson and Jeffries, just to see them say some stupid shit in a vaudeville theater. This Tyson tour reminds me of that in a way. For whatever reason you care to name, Tyson is the last heavyweight who entirely captivated the imagination of the audience. Despite the fact that he is now pathetic and fat and just a living tragedy with a tattoo on his face, people still want to see him in a pair of boxing gloves.
That's fine, almost reassuring. For me, it hearkens back to another age, when a great boxer held a power over the public that stretched far beyond the limits of his prowess in the ring. But look, if you go to see the Tyson Tour, remember - you're paying to see vaudeville and not sport, so don't boo when that's what you get. You don't boo at Burger King when they hand you fast food, do you?
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