quote:
One of the issues that helped kill boxing (and there are many) is the feminizing of the Olympics. When I was a kid, boxing was one of the main sports covered during the Olympics. So we all knew who Sugar Ray Leonard was. We had been exposed to the Spinks brothers prior to them going pro. Roy Jones was a familiar talent to sports fans before he entered the pro ranks. The Olympics was a boxing minor league and marketing campaign all rolled into one.

Once NBC figured out women would flock in droves to the TV sets to watch all the drama-filled and "artistic" events like gymnastics, rhythmic dancing, diving, etc. it was goodbye, boxing. There aren't a dozen average sports fans who could tell you the last American to win a gold medal in boxing.

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Posted by SoFla Tideroller

South Florida

Member since Apr 2010

30396 posts

Posted on 8/3/23 at 4:50 pm to brgfather129

You honestly don't think having sports fans familiar with, if not downright fans of, boxers prior to them entering the pro ranks was an asset to the sport? Is that really your contention? Sugar Ray Leonard was a bona fide star before he ever drew a paycheck. (He was on a Wheaties box) Hell, that entire 1976 US Olympic boxing team were stars. Go back to the biggest boxing icon of all time, Ali. You don't think the American sports fans wanted to see this brash kid from Louisville, Cassius Clay, after his gold medal performance in Rome?

Now, compare that to today where boxing gets minimal prime time coverage.

I stated that boxing has a lot of issues (decades of Arguments/King chicanery, too many weight classes and organizations), but losing Olympic coverage certainly hurt.

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