What About The Victims? |
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| Written by A Woman Who Loves Boxing | |||
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Thursday, 17 May 2012 15:44
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I have studied boxing from the perspective of a woman being initiated and integrated into the sport as a fan. I have learned that boxing is full of outstanding young men and women, who honor their families, their countries and themselves with the hard work, tenacity and the gutty spirit it takes to be a fighter. What’s not to love about all that? My previous columns amounted in effect to endorsements of the sport. Like all sports, boxing has its share of good guys and bad guys. It certainly has its share of those who have dallied on the wrong side of the law. Some of them have been guests of state prison systems. I have great respect for men like Bernard Hopkins, who have paid for their misdeeds against society and have come out dedicated to excellence. I found myself pondering all of this as I watched the May 4 weigh-in for the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto. The state of Nevada allowed Floyd to postpone serving a jail term so he could fight Miguel and earn a reported minimum purse of $32 million. Hundreds of local school children and their teachers and parents filed into the arena to watch the weigh-in spectacle. These beautiful children and their teachers and parents cheered for Floyd, their hometown hero, the world’s most highly regarded competitive prizefighter, and worshipped at the feet of his unbeaten record. If they had watched or read only the promotional hype leading up to the fight, it would be easy to understand why their adulation was directed his way. As HBO’s 24/7 has made clear over and over these past few years, Floyd is close to unbeatable in the ring, earns so much money that he can literally throw it around to get attention, and lives a life so free that he thinks nothing of spouting the vilest profanities and insults imaginable, sometimes in front of his very young children. As any in his entourage might observe with a grin, “It’s all good.” I don’t think that it’s all good. It bothered me to watch as impressionable children were led in chanting and cheering for Floyd by their parents and teachers. Is his money so good that not one adult among them bothered to hold a hand aloft and, in a single moment of cautionary thought, point out that Floyd just recently pled guilty to assaulting the mother of his own children right before their eyes? I can understand a child’s glee in seeing an undefeated athlete in person. But is Floyd really the type of person these parents and teachers want to hold out as a role model for their children? In the wake of Mayweather vs. Cotto, almost everyone is talking about Floyd. Some even talk about the fact that he is about to go to jail.But who is talking about his victims? After a long line of arrests and citations for domestic violence, battery against women, and other charges-- many of which resulted in fines, time served and/or community service-- Floyd Mayweather is finally going to jail. But HBO devotes massive amounts of airtime allowing him to assert that he is guilty of nothing and merely copped a plea to spare his children the stress of a trial. Other media outlets pay similar homage. And those around him glorify him for this. When will there be a voice for Josie Harris or any of Floyd’s other victims? Just once, I would like to fill an arena with young girls and boys of all ages and have the victims of the crimes which Floyd has been found guilty of in court, appear and speak. I would like to give the victims lighting and make-up and the benefit of being interviewed by a renowned college professor while being accompanied by pop and hip-hop stars. I would like to help Floyd’s victims suggest to our children how to not be victims of violence and how to not be violators. Floyd received endless hours of media attention that served to puff him up. It might have looked good on TV. But to me, it looked like a bad moment for the sport I have grown to love. If you can’t bring an end to painfully bad ringside scoring or unfortunate mismatches, why not clean this up?Stop glorifying common criminals in the eyes of impressionable young fans who don’t yet know enough to be disillusioned? Boxing and the media should not glorify the criminal until he has actually gone to jail, paid his debt to his victims and society, and shown some remorse. deepwater says: I wish there really was a pot of old at the end of the rainbow but there's not. Life isn't fair , just adapt and move on. The fact of the matter is cash rules everything around .may weather may not be the worst guy in th world ,he may act like a fool and kiss 50 cents *** but it seems on the scale of things he makes up his nonsense with charity. He took a nice beating for once against cotto and I will give him his due but he really should stop acting the fool and act like the champ. Zab Judah can get away with street fights because his friends have automatics but Floyd should be careful because acting like a thug can be bad when you have 100 million and the other people see an opening ali says: Deepwater well put.. ali says: Deepwater well put.. amayseng says: It is not surprising in this day and age where there are no more morals and values. A WOMAN JUDGE postponed floyds jail time in order for floyd to make 40 million and the city to benefit from the fight financially.. aljamieson says: A rich, highly skilled douchebag is still a douchebag. Money Jay says: Wait a mintue, he ain't kill nobody. I highly doubt he was beating his baby mama too. His hands are legal weapons. Any dude with a baby mama has had some drama to speak of...Now, Money is my dude, but he should clean up his image, Floyd is missing out on a lot more money. He really has no endorsements to speak of....I think I've seen him in a sportscenter commercial, but that's it. He's the highest paid athlete out right now, with no major endorsement deal. That's crazy when you think about it.....He has a household name, but he's not marketable because of his arrogrance. He's needs a better PR team. Burning $100's in the club..I mean he literally was burning $100's in the club. Who does that? In a recession? With people losing their jobs, and homes. Not a good look. amayseng says: Wait a mintue, he ain't kill nobody. I highly doubt he was beating his baby mama too. His hands are legal weapons. Any dude with a baby mama has had some drama to speak of...Now, Money is my dude, but he should clean up his image, Floyd is missing out on a lot more money. He really has no endorsements to speak of....I think I've seen him in a sportscenter commercial, but that's it. He's the highest paid athlete out right now, with no major endorsement deal. That's crazy when you think about it.....He has a household name, but he's not marketable because of his arrogrance. He's needs a better PR team. Burning $100's in the club..I mean he literally was burning $100's in the club. Who does that? In a recession? With people losing their jobs, and homes. Not a good look. "he aint kill nobody''? uh, his kids are growing up or enduring abusive and traumatic situations. money cant heal a traumatized and troubled childhood. i know floyd is your boy, you use an avatar of his name, it is safe to say that he is your hero. There is no excuse for abusing children or women. and yes we all know hell hath no fury like a woman scorn. women can be crazy. it is still no excuse.. floyd at 35 should no better, he isnt 16. you do make some good points at the end of your statement though deepwater says: what about cheap *** berto testing + for roids? come on victor. tell berto he should take more steroids because you will whoop him and victor contes a$$ brownsugar says: Misery loves company,... and this is just another miserable article from probably another otherwise stellar journalist who decided it's time to jump on the Floyd hating band wagon (which many are hopping off of after his fight with Cotto). Radam G says:
Wow! Sympathy knows no type -- good or bad. Some people have sympathy for Charles Manson. Some people have sympathy for his victims.
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A Woman was left feeling saddened that our culture of celebrity worship has bestowed heroic status on Floyd Mayweather, and given precious little attention to people he has hurt.
I wish there really was a pot of old at the end of the rainbow but there's not. Life isn't fair , just adapt and move on. The fact of the matter is cash rules everything around .may weather may not be the worst guy in th world ,he may act like a fool and kiss 50 cents *** but it seems on the scale of things he makes up his nonsense with charity. He took a nice beating for once against cotto and I will give him his due but he really should stop acting the fool and act like the champ. Zab Judah can get away with street fights because his friends have automatics but Floyd should be careful because acting like a thug can be bad when you have 100 million and the other people see an opening