It?s funny how quickly and drastically things have changed within the United States over the past several years. The country went from dot-com boom to bust, real estate boom to bust and now? more busts, burning, and blunders as it pertains to the economy in recent times.
The general public that was riding high from their sky rocketing portfolios and ridiculously priced houses are now in a state of disbelief as billions if not trillions of dollars have essentially evaporated into thin air. It is a sad state of affairs as many of you reading today have surely been either directly or indirectly affected by this current catastrophe taking place.
What does all this have to do with boxing you might ask?
Plenty.
There was a time when boxing flourished during economic depressions being that it was a sport that thrived with the poor and the desolate. Times have changed being that boxing has now become strictly a niche form of entertainment that is generally unaffordable for the middle to lower classes. With the sweet science primarily taking place on premium networks such as HBO & Showtime, it is much more accessible to the affluent than to the ?less affluent? of today.
With the huge economic turmoil surrounding the country, it?d seem that the most visible effect at the top of the boxing echelon would be a decrease in viewership due to an increase in premium network subscription cancellations. I know of plenty of associates that have pulled the plug on HBO due to the rising costs of average goods as well as the unstable nature of today?s workforce. This will obviously affect the potential success of HBO distributed pay-per-views as well as their general ratings scores for B.A.D. and World Championship Boxing programming.
Now let us take a look at the ground level of boxing? the gyms, trainers, and amateur programs scattered around the country.
In many cases, most of these gyms are heavily subsidized through government or state grants in addition to generous philanthropists who have taken a liking to the fistic art of boxing.
What happens not if but when their budgets get cut?
It?s not something that I wish upon any boxing gym as they are indeed the breeding grounds for the future of the sport. Unfortunately based on what we?ve seen in the past and where the priorities are for the future, I?m not so optimistic when it comes to many of the current gyms being able to keep their doors open.
Gyms cost rent, trainers need to support themselves and their families, and boxing as a whole isn?t necessarily as popular as it once was here in America.
Does this lead to the eventual demise of boxing?
Absolutely? not.
It just points to the sport potentially becoming even more niche based down the road unless some dramatic changes take place from the top down and even sideways.
As stated above, historically speaking boxing has thrived throughout times of economic turmoil. It just so happens to be that times have changed and boxing has gone from being ?America?s sport? that the common man could relate to, to a sport marketed to the average blue collar worker that in general cannot afford the product.
A perfect example was this past weekend.
I attended an amateur boxing card in East Oakland this past Saturday. In conversing with the numerous local boxing personalities at the venue, it was quite clear that virtually none of them had subscriptions to either HBO or Showtime. All of these people were heavily immersed in the sport at the grass roots level but yet they were unable to follow it at the top.
All of it was just downright strange if you ask me.
I guess only time will tell whether boxing will once again find a way to flourish under the financial distress of the country.
I?m crossing my fingers that it will but my basic common knowledge tells me that times have definitely changed?
PS. It?s great to see boxing start to gravitate towards putting together shows in major metropolitan areas outside of Sin City. It?s something that will undoubtedly need to occur more frequently as it?s inevitable that boxing crowds will pass on Vegas trips due to their expensive nature. Two nights & airfare hover around the $800 mark. That doesn?t include tickets?
