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Tyson/Paul Fight Felt Racially Degrading
Let me start by saying that I have very little empathy for Tyson as a person- with his rape and domestic assault convictions. While he may be a changed man (or so they say), the women he victimized have to live with those scars. So let me be clear on that front. Also I know he signed up for this…
Now onto the bigger picture…my feelings are more so about the optics the situation and the power imbalance. Yes, there is most definitely a power balance.
Something about a young privileged white boy having the ability to call a legend down to the carpet to fight does not sit right with my soul. Paul represents unearned wealth and entitlement. It’s giving- Tyson can be bought, paid for and betted on like a race horse. His body…which should be at rest at his age…getting abused by a young man who has the resources to use human bodies to soothe his ego.
The fact that Tyson stooped to such a low in the first place meant in my mind that he had already lost. NBA and NFL has always felt exploitative to me for similar reasons, but that’s another story for another time.
The other aspect is that boxing is a sport that traditionally has racial implications when it comes to a Black man and a white man boxing each other. There was a time where the boxing ring was the one place where the playing field was truly equal…
