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Media focus on Mike Tyson
By Zach Arnold | September 5, 2006
By Zach Arnold
ESPN aired a segment on the Tuesday edition of their Outside the Lines: First Report show, focusing on the rise and fall of Mike Tyson. The segment, titled Split Decision by Jeremy Schaap, profiled Tyson’s latest antics in Las Vegas and whether or not his retirement from boxing was permanent. Tyson is currently “training” on a daily basis in the lobby of the Aladdin Hotel, right across the Aladdin’s “Wedding Chapel.” Tyson is working out in front of the public for 45 minutes each day, six days a week. Last Saturday, 700 people crowded to watch Tyson spar in a boxing ring at the hotel. The fans were shown popping loudly for whatever Tyson did in the ring. Tyson interacted with the fans on an in-house microphone, along with taking photographs with the fans.
In a sitdown interview, Tyson stressed that he didn’t want to return officially to boxing because such a return would unleash the “old” Mike Tyson, the one who grabbed his crotch and shouted obscenities at people at press conferences. Basically, Tyson doesn’t know what to do with his life and is searching for the answer to what his life means. “I don’t want to fight nobody, I just want to make a buck.” On OTL, Schaap told show host Bob Ley that Americans may be tired of Tyson’s act, but Tyson remains extremely popularity around in the world in places such as Denmark, Asia, and Africa. Tyson is scheduled to do a worldwide exhibition tour in South Africa, Russia, and several other countries.
ESPN held a SportsNation poll on their web site to ask viewers to vote on whether or not they would want to see Tyson in action again. The results:
- 50% said they might watch him if it was on free TV
- 33% said they wouldn’t waste their time watching him
- 17% said they would pay to see him again on TV
Tying in with the Mike Tyson theme, Japan’s Number publication featured a monthly kakutougi article by Takashi Ishizuka on PRIDE’s attempted expansion into the United States. The major points made in the article:
- Mike Tyson is being counted on as the key to expanding PRIDE’s name and awareness in the United States marketplace.
- It’s important to have American stars on the top of cards in order to draw fans in due to patriotism.
- Josh Barnett will be the key American star for PRIDE, especially if he wins the 9/10 Saitama Grand Prix show. However, there is a cloud of suspicion hovering Barnett in regards to steroids and his run-in with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Ishizuka compares Barnett to others with clouds of suspicions about doping (including directly mentioning the names of Justin Gatlin, Marion Jones, and Barry Bonds). The writer is curious if American sports fans are now sensitive to doping issues with athletes and if it might hurt Barnett’s image on a national level.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, MMA, Media, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback | Share This
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