Politics cut across all social institutions, even those which we too frequently feel are immune from political underpinnings, such as athletics. Obviously, this will be all the more transparent when this summer’s Olympic Games commence in Beijing, China.
Among the innumerable variables that have played into American sporting politics, race has always been a major factor, and boxing exemplifies this racialized history as well as any other sport.
At the turn of the twentieth century, Jack Johnson won boxing's heavyweight crown, making him the first African American to do so. With his athletic success, Johnson found himself the most hated man in America.
Flaunting an affinity for white women, Johnson was characterized by white America as an example of African Americans’ so-called danger in society as a whole to white women’s “purity.” Thus, boxing promoters at that time worked desperately to find “the great white hope” who could dethrone Johnson and symbolically prove African Americans’ alleged racial inferiority.
They were unsuccessful. Instead, Johnson was arrested in 1913 and charged with offenses falling under the White Slave Traffic Act of 1910, known more commonly as the Mann Act.
According to Sammons (1990), “the law was so worded that any man who crossed a state line with a woman other than his wife and had sex with her could be prosecuted” (p. 43). Not surprisingly, white men committing the same offense were never charged with this crime.
Skip up to the 1960s and the era of Muhammad Ali. Like Johnson, Ali was initially despised by conservative white America. Ali, however, was hated more for his open disdain for American prejudice and his association with the Nation of Islam.
Hence, the strategy used to bring down Ali was to identify a more politically compliant African American heavyweight boxer who would defeat Ali and symbolize what conservative Americans wanted from the general African American populace during the Civil Rights Movement.
After the U.S. government stole what would likely have been Ali’s best sporting years, Joe Frazier (who was hardly patriotic) and George Foreman were utilized, ultimately unsuccessfully, in this manner.
By the time the 1980s rolled around, boxing began to expand in racial dynamics, seen first through the emergence of Mexican and Chicano boxers. From Roberto Duran to Oscar De La Hoya, boxing saw a huge surge in the number of prominent boxers whose familial ties were rooted in Mexico.
And in the years following, boxing’s international composition grew to the point where today, the average American sports fan barely recognizes names of those who hail as champions in the “sweet science.”
Moving from heavyweight (the Ukranian, Wladimir Klitschko) to junior lightweight (the Filipino, Manny Pacquiao), boxing’s various organizations are comprised of many athletes who do not resonate strongly with large pockets in American society.
8 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
rae duhaime about 1 year ago
Awsome article! extremely well writen!
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stu pane about 1 year ago
good article, im curious why u used a picture of jason "mayhem" miller? what does he have to do with this?or is this the only mma picture u could find?
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David Mayeda about 1 year ago
The picture is from the cover of my book, so I just used it by default. I would have put a picture of Kimbo up, but I don't have legal permission to do so. I do have pictures of African American mixed martial artists that are in my book, such as Antonio McKee and "Rampage," but they're not really discussed in the article.
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Matt McEwen about 1 year ago
Excellently written article.
Is the promotion of Kimbo really racist though? I think that seeing racism behind marketing a black man as the face of a company reveals as much about the viewer as it does the promotion.
Wouldn't it be more condescending and racist to try and ignore the street fighting past and say "Hey, Kimbo is even odder than that.....he's a SMART, scary looking black man."?
Not once while watching anything Kimbo related have I felt that he's being presented in a racist way. If anything, he's being presented in such a positive light that even the casual person who knows him only from Youtube would get a sense that he's a lot more than a street thug.
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David Mayeda about 1 year ago
You bring up some excellent points, and there is a kind of precedent. One of the things that conservatives thought made Ali so dangerous was his physical and intellectual capabilities. As you mention with Kimbo, it would be a different kind of racism to market him as a menace to society on both those levels. I don’t think EliteXC is using overt racist marketing strategies with Kimbo. I do think that they are drawing upon pockets of society that still desire to see a big, African American male engage in raw violence. They should acknowledge his past street fights, as they are part of his life and part of his path to MMA. However, there also needs to be much greater emphasis by EliteXC and Kimbo himself which says staunchly to the general public (not just to internet-savvy MMA fans) that those actions are in the past, that he’s separated himself from them, and now he’s learning a complex sport. In fact, that’s actually what’s happening. Those who follows MMA closely know Kimbo is working hard with Rutten. But to the first time viewer, there’s still a much stronger association with his Miami street fights, and that’s the main marketing tool being utilized to entice new fans. I don’t think that’s a good thing for MMA or African Americans. There is good media - I thought the article on Kimbo in ESPN the Magazine was great.
Finally, for those who may read this and think I’m suggesting Kimbo is MMA’s Muhammad Ali, I’m not saying that at all. There’s a few comparable aspects between them, that’s all. For all that Kimbo has to offer, Ali was far more dynamic and influential on society than Kimbo.
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CJ Daconta about 1 year ago
I think Kimbo is no where close to a stupid black guy. He seems very educated and well spoken. I just think he is a shit fighter.
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george house about 1 year ago
JESSE JACKSON IS NOT THE EMPEROR OF BLACK PEOPLE!
having said that, your comment: "Yes, violence sells and racism sells. That's precisely the problem, so stop perpetuating the problem simply to rake in more money. "
you do realize that YOU are part of the problem. unfortunately racism can make you money, but being racist means you want separation of people, places and things. im not sure if anyone here has been confronted with racism. some people say that ignoring the problem wont make it go away. but when is the last time anyone has heard of Gabe Ruediger? sometimes when you ignore a problem, it DOES go away. nice article and all, but helping out....... you are not.
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boxer about 1 year ago
to me mma is nothing more than street fighting with rules that benefit a wrestler or grappler. even bruce lee commented on ground fighting sayin it is great for tournaments but not practical in a street brawl because it does not prevent eye gouging or groin strikes etc etc. wrestlers and martial artists ever have needed a forum to "prove" their worth in a real fight and mma provides just that. however, if you put marvin hagler in his prime against bj penn in a street fight bj would either wake up after getting knocked out or be missing an eye or worse. as a profesional champion boxer, someone like hagler or mayweather is going to throw close to a million punches per month. a m-tai, or ju jitz or wrestler will never come close to training his kicks and punches in this volume. thus unless he is allowed for a take down, he gets knocked down. i would go out and raise hell with marvin or duran before i would with bj because in the street it ain't even close take em down and lose an eye, stand up and lose their teeth.
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