Boxing and The Rest: Bleacher Report Gives Boxing Fans a Wakeup Call

There is no hiding the fact that boxing has lost its former greatness in the eyes of the average sports fan. 

While there is no lone reason for its drop, boxing has suffered from boring matches, the heavyweight division, and an increased popularity in martial arts related sports. 

However, among hardcore sports fans, things must be different.  Right? 

Real sports fans would know that boxing is still one of the top sports of all times.  It would be a disgrace to the legends of this sport to put boxing in the same category as MMA and Formula 1 racing.

But this nightmare has become a reality as of late. 

I have noticed that whenever someone submits a boxing article on Bleacher Report, the number of reads are significantly less than most other types of articles.  Now, I am not saying that the popularity of boxing should be similar to that of baseball or basketball, but Bleacher Report sure seems to give boxing a raw deal.

Do not worry, boxing fans.  I think I have found the reason for all our suffering.

The reason for the limited number of reads for most boxing articles has to do with their accessibility.  While most sports have links to their homepage located on the top navigational bar displayed on the Bleacher Report homepage, the boxing link is hidden from view. 

Boxing, along with cricket, rugby, and CFL are thrown to the bottom of the homepage, under the heading “The Rest.” 

Am I the only person on Bleacher Report who is upset that boxing is grouped with rugby, cricket, and CFL (not to mention three other categories which are not even sports)?

Come on, people.  You cannot put boxing below the Canadian Football League!  That’s like putting FIFA below the Arena Football League. 

I recently posted a note to the creator of Bleacher Report, Dave Nemetz, and suggested “moving the boxing link (which is now at the bottom of the homepage) near the top with some of the more popular sports. I find it hard to believe that boxing compares in popularity to CFL, cricket, and rugby."

Dave Nemetz responded quickly to my post.

“I feel your pain about the Boxing section. The issue right now is how often the section gets updated. Typically we won't add a sport to the top navigate bar until it is getting updated with new articles several times per day. So the best advice I can give is to keep writing and encourage your fellow boxing writers to do the same. In due time, boxing will make it up to the top.”

There you have it boxing fans! Can it be any clearer?

In order to gain respect for boxing on Bleacher Report, we must write more articles at a greater frequency. 

Articles can be about anything dealing with the sweet science.  From rankings to fight predictions, from your favorite fighters to the ones you cannot stand. 

I feel that it is our obligation as fight fans, to remove boxing from the degrading “The Rest” group, and into the elite sports found at the top of the homepage.