By nature of the business, boxing cannibilize's itself.

I have tried looking up the historical data to no avail but I believe boxing has not really gone down in popularity per se. I think the continued growth of all other sports has pushed the relatively stagnant boxing out of the way. Not only that, but the predictability of viewership in other sports make them a better business to work with, since the numbers of viewers are more predictable the price to negotiate is easier. I mean how is everyone so sure that boxing is such a smaller business than previous when Floyd has been crushing all previous live gates? And I'm pretty sure that would be if inflation were accounted for, Floyd Pac definitely.

 

It does not compare to other sports either, it is the only one where the athletes have a say in their career course, all other sports athletes have to bow to the will of an organization. You have no idea what the individuals of other sports would do if they had free will/reign, but following the money would give you a very good idea. If you don't think so think how many times we have a seen an athlete from anther sport betray the city "that he loves" to go where there is more money?

 

That's what we as fans want to happen, and like to believe about the athletes but everyone knows it's not the truth. The risk/reward calculation is always being measured by the fighters. The thing/problem is that in boxing they are athletes and businessmen, whereas in other sports they are only athletes...until the contract is up. In boxing they can sign contracts also but, it will typically only indicate a number of fights they will fight for someone, and still not who. It's a nice idea that a fighter will just simply fight the best regardless of what it pays but it's not reality, and to think that it is what makes people angry, confused, frustrated etc.

 

You are correct, it's a catch 22, the biggest best fights that are capable of producing the most new fans are also the fights that are most closed off...apparently boxing cannibalizes itself in even more ways than I previously realized. In those cases we can only hope the hype factor is there, that the job of advertising it as a can't miss event is done. Even then it of course will not get near the viewers that it could've on free tv but what can be done? This is what I was saying in my opening, there is just no magic bullet to grow this sport and people keep acting as if they have the answer or this "person" is the problem. If someone had the answer it would have been implemented long ago.

I just know and accept the fact that the business mirrors the destructiveness of the sport. We're hardcore fans who like to talk about what it takes to grow the sport because we want everyone know to the beauty of it, I understand that. I'm just saying that because of the nature of the sport, and the business that maybe we just have to accept that it has a plateau or very slow moving growth. It doesn't mean we have to stop talking about problems or what can be done to grow it but, we just need to be more mindful of what the problems actually are and aren't.

 

Yeah that'd be nice :good:good