Opinion

Let him box

Tyson fights to get license

By Matt Shaer

Posted on Feb. 25, 2002, at 12:00 a.m.

On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission took the first step to grant Mike Tyson a license, functionally extending the boxer a shot at Lennox Lewis in June that California, Texas, Michigan, Georgia and Nevada had previously refused. While the commission’s decision is by no means a final approval of Tyson’s license, the 3-0 vote in favor of the controversial athlete is viewed by many in the boxing community as proof positive that Tyson will fight again.

The aforementioned states had been reluctant to grant a license to the boxer, whose past includes a three-year prison sentence for rape, a one-year sentence for road-rage assault, a one-year boxing suspension for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight and, most recently, a police investigation into two alleged sexual assault complaints against Tyson. But D.C., an economically and socially damaged city, was long favored to accept Tyson’s request, if only to bring much-needed capita into the town coffers.

“Sept. 11 has changed a lot of things,” vice-chairman of the D.C. Commission said this week. “A lot of hotel and restaurant people are out of work, and this fight would be helpful to the city.”

While Brown’s words ring true for many involved in D.C.’s welfare, not everyone is pleased with the commission decision.

The news conference where Brown announced the commissions decision drew protesters from the National Organization for Women and Kim Gandy, the president of NOW, spoke out yesterday on CNN’s Late-Edition against Tyson’s possible licensing.

That Tyson would be allowed to box in any venue, Gandy argued, is a testament to the values of the violent sport. Additionally, she noted, Tyson has been convicted of rape, and for the boxer to go on display as a public figure would be an insult to women everywhere.

But while it’s impossible to ignore Tyson’s long history of violence and sexual abuse, Gandy would do well to take into consideration the following: 1) Tyson has been convicted, sentenced and jailed for his offenses. Although he is a disgusting human being, he is a disgusting human being who has served his debt to society, and under national law is free to continue his life under his previous form of employment. 2) The athletic world has no shortage of unsavory characters. While Tyson may be of the particularly unsavory brand, fans of the sport watch him for crazy, entertaining athletics, not for moral guidance.

The thin line between role model and athlete rests on a sharp ledge of moral and political deadfall. Mike Tyson is by no means a good guy, but the sport of boxing is not about being a good guy. It’s about fighting for money. Opponents of the boxer’s efforts to fight Lewis this summer should remember that Tyson has never professed any sincere moral aptitude, nor has he attempted to ignore the heinousness of the crimes he committed. He’s here to box, and we’re here to watch.

Matt Shaer is a sophomore journalism and English major.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 25th, 2002, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.