Boxing Deserves Popularity

Nearly four decades ago, boxers such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier attracted thousands of fans worldwide. "Anyone could have told you who the heavyweight champion was back in the day, but nowadays I can't even name three boxers," says Tommy Floyd, a male from Griffin, Georgia.

"Everyone knows who Ali is," says Sandra Campus, a female from Winder, Georgia.

Many years ago, boxing aired on CBS, NBC, and ABC, which were the three major network stations at that time. Now, though, boxing is barely even mentioned on these stations. The reason for this is because of the Nielson Ratings. According to the Nielson Ratings, Americans do not watch boxing as much as they use to.

According to posters on Yahoo! Answers, a public message board, there are several reasons for this. A few reasons why people are not attracted to boxing include the brain damage that boxing can create, the lack of sportsmanship in the past two decades, and even the fact that now there are several different divisions, each of which claims to have the champion.

I believe that boxing is still a sport worth viewing, and it has potential to gain back a lot of the popularity it has lost.

Boxing is an easy sport to follow and keep up with. The rules are extremely straight-forward, and this could make the sport more fun to watch. Also, the sport is very fast-paced. There are up to fifteen three minute rounds, and the fighters have to stay on their guard at all times. Boxers are some of the most physically fit athletes in the world, and it can be stunning to watch their techniques. Lastly, there are new programs that twist boxing into reality television shows.
The Contender, which airs on ESPN, is a reality television show in which several people compete in a tournament to decide which person is the best boxer. Reality shows like have been popular throughout the past decade, and I believe many people would enjoy The Contender if they tuned in on ESPN.

According to Yahoo! Answers, boxing can once again reign as a popular sport among Americans. One poster on the website says, "Get rid of the notion that boxing is fueled by the heavyweight division." There are talented athletes who would be fun to watch, but the higher-ups in the boxing world place heavy-weights in the spotlight.

Also, one obvious way to regain popularity would be to receive attention on national television again. If boxing events were shown on CBS, NBC, and ABC, more people would watch, because these stations are cheaper to watch than ESPN and HBO.

Although boxing has lost its popularity over the years, it is still an exciting sport and may hopefully regain its fame in the future.