It’s officially time to get ready for “The Rumble on the River,” and I, for one, couldn’t be more in favor of it.
And I can’t believe that so many Memphians aren’t. Many have been flooding talk radio air waves saying that their hometown has prostituted itself for the Tyson-Lewis fight, and that Willie Herenton has sacrificed the morality of Memphis for a few bucks.
Well, if Memphis is being prostituted then I guess that makes Willie our pimp, and everybody knows “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy,” so give the guy a break.
But, what about the morality of Memphis they keep talking about?
Are they talking about the morality of a city that is notorious for it’s deep-seated racial issues?
Are they talking about the morality of a city that will always be known for the assassination of the leader of the Civil Rights Movement (Martin Luther King Jr.)?
Are they talking about the morality of a city where police, fire and sanitation strikes were commonplace?
Are they talking about the morality of a city that would rather spend millions of dollars on a professional sports team than on new textbooks for its public schools?
If this is the morality that we have sacrificed for the millions of dollars that the highest-grossing fight in boxing history will bring into our city, then bring it on.
And, yes, I think Mike Tyson is a thug. Yes, he is a convicted rapist. Yes, he is probably even psychotic, but if letting him fight in a boxing match in the Pyramid that probably won’t even go three rounds will boost the economy, then I’m all for it.
The one thing about the whole ordeal that I don’t understand, though, is — why does having the fight in Memphis mean that we have accepted what Mike Tyson stands for?
We re-elected Bill Clinton, but I don’t think that means that we accepted adultery.
And, how can the people of Memphis really blame Mayor Herenton for wanting to bring this fight to Memphis?
This is the biggest event the city has ever seen, and it will bring huge revenue into the city, even if he, more than likely, won’t spend that revenue where it is really needed.
Leave it to Memphis to complain about getting the biggest fight ever on U.S. soil (Ali-Frazier was in Manila).
Leave it to Memphis to complain about the message that the Tyson-Lewis fight might send to our kids when our elected legislators won’t even spend money to improve their schools.
Leave it to Memphis complain about having lower standards than Las Vegas, when so many of its residents drive 30 miles just to gamble in casinos in Tunica.
Yes, Tyson has a dirty and sordid past, but so does our city. So, although Tyson might hurt the image of the city, let’s not pretend that the Memphis had much of an image to keep pure in the first place.
