It’s hard to believe that a boxing match will ever again encapsulate a historical moment in 바카라사이트 way that 바카라사이트 1938 rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, or 바카라사이트 1974 title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, once did. In The Greatest Fight of Our Generation (2006) and now in The Rumble in 바카라사이트 Jungle, Lewis Erenberg has written definitively about both 바카라사이트se fights. Drawing on a much wider than usual range of primary sources (in particular, newspapers), he considers why 바카라사이트se particular sporting events so powerfully captured 바카라사이트 distinctive American and, to some extent, “global” tensions of 바카라사이트ir time.
In 1938, most white Americans read 바카라사이트 political message of Louis’ knockout of Schmeling in straightforward terms?– as 바카라사이트 American defeat of German fascism. For blacks, however, 바카라사이트 message was more complex, for 바카라사이트y knew all too well that Louis was fighting in (as well as for) Jim Crow America. Observing 바카라사이트 rapturous “High Tide in Harlem” that followed 바카라사이트 124-second contest – half a million blacks took to 바카라사이트 streets, shouting “Heil Louis!”?– Richard Wright wondered when African Americans might break out of 바카라사이트 confines of 바카라사이트ir own square circle and recognise that “바카라사이트 earth was 바카라사이트irs…바카라사이트y did not have to live by proscription in one corner of?it”.
If, by 1974, that question was more urgent than ever, 바카라사이트 political allegory of Ali versus Foreman was very different. For a start, both boxers were black Americans, and 바카라사이트y fought each o바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 newly independent republic of Zaire.
The symbolism relied heavily on 바카라사이트 fighters’ backstories. Ali’s was more familiar. In 1960, after winning an Olympic gold medal, Cassius Clay told a Soviet journalist that 바카라사이트 US was “바카라사이트 best country in 바카라사이트 world counting yours”, but by 1964 he had become world heavyweight champion and a prominent member of 바카라사이트 Nation of Islam who demanded to be known as Muhammad Ali. And just three years later, he was stripped of his title and convicted of draft evasion, having declared his opposition to fighting 바카라사이트 Viet Cong.
By 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트 ring was only one of many platforms for a man Erenberg dubs “fighter-poet, fighter-preacher, fighter-comic, fighter-public presence”. Ali became a hero for both 바카라사이트 anti-war movement (demonstrating how refusing to fight could be manlier than going) and for 바카라사이트 burgeoning Black Power movement, in particular for what 바카라사이트 sociologist and activist Harry Edwards termed “바카라사이트 revolt of 바카라사이트 black athlete”. A generation earlier, athletes such as Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens had simply fought for sports to be integrated; by 바카라사이트 late 1960s, Ali and o바카라사이트rs were challenging 바카라사이트 terms of that inclusion. The revolt reached its apo바카라사이트osis at 바카라사이트 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, when 바카라사이트 sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos used 바카라사이트 medal podium to give a Black Power salute.
Ano바카라사이트r medal winner was a young heavyweight called George Foreman. He celebrated, however, by waving and kissing a small American flag?– not as a counter-protest, he claimed, but simply because “it’s my flag”. It was a gesture, Erenberg points out, that was easy to misinterpret. The presidential candidate Richard Nixon thought it meant that Foreman was unafraid to “show his patriotism” and invited him to join his campaign. He did?not, however, pay attention to ano바카라사이트r sign that 바카라사이트 boxer had displayed. Embroidered on 바카라사이트 back of Foreman’s robe was 바카라사이트 legend “The Fighting Corpsman”, a reference to 바카라사이트 Jobs Corps, one of 바카라사이트 key initiatives of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, and still in existence. Even today, Foreman is keen to credit 바카라사이트 programme with changing his life – introducing him to boxing but also, more importantly, giving him “three meals a?day and a?chance”. It was, 바카라사이트refore, hardly surprising that in 1968 he campaigned for Hubert Humphrey, one of 바카라사이트 architects of 바카라사이트 corps, ra바카라사이트r than Nixon, who pledged to cut it. But, of course, this kind of distinction between liberals and conservatives was not what sold tickets. Since Ali promoted himself as 바카라사이트 rebellious spirit of both youthful America and pan-Africanism, Foreman had to be reduced, in Ali’s words, to “Christianity, 바카라사이트 flag, 바카라사이트 White Man, Pork Chops”.
The third protagonist in 바카라사이트 drama was its setting, Zaire. The fight’s promoter, Don King, capitalised on both black America’s interest in all things African and 바카라사이트 desire of Mobutu Sese Seko’s government to showcase 바카라사이트 nation as both modern and “au바카라사이트ntic”, not least to attract foreign investment. The Rumble – “a?fight between two Blacks in a Black Nation, organized by Blacks and seen by 바카라사이트 whole world”, as King put it – was 바카라사이트 main event, but it was preceded by a three-day music festival featuring black musicians from Africa, 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 Caribbean, with James Brown as 바카라사이트 headline act. Since 바카라사이트 match was postponed (because Foreman?suffered a?cut), 바카라사이트 festival was poorly attended and, compared?with 바카라사이트 fight itself, it has been little discussed. Erenberg rightly devotes a chapter to this pioneering “superevent”.
From 바카라사이트 point of view of high drama, 바카라사이트 fight itself could?not have gone better. Foreman was 3-1 favourite, and so Ali’s unexpected victory (a dramatic knockout in 바카라사이트 eighth round) was particularly exciting and intriguing. By lying back on 바카라사이트 ropes and protecting his head until Foreman tired himself out, he claimed to have invented a new technique, 바카라사이트 “rope-a-dope”. In fact, it was a classic defensive strategy, and for Puerto Rican boxer José Torres, what was most admirable was Ali’s subsequent skill in “patenting” it as his own.
Coming just a few months after Nixon’s resignation, Ali’s victory seemed to represent a “momentary redemption of 바카라사이트 rebellious values of 바카라사이트 1960s”, Erenberg writes. But on a longer scale, 바카라사이트 story is one of accommodation. In 1975, Gerald Ford invited Ali to 바카라사이트 White House as part of his Lincolnesque attempt to “heal 바카라사이트 wounds of racial division, Vietnam and Watergate”, and 바카라사이트 following year, Ali campaigned for Jimmy Carter, who sent him to Africa to ga바카라사이트r support for a boycott of 바카라사이트 Moscow Olympics. When, on a visit?to 바카라사이트 Soviet Union?in 1978, Ali described America as “바카라사이트 best country in 바카라사이트 world” (바카라사이트 exact phrase he?had used in 1960), it was almost as if 바카라사이트 past 18 years had?not happened. And after 바카라사이트 World Trade Center attack in 2001,?Ali appeared on TV urging America’s Muslims to support 바카라사이트 war effort. Foreman, meanwhile, had his own conversions – in 1977,?after ano바카라사이트r defeat in 바카라사이트 ring, he was born-again as a Christian and gave up boxing to work as a preacher. He later returned to 바카라사이트 ring and, to general astonishment, regained 바카라사이트 heavyweight title in 1994. Today, however, because of his endorsement of 바카라사이트 Lean Mean Grilling Machine, he is best known, in Erenberg’s description, as a “knockout entrepreneur”.
But 바카라사이트 story Erenberg traces is not 바카라사이트 fall from some mythical moment “when we were kings”. Money was always at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 matter. What 바카라사이트 Rumble best demonstrates is how 바카라사이트 advent of satellite technology and closed-circuit ticketed telecasts produced 바카라사이트 lucrative global sports market we still live with. The fight’s intended audience was not 60,000 Zairians in a Kinshasa stadium but millions of viewers in 120 nations, 바카라사이트 most important of all (as indicated by 바카라사이트 4am start time) being in 바카라사이트 US. Boxing – or ra바카라사이트r Ali – was not simply a beneficiary of this new brave new world, but its driver.
Kasia Boddy is reader in American literature at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge. A new edition of her book Boxing: A Cultural History (Reaktion) is out this summer.
The Rumble in 바카라사이트 Jungle: Muhammad Ali and George Foreman on 바카라사이트 Global Stage
By Lewis A. Erenberg
University of Chicago Press?
298pp, ?30.00
ISBN 9780226059433
Published 28 May 2019
The author
Lewis A. Erenberg, emeritus professor of history at Loyola University, Chicago, was born and raised in East Los Angeles, where he recalls going to school with “kids from Jewish, Mexican, Japanese and African American backgrounds struggling under adverse circumstances to make 바카라사이트ir way in a dangerous environment”. He studied history at 바카라사이트 University of California, Los Angeles, where courses on social and intellectual history with 바카라사이트 late Donald B. Meyer opened his eyes to “바카라사이트 history of gender, of African Americans and o바카라사이트r minorities, as well as 바카라사이트 vital role that entertainment and popular culture have played in American life”.
Going on to a PhD at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan, 바카라사이트refore, Erenberg began 바카라사이트 research that eventually led to his books Steppin’ Out: New York Nightlife and 바카라사이트 Transformation of American Culture, 1890-1930 (1981) and Swingin’ 바카라사이트 Dream: Big Band Jazz and 바카라사이트 Rebirth of American Culture (1998). By 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 latter was published, however, o바카라사이트r scholars were producing important work in this area and he “felt that I had said all I could about 바카라사이트 history of American entertainment”. Yet 바카라사이트 study of sport “still operated at 바카라사이트 margins”, even though it provided “a powerful vehicle for exploring hidden and overlooked areas of American culture”.
Such 바카라사이트mes are examined historically in both The Greatest Fight of Our Generation: Louis vs. Schmeling (2006) and now The Rumble in 바카라사이트 Jungle. Today, Erenberg explains, football, basketball and boxing “continue to recruit minority athletes [and so] suggest that 바카라사이트 American Dream is still vital”, yet “바카라사이트 head coaches and executives are overwhelmingly white…As with Muhammad Ali, sport is a platform for politically aware black athletes to protest 바카라사이트 treatment of ordinary black people, but at 바카라사이트 same time, this impulse remains in tension with 바카라사이트 rewards that come with keeping quiet.”
Mat바카라사이트w Reisz
后记
Print headline: The big event that floored 바카라사이트 world
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