Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Was the Perfect Sporting Event for Modern America

by Julian Spivey

The farce that was the Jake Paul/Mike Tyson boxing match on Netflix on Friday, November 15, was the perfect sporting event for modern America.

The fight pitted Paul, a 27-year-old Internet personality turned boxer who rarely ever boxes actual professional boxers, against former heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Tyson, who is more than 30 years Paul’s senior.

It was a complete joke for money and viewers all along, and somehow, Americans turned it into one of the most anticipated and watched sporting events of the year – those who could actually view it, that is, as the Netflix live event was maligned throughout its broadcast due to streaming issues showing that Netflix, which is set to air an NFL Christmas Day doubleheader in just over a month, isn’t ready for live sporting events.

And because Paul is such a nuisance (among other things – there have been sexual assault allegations against him, too), many watching the event were actually rooting for the convicted rapist.

But, hell, that shouldn’t be all that surprising in an America that voted to elect a likely rapist (among other things) to the highest office in the land the week prior.

America wants spectacle.

In the end, they didn’t even get that.

The fight was embarrassing. Tyson looked like he was only in it for the $20 million payday. Paul defeated Tyson on points. He couldn’t even knock out a 58-year-old has-been. He didn’t even look particularly good against the elderly has-been. All that really happened for Paul is he proved he’s merely a circus act. The geek eating the live chicken.

Netflix, Paul and Tyson made a lot of money and in the end nobody really had any fun but them – the rich getting richer and the dumb getting dumber.

Ain’t that America.