Lionizing a loser promotes the wrong values

From the celebrities who appeared to be in boxer Mike Tyson's corner before Saturday's heavyweight boxing championship fight, you would think that their hero was not a loud-mouthed, convicted rapist, whose cannibalistic antics showed a closer affinity to Hannibal Lecter than to anyone resembling an athlete. Tyson lost -- deservedly -- to Lennox Lewis, a British fighter who actually believes that boxing is a noble sport. But in Memphis, Lennox was the one who was booed, and Tyson was the favorite
Oh well. Before the bell would have ended the eighth round, Mike was on the mat, and the Lennox legacy had been established.
All of Tyson's bluster, all of his threats -- like the one about smashing Lewis' skull -- could be consigned to boxing history. It's clear that "Iron Mike" has rusted. And he's not just a loser in boxing, but also in life.
Obviously, boxing is a violent sport, but Tyson made a habit of violence in and out of the ring. So why were the likes of Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood, Ben Affleck, Wesley Snipes, The Rock, Halle Berry and Britney Spears among the faces in the crowd at the Memphis Pyramid, giving support and credibility to an obnoxious felon? We have to wonder.
Then again, many in Memphis were asking why their city needed to volunteer for dubious glory after Atlanta, Washington, D.C., California, and Las Vegas -- Las Vegas, for pete's sake -- turned down the opportunity of hosting the biting boxer in a heavyweight championship match.
Disgraceland
You would have thought that with Graceland, the blues and barbecue, the Mississippi River town didn't need the association with Tyson -- or for that matter with one of the world's least savory sports. But within the municipal hierarchy were those who saw demonstrable proof that Memphis could handle major athletic events as a desirable goal. And all that money into hotels, restaurants, bars and the like didn't hurt either.
Perhaps it was just as well for Memphis that Lewis did win. What with Lewis' popularity in Britain and in Canada -- he won Olympic gold for Canada in the 1988 Games in Seoul -- new markets for Tennessee tourism could be a result.
In the meantime, we hope that Tyson can drag himself, his debts and his temper into the cave where he probably best belongs; Memphis, having proved itself, can return to normality; and Elvis can go back to his favorite haunts.
Lewis thought he would be "getting rid of the last misfit in boxing. & quot; That's probably too much to hope for, but at least it's a start.