Kentucky Derby & De la Hoya v. Mayweather: at least golf hasn't become this irrelevant

ESPN and Sports Illustrated are among the media outlets wondering if De la Hoya v. Mayweather can bring boxing back to the mainstream.

Why should it come back? Boxing is a barbaric sport for the Middle Ages that screwed itself over after plenty of stunts and fixes courtesy of Don King and wannabe Don Kings. Not to mention it’s highest profile champion in the last twenty years ended up being convicted of rape - not exactly carrying the touch from Muhammad Ali…

My generation gets its violence from UFC, WWF, and the occasional “bitch slap” on reality TV. We don’t care about who holds what belt in boxing. All I know about boxing in the last five years is from Million Dollar Baby.

But at least boxing isn’t as obsolete as horse racing and the Kentucky Derby: Aristocrats in funny hats and shades cheering on four-foot midgets labeled “athletes” for spanking a horse.

Both boxing and horse racing are only alive today because of the growth of the gambling industry - not exactly a noble cause. Barbaro is somewhere above wondering why his life was cut 20 years short so a gambler in Brooklyn could win a few bucks.

Golf has seen healthier days, but at least it’s still mainstream (if only four times a year). It does have some cards stacked against it’s future. It’s harder for anyone to find four hours of leisure time in today’s wired world, it’s harder to find a course under $100 and the PGA Tour is in need of more personality and rivalries.

We’re also having a hard time getting kids away from taping their parents drunk and releasing the footage to media and onto the links.

But at least it’s a sport anyone can enjoy - not to mention come to work the next day without cuts all over their face like Tyler Durden. And golf, unlike riding horses, won’t make you impotent.