ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE PROBLEMS AMATEUR BOXING HAS

I find this disgusting and can not understand why something like this happens? I woke up this morning checking the internet and always find myself looking at the USA Boxing site for the latest info. The first picture which appears is a shot for the PAN AM games. If you look at the picture, it must be as the games were setting up, but look closer and you see NO SEATING available for spectators!!!!

 

What is this saying about our sport and WHY?

 

Now we know someone is making big money off events like this, but I can almost say with certainty, it is not the NGB's or nothing is being filtered down to us.

 

I hope I don't offend anyone with this comment, but we are providing free entertainment and have become space fillers for their events. While someone is making big bucks from these international games, what do our clubs receive? The fortunate kids receive, medals, ranking, and possibly a shot at the Olympics.
But the training grounds of these kids are the LBC's, which receive nothing.  Again I say Marketing and Promotion of our sport sucks!, thereby no visibility.

 

If you analyze this you will see the host cities and countries are making a huge monetary impact for the hoteliers, restaurants and businesses in their areas. We in Florida were fortunate enough to utilize the same method to receive a grant from our Tourist Development Group, to bring  in the Eastern Trials a few years ago, as well as the PAL National Championships many years ago, Why not use the same method the big guys use?

 

In my opinion, nothing is worse than having a party and no one shows. Is this different than many of our local club shows, where the coaches, boxers, parents and maybe a few spectators show up?

 

It is disheartening for everyone involved, because as most of you know it takes a lot of preparation to do a show and many hours of your time and money, that can't be recovered.

 

We must realize, we have a one of a kind of product to market and promote and in most cases have not succeeded in it; to a great extent.

 

The heart and sole of our sport lies with the coaches, the kids, the volunteers and the few sponsors we may have.   WE HAVE TO DO A BETTER JOB of promoting USA Boxing or we will vanish.

 

I have said for years, USA Boxing, needs to establish a classification of Promoter or farm it out and let them make some money as long as the LBC's and local clubs get their share. In fact the LBC's can establish their own promoters without USA Boxing permission, we have to take care of ourselves!!!!!!

 

I have done many shows and once you establish a handful of sponsors and a following, your group Will not have a visibility problem any more and you can breath easier because you now have some money the bank.

 

Think of it this way, you have discovered a pill to cure a major disease.  According to the law of the land, you can sell this pill for 5 years before anyone else can duplicate it and sell it. Would you sit back and wait for someone to come to you to buy it after you spent millions of dollars of research to develop it? Or would you beat the bushes to get someone to buy it. Naturally you would get out there and sell the hell out of it.

 

Now we have our boxers (pills) that you have devoted countless hours of training and money to develop(research and development) and now you have a cure, will you sit back and wait for the public to beat down your doors do to see the your boxers in action.  I think not, we should promote our kids as companies promote their product. We have to been salespeople also.

 

The key is Promotion, when you do a good job of promotion, you gain more boxers, more interested people for coaching, more officials and more sponsors and son of  a gun  more money.

    Until the next time

    Ken