It's kind of ironic that the two sports with the greatest characters, boxing and horse racing, have both been on the decline. In both cases it's for the lack of a suitable hero.
Sugar Ray Leonard was as close as anyone came after Ali to being Ali, but he wasn't Ali.
Sportswriters have changed more than sportswriting.
Some people who love boxing might love Mike Tyson, but people outside of the sport are generally repulsed by him and therefore, repulsed by the sport.
If I got paid, it was no more than five dollars a column, and I still think I was overpaid.
I came up with new leads for game stories by being observant and clever, by using the many gifts of the English language to intrigue and hook a reader.