What a Crazy Year! 2025 Could Be Crazier

Perhaps no event this year captured the triumph of spectacle over substance in these times more than the Netflix streamed boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson — pitting an unranked boxer and social media star against a former heavyweight world champion easily old enough to be his father and who recently combatted a serious health issue. Consisting of just eight two-minute rounds (instead of 10 or 12 three-minute rounds) and puffy 14-ounce gloves, the fight was destined to be the dud that it was long before the fighters entered the ring.

For true boxing fans, it was a dreadfully dull match that was neither a skillful display of boxing nor an entertaining event. It was boring and sad and mostly forgotten by viewers the next morning. Nonetheless, Netflix reported that more than 60 million member households tuned in for it — about 20% of its subscriber base — while the live gate of 72,000 spectators grossed nearly $20 million, the largest gross ever for a boxing match outside of Las Vegas. It also drew a record number of online wagers for a combat sports event. This fight was a perfect symbol of the times. With meme stocks and meme coins still finding plenty of buyers in financial markets, this was a meme sports event, a much-hyped money grab pretending to be something it wasn’t and hoping nobody would notice or care. As exhausted Americans yearn for any distraction following a long and grueling presidential campaign season, maybe a phony boxing bout was exactly what we deserved.

Another Election Post-Mortem

The recent presidential campaign season was also an exhibition of spectacle over substance, as political campaigns usually are. Most Americans never had much patience for policy details behind big campaign promises, so why bother? But this election season was a standout for its brevity on policy specifics from both sides, with huge celebrity appearances and endorsements on the losing side, and a barrage of negativity about the state of our country and ominous messaging from the winning side. Negative campaigning in bareknuckle political fights is nothing new, but the longstanding tradition of respectful civility across party lines was trampled this election cycle, and arguably reflected the national mood.

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