With the revoking of Mike Tyson's visa to visit New Zealand in November, the National Government, John Key, Kate Wilkinson, Life Education Trust, ticket holders to the 'Day of Champions' event, and New Zealanders in general have narrowly evaded a heavy blow from one of the hardest hitters in heavyweight history.
Inside the ring, Tyson is considered by many to be one of the best heavyweights of all time, but did this make him enough of a role model to allow him a stage in front of New Zealanders expecting a day of "inspiration, motivation and education"?
Don't get me wrong, nothing is more inspirational than hearing from someone who has experienced hardship, shown resilience in the face of adversity, or who has learnt from their past mistakes. Tyson is someone who has experienced hardship and shown resilience, but I'm not so sure he has learnt from his mistakes.
When asked on ONE Breakfast about his rape conviction being a valid reason for not being allowed into New Zealand he stated: "Well, I didn't do the crime. I was set up - I don't care what people say. I didn't do that f***ing crime."
His comments suggest a man who remains in denial and who continues to hold a grudge against those he perceives have wronged him. Yes, Associate Minister Kate Wilkinson showed her humanity by considering it had been 20 years since Tyson's rape conviction and six-year sentence, of which he served three years. But she also showed naivety when she suggested that although some people wouldn't like her decision to grant Tyson a visa "at the end of the day ... if he can turn around a young person's life, then that makes all the difference".
"What is the harm of him coming to New Zealand for a couple of weeks?"
Oh, a lot of people can do a lot of harm in less than two weeks. Just ask any rape victim. How much media coverage would Tyson have had while he was here? How many people would have been offended by his stories? How many malleable minds would he have influenced in a bad way?
Probably more than those who would be inspired or motivated to "do good" because of his presence or performance on stage. If Wilkinson read reviews about Tyson's one-man show Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth she would have realised that the inspirational messages and anecdotes he may have told would be mitigated by his inability to see anything wrong with his attitude towards women and people in general.
When channel surfing one day I happened across a documentary on Tyson which revealed a delusional man with a sex addiction who perceives himself as God's gift to women. At his show in New York, for instance, he told the audience that he had wanted to call the show Boxing, Bitches and Lawsuits and reviewers of the show felt at times that Tyson's sole purpose in taking the stage was to disembowel those who he felt had wronged him, such as ex-wife Robin Givens, former promoter Don King and Desiree Washington, the 18-year-old Tyson was convicted of raping in 1992.
Are these the thoughts and expressions of a rehabilitated role model?
In her defence, Wilkinson also admitted she was heavily swayed by the letter of support from the Life Education Trust, a charity that provides children with the knowledge to make informed choices about their health, respect others and learn to appreciate their uniqueness.
The board of Life Education Trust (NZ) declined an offer in August to be associated with the "Day of the Champions" Australasian Tour in November because they did not believe Tyson reflected the values of their organisation and what they teach children about the wonder of life, themselves and other people.
As often happens in bureaucratic organisations, however, a letter of support from the Life Education Trust did surface and was submitted by a local volunteer trustee who felt this fundraising opportunity was too good to pass by. And let's face it, this really was about making money, not inspiring, motivating or educating our youth. Tyson is bankrupt and would have profited from his speech, which he admitted was just a story (from his revisionist perspective) of his life delivered to entertain rather than motivate us.
The events company promoting the "Day of the Champions", Markson Sparks! is also one of Australasia's leaders when it comes to managing celebrities, sports stars and personalities, and although they've given over $40 million to charity since 1993, charging from $69 to $300 would suggest many in the audience would not be youth or from troubled backgrounds.
Life Education Trust made the right choice to decide that the "ends did not justify the means" when it came to funds. The latest crime rate statistics suggest New Zealand is becoming a safer place to live, but not necessarily for women.
Sexual assault and related offences increased by 3.6% (121 offences) and sexual offending is known to be significantly under-reported, so it is difficult to know whether this increase is a result of increased reporting or increased offending. Either way, we don't need an ear-biting, attention-seeking, sexually objectifying ex-boxer in our presence to motivate us. Sorry Tyson, but you just got knocked out and locked out of Aotearoa.
