“The Regular Friday Coaxial Bloodbath”

This chapter discusses the historical and cultural factors that shaped the rise of TV boxing. It suggests that Cold War hypermasculinity combined with lived war memories to provided a potent cultural milieu in which boxing found a comfortable place. Though it is difficult to prove that war “made” TV boxing popular, a few facts suggest linkages. This was truly a generation of soldiers. An astounding 80 percent of the men born in the 1920s became veterans. It is entirely possible that this unprecedented wave of warriors coincided with the absolute height of boxing viewing in America is sheer coincidence. But this fact, combined with much anecdotal evidence and a cultural backdrop of gunslinging violence, indicates a connection. Whether it was the cover story of Life magazine featuring a five-year-old “fleaweight” boxer, the enthusiastic core of veterans who watched the fights, or the ongoing dialogue about women and the “caveman” allure, boxing and war experience cannot easily be separated.