The Mashup: Where sports and pop culture collide
I wish Wisconsin had knocked off Davidson, because if I hear one more person proclaim that their bracket is busted I’m going to need a moment of zen.
Rising
•Rick Fox: Fox, the former Lakers and Celtics player, has a starring role in “Meet the Browns,” which in its opening weekend was second in gross, taking in $20.1 million.
In the film, Fox — a former pro basketball player who is divorced — plays a former pro basketball player who is divorced. You have stretched less reaching for the TV remote than Fox has in his acting career. He’s played a basketball player in “He Got Game,” “Blue Chips” and the TV show “Oz.” That’s like you getting a role in a movie playing someone who reads The Star. (And wouldn’t that be cool?)
• Second chances: Siriporn Thaweesuk — a former drug dealer who won the WBC female world light-flyweight championship in April 2007 in a prison near Bangkok, Thailand — has sold her story to be made into a movie The Associated Press reported Wednesday. Thaweesuk also won her release from prison with the victory over Ayaka Miyano.
Holding steady
• Monica Seles: Seles — along with Penn Jillette from Penn and Teller — was eliminated from “Dancing With the Stars.” Seles, who won nine Grand Slam events, apparently has two left feet — neither of which has very good rhythm.
On the positive side, she announced in March plans to write a memoir. Now she’ll have more time for that.
Slipping
•Boxing: Floyd Mayweather is wrasslin’ Paul “Big Show” Wight — the former Wichita State basketball player turned WWE superstar — at WrestleMania on Sunday.
And on the CBS reality show “Secret Talents of Celebrities,” which is set to debut April 8, former heavyweight champ Joe Frazier is going to sing R&B, and five-time former champ Roy Jones Jr. is going to rap.
(I still disagree with athletes rapping in public. Even if it goes well, which it almost never does, the athlete stands to gain nothing. And if it goes poorly, which it almost always does, the athlete stands to lose a lot.)
There should be a show called “Secret Talents of Boxers.” The premise would be for good fighters to compete against each other in prime time on free TV. Do this and boxing would be as popular as it was 35 years ago.
