When Emile Griffith launched twenty-nine unanswered punches against the helpless welterweight Champion Benny Paret in Madison Square Garden March 24, 1962, no one watching the fight realized he was witnessing the first death ever broadcast on national television. With Norman Mailer and a legion of New York sports reporters scribbling away at ringside, Griffith in the black trunks unleashed a flurry of punishing left hooks to Paretâ??s cranium, which ended the fight in the 12th round. Paretâ??s cornermen and medical personnel rushed to attend the fallen fighter as the media sought to congratulate Griffith. The tragedy took a more macabre turn when the live instant replay was used during the broadcast to repeat the ruthless knockout. Paret never regained conscious and died a few days later in one of boxingâ??s great tragedies.
Emile Griffith, who himself was never the same again after that match, died July 23, 2013. While he will forever be associated with the tragic events of 1962 it is important to recall Griffithâ??s role in the struggle for acceptance of diversity in American sports and the broader gay rights movement. During most of his career, Griffithâ??s sexuality was a closely-guarded secret, but later in life he began to be more open about his sexuality. Still Emile Griffith never was comfortable with describing his sexuality in clear categories. â??Iâ??ve chased men and women,â? he said. â??I like men and women both. But I donâ??t like that word: homosexual, gay or faggot. I donâ??t know what I am.â?
Had he risen to prominence in a different era would such nuance â?? and even his failed marriage, to a woman from his native U.S Virgin Islands â?? have been necessary? Though Jason Collins was at one point engaged to a woman, Collins has been embraced as the first openly-gay NBA player, even to the point of receiving a supportive call from President Obama. In todayâ??s world, an openly-gay athlete like Brittney Griner can appear on the cover of ESPN magazine. The 2012 London Olymipics featured many gay athletes competing for the glory of their nations. Orlando Cruz is an openly gay lightweight boxing title contender who has openly recognized Griffith as a pioneer.
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