We did not come up with that word docudrama, by the way. Animal Planet, who is now responsible for such classy programming as “Animal Hoarders”, is using it to describe the new show they’ll be launching this spring that follows Mike Tyson as he raises, and then competitively races, pigeons. Just when you thought that the extreme vegan diet and the hopes of a The first thing to be uncomfortable about is the idea of competitive pigeon racing. It’s as controversial an activity as horse racing. Is forcing an animal to exert itself for human gain acceptable? Society has determined that in some cases, it is. However, there’s a whole second opinion out there that pigeon racing is tantamount to animal exploitation. We can’t answer that for you, but we can say that we find it … unsettling.
Here’s how Animal Planet describes the show, Taking on Tyson, which premiers on March 6th:
“Mike goes beyond just raising his feathered friends – he will race them for the very first time. With unprecedented access to the neighborhood haunts he grew up in and lifelong friends who surround him, this docudrama introduces audiences to the highly competitive, bizarrely fascinating subculture of pigeon racing. The stakes are high in a sport that has just as much machismo as boxing. But this time it’s not about money; it’s about bragging rights.”
Well, yes. We see. Even better is this quote from Tyson himself, “The first thing I ever loved in my life was a pigeon. I don’t know why…I feel ridiculous trying to explain it. Pigeons are a part of my life. It’s a constant with my sanity in a weird way; this is just what I do. If I’m lucky enough to die an old man, I’m going to have birds.”
Well, yes. We’re not quite sure what “It’s a constant with my sanity in a weird way” means.
March isn’t for a while. Want to make sure that we’re still in touch so that we can talk about the show when it launches? Like us on Facebook and let’s talk about pigeons and Mike Tyson in March.
