Being Sugar Ray: The Life of Sugar Ray Robinson, America's Greatest Boxer and the First Celebrity Athlete

by Kenneth L. Shropshire

Muhammad Ali memorably referred to Sugar Ray Robinson as “the king, the master, my idol,” and rarely a fight fan has chosen to argue too much with those words. With a career spanning three decades, multiple championships, over two hundred fights (without once taking a 10-count), and more victories than Joe Louis and Ali combined it was no surprise when RING magazine named Robinson “pound for pound, the best boxer of all time.” In Being Sugar Ray, acclaimed scholar Kenneth Shropshire contends that Sugar Ray Robinson’s influence extends far beyond the ring. It was Robinson who introduced America to the athlete as entrepreneur and celebrity. From his business empire to his prized flamingo pink Cadillac, described as the Hope Diamond of Harlem, Sugar Ray was the trailblazer whom every athlete since has been trying, consciously or otherwise, to emulate.

Genres: Sports

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 8, 2007

About the author

Kenneth L. Shropshire, the David W. Hauck Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of several award-winning books such as The Business of Sports, The Business of Sports Agents, The Sports Franchise Game, In Black and White, Sports and the Law, and Basketball Jones. His expert views have been presented in Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, National Public Radio, and Nightline. A Stanford and Columbia Law graduate, Shropshire previously worked in private law practice and as an executive with the LA Olympic Organizing Committee. He is also the Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative.

Reviews

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sugar Ray Robinson was if not the most, than certainly one of the most recognizable celebrities of the 1940s and 1950s. In an era where sports represented one of the few avenues where black men were allowed to succeed on anything like an equal level with their white counterparts, Robinson with his natural boxing talent, flamboyant charm, and gift for cultivating attention stood out.
Unfortunately, this book never really digs particularly deeply into Robinson the man.
There are brief synopses of major fights, some character sketches, and some allusions to issues with women and poor business dealings but on the whole we don’t learn much about Robinson or his era.
This is partly due to the author perhaps stretching himself too thin into attempting to chronicle Robinson’s life in the context of celebrity culture in America. It’s an ambitious and fascinating idea but the length of the book never really allows for any in depth treatment of either.
There are interspersed with Robinson’s life, diversions into the lives of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, O.J. Simpson, Jack Johnson and other minor and major celebrities. All interesting people to be sure but one wonders who or what this book really wants to say.
As a side note, the author does spend a good amount of time comparing Robinson and Jack Johnson. Johnson of course was the first true black American sports celebrity that for good or bad, paved the way for Robinson and others after him.
Perhaps my admiration of Johnson colored my impression of how the author depicts Johnson here but it seems that he views him in a negative light. There are frequent references to Johnson’s brashness and unwillingness to compromise himself for the sake of black or white fans.
The author seems to view this a negative in that he often cites how Robinson was successful with white fans (despite being like Johnson in his flamboyance) because he learned to not be as in your face as Johnson was.
In the next breath however he mentions how Robinson was also uncompromising and not at all like Joe Louis who was deferential to whites throughout most of his career.
Which was he? Compromising? Uncompromising? Perhaps the answer is more complex than this simple binary choice but I was admittedly irked by his using Johnson as an example of how a black athlete should not act.
There are some interesting things here about Robinson and while the book clearly needs some editing and more coherence, it is still a worthwhile read about someone who seemed to be a very interesting man.

[Danny Iscra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sugar Ray Robinson by Kenneth L. Shropshire is a biography about Sugar ray robinson and the legacy that he had. Considered as one of the best boxers of all time sugar ray robinson was born on may 3rd 1921 in detroit michigan. Sugar ray started his professional boxing career in 1940 at 19 years of age. The whole book basically illustrates the stories and the way he carried himself compared to other boxers and other people. I loved the book because it was very inspiring to me and connected to me because I play soccer competitively and the way he carried himself kind of models the mental attitude you should have if you play sports. The structure of the book could be a bit misleading at times hopping back and forth between now and then. But eventually it will be natural and won't bother anymore. Overall I think this book is for someone who is striving to be the best at something or an athlete of any kind.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written a bit too simply but had some interesting points on fashion vs. style and hero vs. champion... you want to be a stylish here. Liked the reading about the rivalries particularly Jake La Motta and learning Sugar Ray came out of the same poor Detroit neighborhood as Joe Louis... was even his lacky for a bit.