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Crowd Control: Boxing in Weimar Germany
upper class. The term “new wealth” also touched on a lingering resentment of
those perceived to have profited from the First World War while the rest of the
nation sacrificed, an attitude often loaded with anti-Semitic overtones, as well. The
article revealed that the distinction between proper and improper spectatorship did
not always break down along lines of economic status. It further contrasted the
manner in which the two groups of privileged viewers watched the fight:
The sportsman follows every fight with the understanding of an expert and enjoys every
finesse in the lead of the fist or in self-defense like an exquisite work of art; the other,
whose judgment is shaped in no way by a knowledge of the sport, wants to see hard
punches and – let’s be honest – blood; he also does not want an undecided fight and feels
cheated if the evening does not bring at least one or two knockouts. He needs that for
stimulation and does not otherwise have an appetite afterwards. What naturally would
be a shame! 63
The commentator contrasted the civilized self-control of the former spectator with
the coarse abandon of the latter. The “sportsman” elevated boxing to an art form,
appreciated the necessary skill, and accorded the contest the proper level of
respect. The parvenu, on the other hand, unleashed his venal appetites and debased
boxing to the level of a carnival sideshow.
Boxing’s appeal transcended not only class and social lines, but also gender
lines. Women composed part of every boxing crowd in the 1920s, especially at
the big professional fights that had established themselves as staples of the social
scene. This female presence in the audience not only challenged traditional notions
of proper entertainment for women, but also made boxing itself more socially
acceptable. If female fans formed a tiny minority in the early years of the Weimar
Republic, their numbers increased over the course of the decade. Although reliable
attendance figures categorized by sex do not exist, some early accounts noted that
only a few women ventured into the boxing arena. A 1921 article by Rumpelstilzchen
stated: “This is not for delicate sensitivities. Here and there one sees a
gangster with his diminutive girlfriend, but men fill the rows of benches almost
exclusively.” 64 Another of his columns, two years later, also noted the low number
of women in attendance and inferred that the brutal nature of the sport frightened
many women away: “One has to say it again: it [boxing] is truly a brutal craft. For
every 100 male spectators there is one woman.” 65
Other articles from the early 1920s, however, registered larger contingents of
female fans, and this attendance grew as boxing gained in both popularity and
acceptability. A 1922 article from Sport im Bild, for instance, highlighted the
presence of women at a boxing match:
91