It all started with Floyd Mayweather being called out by 50 Cent. With 50 Cent being 50 Cent, he challenged Mayweather to a “reading challenge” of a page from Harry Potter. If Floyd Mayweather could pull it off, he would donate $750,000 to a charity. In response, Mayweather noted that 50 Cent needed to focus on learning to spell and being a father to his son. So, it seems that both men wanted to jostle for attention and alpha male dominance. Ending it all off (in my eyes) was the posting of the checks that Floyd Mayweather cleared that added up to over 70 million dollars.
Adding more fuel to the fire was The Breakfast Show throwing Floyd Mayweather under the bus for not being able to competently say one of their radio drops (thanks to Charlamagne Tha God): this brings up a lot of concern and conversation. The talk has very little to do with the attention seeking antics of both men. It has more to do with the circumstances that allow for a man that may be functionally illiterate yet monetarily successful. It can be considered troubling for plenty that seek success through education. Still, plenty shake their head on disgust at the lack of academic vitality of Floyd Mayweather regardless of his fiscal riches.
Floyd Mayweather’s Success is enough
For many, the fact that Floyd Mayweather became a rich man despite life’s circumstances should be honored. Despite living in conditions that had him around drugs and poverty, he made it out. In fact, many commend him for making a way out of no way. Sure, I wouldn’t hire him to read any Longfellow doctrine. However, we do have to honor the fact that Floyd Mayweather has found success beyond his wildest dreams.
At the end of the day, a lot of people could care less about his ability to read words when he has the ability to read the commas in his bank account.
Floyd Mayweather Still Needs to Get Hooked on Phonics
Yet, looking at the other side of the circumstantial Venn diagram would have anyone seeing that this situation is not as attractive as his bank statements. Floyd Mayweather is possibly functionally illiterate. This can be problem within a world of contracts, tricky wording, and “reading the fine print”. I know that he has a support system. Nonetheless, Floyd Mayweather is still handicapped by that support system because he wouldn’t be able to use his own smarts to “keep them honest”.
Floyd Mayweather and Education within Capitalism
To be frank, this situation sends a contradictory message about education. In a nation that is always making educational shifts to “compete in the world market” and “be a nation of high class academic standards”, what can be said for situations like this? Some kids may look at this situation and think that education is not all that important as long as they “make it”. They can easily scoff at any school situation and point a finger at Floyd Mayweather’s situation. It rarely happens like this, but the probability of it occurring increased with the possibility of lesser educated individuals becoming successful.
Ultimately, many of us can’t blame Floyd Mayweather because capitalism does not always reward education; it rewards “making it happen”. I hope we do realize that there are plenty of millionaires that never had a college degree. Education will always be important to people (including me). Still, one would wonder what is to be said when education does not always directly relate to financial success. As a nation, is it wise to actually push for education when the most successful does not have the highest levels of schooling?
The Conclusion on Floyd Mayweather
Regardless of how rich Floyd Mayweather is, he should still learn how to read (if he can’t). A man that amasses that much wealth is only setting himself up for failure. Mayweather, as other millionaires, are rich without the use of any college education. However, those other millionaires probably know how to read. Floyd Mayweather is seen to be quite illiterate. With all those commas in his bank account, it would be best if “Money Mayweather” learned how to properly use them in sentences that he read to himself.
