Bipolar and the Most Outrageous Character in Sports
A manic episode can result in a major hit to the wallet. A no-limit Amex Platinum Card can really get one into trouble. Thankfully, I had a limit on my card. when I had my major manic episode. Hunter Biden, as we saw in the last post, got himself into a pickle that resulted in him having to trade on his father’s name. Never having shown much interest in art, Biden suddenly produced hundreds of paintings over a short time period.
Mike Tyson “fought” a sketchy bout on Netflix for $20 million.
At one point, ESPN ranked Mike Tyson the #1 Most Outrageous Character in the history of sports. And Tyson is the bipolar champion of wild spending, having blown through $400 million in earnings, including hundreds of thousands of dollars on large felines, millions on cars (19 cars given to friends), and millions on jewelry and clothes. He had a massive entourage on his payroll.
The Spending
Tyson dropped $400,000 on a birthday party. He built a $2 million golden bathtub for his first wife, Robin Givens. He bought a 52-room Connecticut mansion. It had 25 bathrooms. He had a huge entourage and a bevy of beautiful women. Just the lawn care on his properties was $300,000.
Tyson bought three tigers for over $20,000 apiece and spent $300,000 just feeding them. He spent thousands on racing pigeons. Tyson gambled. He got behind in child support payments. He owed the IRS. He owed lawyers. His stint in prison for rape interrupted his earning years.
The Womanizing
Those people with bipolar who are in a manic phase are often hypersexual and often abuse substances. Tyson is a famous womanizer. He’s been married three times. (First wife and actress Robin Givens described Tyson as “manic-depressive” in a nationally televised interview.) Tyson committed adultery many times, alternately enjoying the company of high-class women and inexpensive prostitutes.
Tyson has also alternately abused alcohol and drugs and gone through periods of sobriety. His conversion to Islam and eating vegan may just be examples of impulsive behavior
The "Fight"
How did Tyson bounce back from near insolvency? By selling cannabis, appearing in a couple of movies, and snatching up $20 million in a “fight” against unheralded, inexperienced fighter Jake Paul. I’m not sure which is more fake — Hunter’s paintings or Tyson’s performance in the ring. I’m glad I didn’t bet, but I did waste money on a one-month Netflix subscription.
The promotional videos made Tyson seem fearsome. At age 58, Tyson’s workouts and sparring sessions made him look in tip-top shape. But that version of Tyson didn’t show up, not even in the first round.
In retrospect, the bout seemed to have been arranged. Nobody would get hurt. Everybody would make money. Except the Tyson bettors.