When the bods at the Disney Channel, back in 2016, put together the cast list for Bizaardvark, they could’ve had little idea that, within a decade, two of their young stars would be selling out stadiums. Olivia Rodrigo, on the one hand, playing to 50,000 fans in Manila on the world tour for her new album – and clean-cut Jake Paul, on the other, punching a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in the face for 72,000 paying spectators in Texas. But then again, few people could have predicted the trajectory of modern superstardom.
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson was but the latest in a series of fights intended to repackage sports for a generation addicted to the creator economy. The choice of Tyson as an opponent has been controversial: he’s old, has had health issues, and has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Ah well, let’s see how he does in the ring with a jacked 27-year-old from Cleveland and, for good measure, let’s broadcast the whole thing on Netflix, as the platform’s first serious foray into live sports.
