#43: ‘Ringside, Hearthside’ by Dave Kaszuba

‘Ringside, Hearthside – Sports Scribe Jane Dixon Embodies Struggle of Jazz Age Women Caught Between Two Worlds’ is an article by Dave Kaszuba originally published in Journalism History.

(DOI: 10.1080/00947679.2009.12062796)

Jane Dixon regularly wrote about boxing during the 1920s, for both the New York Herald Tribune and New York Tribune, and was, according to Dave Kaszuba, the most prolific woman writer on the subject. The article begins by stating that Dixon entered the field in the same way as most other women, by being commissioned to write from a ‘woman’s angle’. I’m embarrassed to say that in actively searching for more boxing writing by women, I’ve probably been guilty of wanting a ‘woman’s perspective’ rather than journalism or fiction that happens to be written by a woman.

This unfortunate bias (unconscious or otherwise) is only upheld by publishing traditions in newspapers, magazines and books. This fortunately is changing and I have a book to blog about soon, written by Kate Sekules, which is a really great example of a woman being granted space to write first and foremost from the perspective of a boxer.

Despite the barriers, Dixon had a fantastic career, being given access to some of the most famous fights of the 20th Century. She was ringside when Luis Firpo knocked Jack Dempsey through the ropes (he almost fell on her), and was in Toledo for ‘fight week’ in the build-up to Dempsey taking on Jess Willard, even if this was a supporting role to a male colleague.

As with many women, Dixon was pushed toward writing about the personalities of the combatants, those attending fights and what they were wearing, rather than the technical aspects of the bouts, which was still considered the preserve of male writers. Kaszuba also does a good job of describing the conflict a lot of women had during this period, as they fought for their feminist aspirations while also maintaining their deep-rooted ideals of traditional domestic roles for men and women.

It wasn’t only men who wanted to deny Dixon (and all women) the chance to attend or report on prize fights; female colleagues publicly asked if there was something the matter with her for wanting to do so.

The article has a fantastic selection of footnotes, and I’m looking forward to reading more about and by Jane Dixon, and other women who have had the chance to write about boxing.