Fight of the Century: Louis vs. Schmeling

Here is another classic, historical recording from the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, featuring what many continue to see as the greatest boxing match, and possibly the single greatest sports event, of all time: the heavyweight championship fight (11/25/2006 - 8:46) between "the Brown Bomber" Joe Louis and the German, Max Schmeling, on June 22, 1938.

Musings

• Listen to the report and list some of the many reasons this fight continues to resonate throughout history. For more on the fight, see Wikipedia.
  
  
• The fight was probably the single biggest radio event of all time. Discuss the role of radio is shrinking the world, and how that role is the same or differs from that of television today.
  
  
• The aftermath of Louis and Shmeling also makes a great story--both how Louis was treated by his country and how the "bad German" lived his life. Listen to Frank Deford's commentary on Schmeling (2/9/2005).