Pigeon Racers Have High Hopes for Mike Tyson TV Series

For more than two decades, Mike Tyson has been one of the most controversial figures in sports.

Strangely enough, that may make him the absolute best choice to make pigeon racing cool again.

Tyson is winging it as a pigeon racer for the new series "Taking On Tyson," which debuted March 6 on Animal Planet. The show follows Iron Mike around his old Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond as he immerses himself in the world of pigeon racing.

In his eyes, it's not as bizarre as it might seem to outsiders. Fact is, Tyson used to raise pigeons as a child. He got into his first fight at age 11 when a bully ripped the head off one of his pet pigeons.

Now, 33 years, a few heavyweight championships and one half-chewed ear belonging to Evander Holyfield later, Tyson returns to the roost to raise pigeons.

The racing aspect, however, is new to him -- and to most Americans, frankly -- even though the American Racing Pigeon Union, the nation's main governing body for this sport, has been around since 1883.

Pigeon racing is an ancient sport and the rules set by the ARPU are simpler to understand than baseball's infield fly rule: Pigeons are transported from their lofts to a specific location and then freed to race back home.

The time it takes the bird to fly home coupled with the distance it has to travel is recorded using electronic timing that measures the yards per minute flown.

Naturally the bird with the fastest time wins. While a good bird can average 45 mph, some have flown up to 90 mph.

"Of course that was with the help of a tail wind," said ARPU executive director Karen Clifton.

Veteran pigeon racer Bill Mitiu said pigeon racing is big in Belgium; the sport peaked in America after World War II. "A lot of soldiers stationed in Europe were exposed to the birds and decided to raise them here," he told AOL News.

But as members of pigeon racing's "greatest generation" grew older, interest among the younger set dwindled.

According to Clifton, the ARPU has been working since the 1990s to introduce the sport to a new generation.

"There was a marketing study that showed the average pigeon racer was nearly 60 years old," she told AOL News. "So we've been trying to get younger people into the sport."

Clifton is keeping her fingers crossed that Tyson will draw positive attention to pigeon racing. Before Animal Planet got Tyson involved, Clifton said they contacted her to get in touch with some of the sport's main players.

However, as often happens, the producers changed the concept mid-flight, choosing Tyson as their pigeon, er, focus of the show.

Although Clifton said the efforts have tripled the number of junior members -- those younger than 17 -- some still worry about the sport dying off.

Milo Garver, 70, a pigeon racer in El Cajon, Calif., raised pigeons as a child and took up the sport again 25 years ago. He said there aren't as many members as there were when he was a kid, but he chalks up the decline to a variety of factors -- mostly changing times.

"We didn't have TV so we spent a lot more time outside," he said. "Now, the members get older and retire and there aren't as many new members. There are 'newish' members."

Garver said he will have to watch the show before he can predict if it will attract more members, but Robert Gonzalez of Tampa, Fla., is hopeful Tyson can help the sport take flight once again.

"People from all walks of life race pigeons," he said. "Where I live, most of the new members are people from Cuba. ... In Tyson's case, I think any publicity is good publicity."

Tyson is a controversial figure -- most convicted rapists are -- but Mitiu believes that could actually work in the sport's favor by making it more attractive to youth obsessed with being edgy.

"Mike has had pigeons and he is dedicated to the hobby," he said. "Yes, he is controversial, but hopefully it will help people learn about the sport and take it up as a hobby."

Like horse racing, pigeon racing can be a serious investment, depending on how many pigeons a person wants to raise for racing or breeding. In fact, top pigeons can sell for upward of $140,000 each.

"There are birds that are bred for pedigrees and they are given a special diet," Clifton said. "Some people give their pigeons special grit, like ground-up oyster shells, for their diet and minerals in their water."

However, it's easier than horse racing for a newbie to break into the sport. Clifton said a person can make a loft for a few pigeons relatively cheaply and Mitiu said a pigeon can be had for a reasonable price.

"All pigeons that race are banded and sometimes a bird gets injured during a race and will get picked up by a kid who nurses it back to health," Mitiu said. "Sometimes, the owner of the bird will see how much the kid likes the pigeon and let him have it."

Tyson's rebel image may bring people to the sport, but both Clifton and Mitiu think the fair play and decency displayed will keep them involved.

"There is a sense of camaraderie," Clifton said. "Especially the night before a race when people gather to mark which birds are which. There's a lot of fellowship that goes on -- even though they are competitive on race day."

Mitiu said sport officials have also been very careful to keep everything on the up-and-up in recent years by eliminating performance-enhancing drugs.

"Twenty years ago, you could buy steroid eye drops over the counter," he said, "but not anymore."

While Tyson's show undoubtedly will give pigeon racing its highest profile in years, Mitiu understands that a long-term TV deal -- a la the NFL -- may not be realistic because the sport is not as easy to film as football or basketball.

"Oh, the races start off dramatic, with as many as 30,000 pigeons taking off from 25 trailers all at once," he said. "But after that, it's not as visual."

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