Anti-Tysonism (Zionism) and REPOST on Supreme's Flag-Swap Fiasco
Mike Tysonism and Life Imitating Art
Someone, somewhere, can vouch for the fact that I've spent roughly a decade explaining a problem with anti-Zionism through Mike Tyson. Sometimes it's a simple analogy. Sometimes it becomes an elaborate geopolitical comparison with Tyson’s origin story. Either way, it's stupid enough that I'm shocked I've never mentioned it on my blog.
First, some background: Mike Tyson is one of the greatest boxers of all time, with a history that includes cocaine, violence, and biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 fight. Far more seriously, he was convicted in 1992 of raping Desiree Washington, a woman he'd recently met, and served three years in prison. Whatever your opinion of the man and prison sentencing, nobody owes him forgiveness.
Tyson also became a beloved pop-culture oddity. His absurd lifestyle, distinctive voice, bizarre personal lore (including breeding and racing pigeons), and larger-than-life personality made him a Las Vegas institution. After years of personal chaos, he credited psychedelics with transforming his outlook on life, appeared in The Hangover, and starred in Mike Tyson Mysteries, a very adult Scooby-Doo parody (whoops, I did not post my Buffy the Vampire Scooby piece!) featuring the late Norm Macdonald as a foul-mouthed pigeon. Norm/Pigeon even made jokes about dying years before Macdonald's actual death, which I’m mentioning only because I have a terrible attention span.
Which brings me to Tysonism.
I like Mike Tyson. I understand why others don't. Nobody needs to be a Tysonist, and anti-Tysonism is reasonable, especially if you only know the bad stuff Tyson has done. I don’t think it should be your personality, but people have preferences.
But blaming Tyson for random atrocities just because you hate him? That's categorically insane.
More importantly, if you're an anti-Tysonist, you should recognize that randomly attacking him is an exceptionally stupid idea, borderline suicidal. You might get the first punch, he might even let you, but he's MIKE F-ING TYSON. He's going to punch back, and punch harder.
You just don’t pick a fight with Tyson. Punching Tyson is putting innocent bystanders in danger, like, idk, if he throws the attacker and they land on them.
Don't pick a fight with a heavyweight and act shocked when he fights back.
Get it?
The analogy actually came to life a few times. In 2022, Tyson was filmed responding to / punching a passenger on a plane after an altercation. The anti-Tysonist got lucky.
Then came the Israel-Hamas war, and suddenly everyone wanted to claim Tyson for their team. Doctored images associating Tyson with Israeli and Ba’ath/Palestinian flags circulated online quick. A fake Palestinian-flag image got attention in November 2024, ahead of his fight with Jake Paul.
And now we've reached Supreme.
Supreme's Flag-Swap Fiasco
Mike Tyson has reportedly called the fashion police, nay, the fashion world police. And for once, the charge isn't dressing like an idiot. It's unauthorized political accessorizing, aka poserosity, aka the thing I accuse the people who stole a Jewish slogan of all. the. time.
Supreme, the streetwear company famous for convincing grown men to line up to buy things as stupid as a brick or a crowbar, collaborated with British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose on a collection celebrating Tyson's boxing legacy.
Rose's designs remind me of Carri Munden's old Cassette Playa aesthetic, repackaged for rich people desperate to look underground. It’s rave fashion for people who don't dance, street fashion for people with too much money to walk on the street, but, to be kind, has nice vibrant colors.
The collection included a hoodie inspired by Tyson's vintage Jeff Hamilton championship jacket, complete with national flags. Except someone at Supreme decided to replace the Israeli flag with the Ba’ath / Palestinian one. I can’t say it was Martine Rose, but he’s been involved in grifts charity for Palestine before.
Tyson's very Jewish named lawyers weren't amused.
According to his legal team, the artwork had been approved before Supreme made the unauthorized change. His lawyer, Mitchell Schuster of Meister Seelig & Schuster, accused Supreme of materially breaching its contract. The hoodie was subsequently pulled from the collection, which, no doubt will make it more valuable for the people desperate to wear Palestine as their fashion statement.
For clarity, some people seem convinced this makes Tyson an Israel supporter, like Floyd Mayweather, who has been loudly and proudly pro-Israel. I'm not. Tyson previously distanced himself from a 2023 Friends of the IDF fundraiser he attended, saying he hadn't known it was a fundraiser and hadn't donated. He's generally avoided taking a clear side in the conflict, preferring to talk about peace. Wanting peace may not make you pro-Israel, but I’d argue that it makes you anti-Palestine.
This is a very reasonable case of "Don't turn me into your political mascot without asking me, bro." And this is something I actually have covered before: Free Palestine is the slogan of people who submit something to a journal, then make edits after the review. It’s for people who photoshop flags onto celebs. It’s for people who really demand Mr. Beast and Dolly Parton share their obsession.
Whatever Tyson thinks about Israel, I hope his lawyers squeeze some sheks out of a poser fashion house.
And after ten+ years of making this ridiculous analogy, I finally got an excuse to discuss anti-Tysonism in the context of Israel.
Life imitates art. And some of my diatribes are artsy. Not most, but some.
Read the original VINnews story here: https://vinnews.com/2026/10/16/mike-tysons-legal-team-accuses-supreme-of-breaching-contract-over-flag-swap-on-hoodie/ or below. VINnews is labeled as “The Jewish World’s Newsroom.”
Mike Tyson’s Legal Team Accuses Supreme Of Breaching Contract Over Flag Swap On Hoodie
October 16, 2026 4:48 pm
The design reworked a vintage graphic inspired by Tyson’s iconic Jeff Hamilton championship jacket. It featured the boxer alongside national flags and text referencing him as the “undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.” In the original artwork that Tyson’s team approved, the Israeli flag appeared; the Supreme-Martine Rose version substituted the Palestinian flag.
Tyson’s attorney Mitchell Schuster of Meister Seelig & Schuster told Rolling Stone that the team had approved artwork “solely to celebrate boxing history.” “Without authorization, Supreme altered the approved design, embroiling Mr. Tyson in an unrelated political crisis,” Schuster said. “This modification constitutes a material breach of contract. With Supreme ignoring repeated demands, Mr. Tyson’s legal counsel will take all necessary action to protect his name, likeness, and legacy.”
Supreme has not publicly commented. Martine Rose has previously incorporated Palestinian imagery in limited-run Artists for Aid T-shirts for her own label. The broader Supreme x Martine Rose collection includes outerwear, denim, accessories, and a Nike Dunk Low.
