Sydney Sweeney is having a crisis. Not only was she wrapped up in drama last week in the wake of her first addressing of the American Eagle jeans saga controversy, which arguably – she made much worse. But now her big new film Christy has become one of the worst box office flops of all time. That’s not hyperbole, it’s just the truth according to the numbers and revenue. But what makes this sting slightly is Sydney Sweeney aside, the true story behind Christy explored in the film and the journey of Christy Martin is one that’s really important and deserves to be told. Here’s how to support Christy without supporting the film or Sydney Sweeney if you have reservations regarding her controversies right now.
The important story of Christy Martin
The film tracks Christy Martin’s rise, fall, and survival as a proper character-driven sports drama. It starts with her childhood in West Virginia, showing her escape route into boxing and the early underground fights. The first act shows Christy Martin’s gritty origin journey: tiny gyms, dodgy promoters, and Christy figuring out who she is while hiding her relationships with women.
Then comes the big break: Don King signs her, she gets “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” persona, and suddenly she’s on Tyson undercards and the journey to Christy Martin becoming the most famous female boxer in the world erupts. The middle of the film is basically two storylines running in parallel: Christy’s meteoric career and the tightening trap of the marriage. You see her injuries, her burnout, her fear, her spiralling mental health, and her attempts to reconnect with the woman she truly loves. Instead of James, the man she’s married to and her former boxing coach.
Via Netflix
When Christy finally decided to leave her husband and trainer, James Martin, the situation exploded. He confronted her at their home, the argument escalated, and he attacked her. He stabbed her multiple times and then shot her. Christy was left seriously injured, but she managed to crawl out of the house and get onto the road, where someone spotted her and called for help. She survived, told police exactly what had happened, and Jim was later convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Since those days, Christy Martin has been an inspiration and the film, pre controversies, is an important stance on sexual identity and domestic violence.
How to support Christy Martin
The biggest way you can support Christy Martin is to donate to her non-profit, Christys Champs. Christy’s Champs was set up to support victims of domestic violence and you can donate directly to it. Christy Martin can also be booked as a public speaker where she speaks on her journey, the issue of domestic violence and LGBTQ+ acceptance.
If you want to watch the Christy Martin story but not support the Sydney Sweeney saga, you can also watch her story on Netflix. There’s a documentary about her life called Untold: Deal With the Devil streaming now on the platform.
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