Social media is a weird place. Without context, it can lead to some bizarre situations and confusion. That is exactly what happened on Tuesday when baseball fans paid respect to the MLB legend Rocky Colavito, who unfortunately passed away on December 10 at the age of 91.
This resulted in a huge out-pour in the boxing community as ‘RIP Rocky’ was trending on ‘X’, making the fans believe that legendary actor Sylvester Stallone, who played the role of Rocky Balboa in his famous Rocky film franchise, has passed away. Things settled down after a while, but not before creating a ruckus and sending every boxing fan into a state of frenzy.
Rocky Colavito: A hero, a band apart
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There are very few people in the world who have captured the town of Cleveland the way Colavito did. On December 10, Cleveland Guardians (formerly Cleveland Indians) took to their ‘X’ to pay tribute to the life and times of their hero. The post read, “The Cleveland Guardians are deeply saddened by the loss of Rocky Colavito. Beloved by fans, Rocky spent eight of his fourteen MLB seasons with Cleveland. He represented the club in three All-Star Games while finishing top-5 in MVP voting on three occasions. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this time.”
According to the Guardians, he passed peacefully with his family by his side. Colavito made his debut for Cleveland in 1955, and it didn’t take him long to capture the audience. Everyone was in awe of his power hitting which saw him cross the 40-home runs mark in a season thrice. His four homers in a single game against Baltimore in 1959 is still a career highlight.
Because of his good looks and kind and humble personality, the people of Cleveland loved Colavito. They loved him so much that they still consider the infamous Colavito-Kuenn trade responsible for their decades of baseball mediocrity. The city hero returned to Cleveland after 6 years to put on another historic season. He finished his career with the New York Yankees, where he even pitched to win the match. He returned to Cleveland once again in his later years as a broadcaster and hitting coach. His name remains forever etched in Cleveland’s history.
It was obvious that the Cleveland Guardians fans would honor their legend, who changed America’s favorite pastime completely for them. However, it sent the boxing fans into a frenzy who opened the ‘X’ and got worried for Sylvester Stallone, instead.
Sylvester Stallone fans in panic
One fan wrote, “I saw RIP Rocky trending and thankfully it wasn’t Sylvester Stallone,” stating that he was grateful that the Hollywood icon is fine and very much alive. Sylvester Stallone has achieved immortality amongst boxing fans for his portrayal of an underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. Losing such an icon would have been devastating for boxing fans worldwide.
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Another fan who thought the same wrote, “WTF RIP Rocky??? I thought we lost Sylvester Stallone…” The Rocky franchise holds a special place in every boxing fan’s heart. It not only made the sport more popular in the post-Ali era but also inspired many youngsters to put on gloves. Legends like Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao have publicly shown their appreciation for the series in motivating their careers.
Another fan wrote, “Goddamn it, I saw RIP Rocky and thought Sylvester Stallone had gone up to join Apollo Creed. DON’T SCARE ME LIKE THAT.” Earlier in February 2024, Carl Weathers, who played the role of Apollo Creed in the Rocky series, tragically passed away at the age of 76. Creed was a beloved character by the masses and everyone was distraught after his tragic demise.
Another fan wrote, “RIP Rocky” was trending because someone died and now it’s trending because everyone thought it was Sylvester Stallone,” perfectly capturing the confusion brought on by the situation.
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It looks like it was not only Sylvester Stallone’s fans who got a heart attack. A fan wrote, “RIP Rocky” is trending. White people thought Sylvester Stallone died. Black people thought ASAP Rocky died,” explaining that the hip-hop industry fans also got shocked and thought something had happened to rapper ASAP Rocky.
Irrespective of the confusion, we lost a great man. Rocky Colavito shaped Cleveland’s legacy in the MLB and will forever be adored by his fans. Our prayers are with the Colavito family during this tough time. Make sure to leave a message down below.