Fighters are people too.
It seems too obvious to need mentioning. Yet, I think it far too often gets left by the wayside.
With Anderson Silva’s recent finagling for bigger pay days and Quinton Jackson’s role in the A-Team, the common thread I’ve gathered from fans is, in so many words, “shut up and fight.”
We seem to forget that these athletes have bills and mortgages to pay. We forget that, like you or I, they have interests and ambitions outside their career choice. We forget that they ultimately go home to play with their kids.
When Quinton Jackson takes a movie role and pushes a fight back two months, he’s improving the quality of his life. When Anderson Silva eschews a low-money rematch with Dan Henderson or Nate Marquardt for a heavyweight payday, he does so with a sense of responsibility to provide for his family. When B.J. Penn wants to move up and fight Georges St. Pierre for a third time, he’s trying to tackle a nagging competitive itch.
Fans like to think that the sport is all about them. It isn’t. It’s a rough pill to swallow, but the fact of the matter is that a symbiotic relationship exists between fans and athletes. One cannot exist without the other. As such, there will always be an equilibrium that must be reached to balance the motivations of each side.
The next time a fighter acts in such a way that does not match with your “pure” view of the sport, do not take it as a personal affront. Understand that he or she is just like you – a human being with thoughts, feelings, emotions, ambitions, and responsibilities.
Photo via CombatLifestyle.com