ESPN showed some reaction at a closed circuit venue in Pacquiao's homeland of The Philippines a few moments ago. Everything was accepting and peaceful. No problem.
There were a handful of smiling faces, filing out, accepting the loss.
But I couldn't help but notice that the saddest, most despondent spectators were little boys, probably 12 and under.
My heart goes out to those guys. I know what it's like as a youngster to have your favorite boxer go down to defeat. That feeling remains the worse feeling I've ever had in sports. You feel bad for the loss, you feel bad for your guy. It's more than just losing on a scoreboard, there is more of a personal level when it's boxing. And when it's boxing, there usually isn't a next year, a next time. History is made inside of 45 minutes and it can never be changed.
Young sports fans sink so much into the here and now. The older fans realize that wins come and go and they almost never change our lives, do they? But for children, these sporting events are so important, and boxing takes it to a unique extreme.
Boxing is no longer a major sport. But this was a major event tonight, especially in The Phillippines, especially to those young sports fans. My heart goes out to them because I know exactly how they feel, I was one of them once upon a time.
There were a handful of smiling faces, filing out, accepting the loss.
But I couldn't help but notice that the saddest, most despondent spectators were little boys, probably 12 and under.
My heart goes out to those guys. I know what it's like as a youngster to have your favorite boxer go down to defeat. That feeling remains the worse feeling I've ever had in sports. You feel bad for the loss, you feel bad for your guy. It's more than just losing on a scoreboard, there is more of a personal level when it's boxing. And when it's boxing, there usually isn't a next year, a next time. History is made inside of 45 minutes and it can never be changed.
Young sports fans sink so much into the here and now. The older fans realize that wins come and go and they almost never change our lives, do they? But for children, these sporting events are so important, and boxing takes it to a unique extreme.
Boxing is no longer a major sport. But this was a major event tonight, especially in The Phillippines, especially to those young sports fans. My heart goes out to them because I know exactly how they feel, I was one of them once upon a time.
