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Dear Pan Am Games – Toronto 2015;

We owe you an apology.

We spoke, not from experience, but from media fueled cynicism. We whined loudly about your costs, your traffic congestion, your endless construction. We whispered to eager listeners that you were not the Olympics. We predicted gleefully that nobody would care.

We suggested your participating athletes were second-rate and not world class. We said you were important enough for Winnipeg, but not close to being on the prestige level we demand in Toronto. We said the lack of visitors was proof of your irrelevance.

We smirked when your CEO was fired over an alleged 91¢ expense claim. We gasped when we heard you were ripping up the Queen’s Quay immediately after the event. We howled patriotic injustice when you announced Kayne would headline the closing ceremonies.

We didn’t know that Cirque would do an amazing job of the Opening Ceremonies.

We never imagined 20,000 rabid fans watching women’s rugby. Let alone that our Canadian team would annihilate the USA.

We can’t be held responsible for the fact that our co-workers would rave about the free concerts at Panamania.

We didn’t expect our friend’s son to be so inspired at the diving competition, that he is begging his parents to enroll him in lessons.

We had never heard of the international rules of baseball creating a Gold Medal moment atmosphere of a World Series.

We didn’t know Rosie MacLennan was the best trampolinist in the world and not willing to let anything stop her from proving it again.

We couldn’t anticipate the magic of the nightly medal ceremonies at Canada House.

We are surprised that research is showing how much businesses are benefiting.

We couldn’t imagine the beauty of the velodrome, the soccer stadium, or the world class pools.

We didn’t understand why 23,000 of our neighbours volunteered their time to help out.

We really can’t be blamed. We don’t get out much. We don’t actually exercise. We still watch cable TV. We almost always order delivery food. We do sometimes take the car three blocks to a drivethrough. We really like driving to the mall. We don’t watch sports. We never wander to the neighbourhood park to see kids play. We have never seen high performance athletes in person. We didn’t know that handball was so challenging. We don’t believe in events being a part of our city’s culture. We don’t believe in the power of sports. We have never volunteered. We have never coached. We have never referred. We have never cheered.

We really can’t be blamed. We weren’t told that the Pan Am Games would be so amazing. We always believe what we are told.

Sincerely,

The Skeptics of Greater Toronto

Two days before the FIFA Women’s World Cup Fina I was watching a TSN panel previewing the Japan – USA Game and reviewing the tournament as a whole.

Now of course I have forgotten the panelist name (some guy, a Brit, not James Duthie), but he said something that made him look like a genius after Carli Lloyd singlehandedly decimated the Nadeshiko. It was an answer to the question as to whether the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup could be classified as a “great” event. His answer was that World Cup events are defined by outstanding individual performances and that, to date, this tournament hadn’t seen that. But he expected all of that to change on Sunday.

All of that came true the moment the ball left Lloyd’s foot on a 54 yard mission to the Japanese goal. A scoring effort that the FOX Sports commentators called the greatest goal in Women’s World Cup history. With that, her two other goals, a pair of strikes from teammates, and two late game cameos from a pair of aging US superstars, the script for this event had reached it’s storybook ending. It was witnessed by a record TV crowd of over 28 million the USA, nearly 8 million more in Canada, not to mention the fiery and fortunate fifty thousand plus at BC Place.

Lloyd created a special moment at the most special time. Her choreography could not have been more precise. Sport is all about the grand moments on a grand stage.

There is much talk about whether this will produce a legacy for women’s soccer or for women’s sports for that matter. It also provokes dialogue for what’s next for Canada as a host. Perhaps a 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup bid? Just as the upcoming Pan Am Games are seen in some corners as a test run for a potential Summer Olympic bid, the FWWC was the next and last step in hosting for our country, before the supposed big grand prize.

But let’s not lose sight of the moment. Let’s hope the spotlight does continue to shine brightly on women’s soccer, women’s sports, amateur sport, and Canadian athletes. That’s a big ask. But that’s the burden and expectation of big events. This week the mantle is handed from the Women’s World Cup to the Pan Am Games. The media and critics are out in full force in Toronto. The traffic will be a mess. Ticket sales are sluggish. Hotels are empty. The Torch relay has been under attended. I don’t know what’s accurate or not, but I do now that the buzzkill is common to all major undertakings. But wait.

Wait till the whistle blows this week to start the competition. Wait till the gun sounds to launch the swimmers in the pool. Wait till the balls get kicked and the hurdles get cleared. Then check in with me. But I want you to do more than wait. I want you to help create the spotlight. On our athletes in the Pan and ParaPan events. They are our future Olympians and Paralympians. Our future NBA stars. Our future Women’s World Cup athletes.

They are also our future teachers, surgeons, neighbours, police women, friends, lawyers, in-laws, plumbers, politicians, and parents of our children’s friends. They deserve the brightest spotlight you can give them. The FIFA Women’s World Cup demonstrated again, the legacy our country has in being a great host and our ambition to be a leading international sporting nation. Carli Lloyd served us well by putting on one of the most outstanding performances of any World Cup competitor.

Someone is waiting in the wings in Southern Ontario to do the same during the Pan Am’s. I can’t wait to see who.

Canada turns 148 this week. I wonder if it feels old?

It’s almost one hundred years older than me. But as far as countries go, it’s still a baby. Or maybe toddler is a more apropo descriptor.

Canada’s done a lot in it’s weening years.

Fought World Wars. Served as peacekeepers. Rescued American hostages. Invented the Telephone. Then the Smartphone. Not to mention basketball, snowmobiling, penicillin, and Beaver Tails. And something called poutine.

Spawned Gretzky, Richard, Lemieux, Crosby, Nash, Wiggins. Greene, Humphries, Le May Doan, Hughes. Raised Bailey, Lewis, and Surin. Birthed Bieber, Celine, Shania, Carrey, Myers, Candy, Gosling. and Cirque.

Built a Den filled with Dragons. Put the Iron in Man…and Woman. Urged the World to ensure a child has the Right to Play. Built the world’s best doughnut chain, running rooms, and loyalty programs. Pioneered efforts to motivate and participate. Juggled two official languages. Welcomed immigrants from everywhere. Paid homage to a Queen not our own.

Proven to the world what a sound banking system can do. Not to mention universal health care.

Won the World Series. Hosted Olympics. Pan Ams past and present. Staged largest FIFA Women’s World Cup ever. Expos. G8’s.

Despite all we have accomplished, Canada still seems pretty youthful to me. It’s best days are ahead of it. This country has so much potential and everyday it seems we act a little less stereotypical Canadian hoser and a lot more confident Canuck.

Now is the time to show the world what we’re made of. We’ve got a brilliant platform to do so with our Sesquicentennial approaching in 2017. The time is ripe to get in the bandwagon. Groups of people are already planning celebrations across the land. Committees are being formed. Governments are allocating dollars. Grants are being requested. Businesses are devising campaigns. Schools are retooling lessons.

If age truly is a mental state than all of this planning is going to make Canada’s 150th feel like a Sweet Sixteen. It will be a bash you won’t want to miss. Enjoy your holidays this week and start thinking about what you’re going to bring to the 2017 party.

A friend of mine, Peter Gilbert, is retiring from teaching this week. Despite his three plus decades in the profession, I would still consider him a Student Teacher.

What is a Student Teacher? In my mind it’s the teacher who understands that every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year, is about the students. They never lose that passion that inspired them to pursue their vocation. They never lose that sense of purpose. They never stop trying to build character, spirit, and confidence in their young disciples.

A Student Teacher does more than teach. They teach, they coach, they mentor, they befriend, they inspire, they console, they guide, they advise, they humour, they discipline, they parent, they counsel, they train, they listen, they protect, they comfort, and they love.

A Student Teacher has lifelong impact. They make an impact on thousands of young people at a critical stage in their lives. They equip them to deal with the future. They provide them with skills, both hard and soft, to pursue their dreams. They motivate them with actions, not just words, that boost their confidence.

A Student Teacher doesn’t just have the myriad of challenges presented by their hordes of students to overcome. A Student Teacher has administrators, school board policies, (some) ungrateful parents, and sometimes not so motivated fellow teachers to also overcome. In today’s educational climate it seems that the Student Teacher is under attack from all angles.

It’s no wonder that too many teachers retire early. Fed up with a system that seems to punish the motivated and rewards the system-zombies. It’s no wonder that everyday there are less educators willing to volunteer their team to coach sports, lead extracurriculars, mentor musicians, or organize arts excursions.

It’s too bad. Our country can’t afford to lose men like Peter. He coached more teams than I can list. He spent more time with the students than his own children at time. It’s a cliche to suggest those students were also his children. But cliche or not, it’s true.

Without him I would not have been able to spend the last fifteen glorious years as a volunteer football coach. He served not only in an official capacity as my staff sponsor, but in an unofficial capacity as my defender, promoter, and advisor. He recruited players for me. Lobbied teachers to let kids play. Cajoled kids to study. Lined the fields. Cleaned the change rooms. Ordered the buses. Raised money. Booked the refs. Wrapped the goalposts. And occasionally….called the ambulances.

A team is only as strong as its team members. Next year I have a great young quarterback who starred for the juniors a year ago, a tough running back recovering from injury, and some rangy linemen coming back. But one key all-star I will be missing is Peter.

Thanks for being my teacher Peter.

Signed,

Student

Dateline: Charleston, South Carolina.

Does it really take the murder of nine black people to realize that racism still exists?

Why does it take a young white supremacist to get politicians to act?

Why is a white killer labelled crazy and a brown one a terrorist?

Why do Presidential hopefuls wait until the media speaks before they talk?

Why does the flying of a symbol that stands for slavery, bigotry, rape, and the elimination of human decency make sense in a country that stands for the “Land of the Free”?

Why do the supporters of the Confederate flag believe it honours their past, yet somehow doesn’t dishonour the past of their fellow countrymen and women? That’s the argument commonly made for flying this flag over the state capitols in places like South Carolina, witness to the horrific murders of nine black churchgoers a week ago. That’s the argument why it’s part of the state symbol of Mississippi.

Can you imagine how people would feel if parts of Germany still flew the Swastika?

Imagine Canadians reactions if the FLQ flag was raised over parts of Quebec?

Speaking of our homeland, you may think this is an American issue. It is not. I can tell you how nervous I feel when I see a Confederate symbol on someone’s clothing or vehicle.

So much of our culture is influenced by the U.S. Racism is learned. Taught. Bred. Just yesterday my son had an incident with a classmate who wanted to play the white pieces during a chess game. He said, and I quote, he didn’t want to be the “Black N’s”. You can fill in the blank. This wasn’t a joke. It was intended to be as mean as it sounded. But to who? My son, of many bloodlines, looks white to most people. That is what really struck me. It wasn’t meant as a slur to my son, though it upset him greatly, it was this other boy’s view on the world.

Thankfully there are signs of progress. Businesses are condemning politicians for their stances. Media are not hesitating to take candidates to task. Voices, that were often muzzled, are beginning to speak up.

But can you imagine being one of the many black lawmakers in the South Carolina legislature, who enter the daily workplace under the symbol that demonized their ancestors for centuries?

I don’t think removing the Confederate flag would have saved the lives of those none people in that historical church. But it could save the next nine.

TO A GREATER GOAL.

The official slogan for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup was omnipresent at the Opening Match in Edmonton on Saturday. It’s a great slogan, I love it.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is more than just a soccer tournament. It will hopefully have a profound impact on women’s sports around the globe. It is a celebration of how far women’s soccer has come in this country and internationally, as the 2015 event represents an expanded field of twenty-four teams. In less than twenty years the tournament has doubled in size to keep pace with the global growth of the women’s game.

Ironically the slogan has an even greater meaning given the unfortunate timing of the FIFA corruption allegations. But even in darkness there is light, as the amazing opening round crowds in Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Vancouver have demonstrated.

For the 53,000 Canadian fans filling grand Commonwealth Stadium on a picture perfect prairie Saturday, the slogan probably meant even more than the tournament organizers intended. In the stadium, the slogan was more than a piece of signage, it was the preoccupation of all of us. For the opening match just wasn’t about our Canadian women taking on China. It was the kickoff to the summit of a very long journey. A journey that last witnessed, had featured the triumph of an amazing Olympic bronze medal, a first in so many decades for a Canadian summer Olympic team in any sport. Yet a moment so emotionally charged, if only we hadn’t been seemingly robbed of a gold medal opportunity, by a devastating officiating call.

So Saturday marked the first step of pent-up redemption. Canada’s own coach had suggested that nothing less than making the Final was acceptable. Oh what a tall order. Oh what a lofty goal. But wait. First there is the task at hand of winning a single round robin game. Something we did not accomplish at the 20111 Cup.

I was very fortunate to be in attendance.

With the cooperation of Soccer Canada, we had staged the 2015 Canadian Sponsorship Forum in Edmonton, and purchased tickets for all 250 delegates to attend the match. The match was the closing component of three days of workshops, keynotes, research presentations, networking, information sharing, and inspiration. Speakers from the WTA, Mondelez, IMI, FC Barcelona, VISA, X Prize, Canadian Tire, Lagarde, UNICEF and many more, satiated our delegates quest for knowledge. A street soccer tournament with TSN and a Canadian celebration hosted by Canada Place created new business relationships and new friendships for life. Unique sessions, such as Stacey Allaster’s Building the Road to success: The Power of Women in Sport, struck a deeply personal chord with all of those who leaned in. So the stage was set for a dramatic finish to a dramatic conference.

Unfortunately Team China had not received the “memo.”

Didn’t they know the role of the host’s opening opponent is to cooperate? Couldn’t they read the world ranking that said we are #8 and they are # 16? How come they decided to outrun us in the hot Alberta sun? Press the play in our end? Hit a free kick off not one, but both posts?

At halftime they had the crowd concerned. By the 75th minute the tension was palatable. As game time crept through the eighties, sheer panic had silenced us.

Majestically Captain Canada, Christine Sinclair, scored the great goal to win the game 1-0. Majestic. In the 90th minute. One great goal. Canada seems destined for a greater goal.

No Team Canada fan, player, coach, administrator, booster could leave that stadium uninspired. Yes it was just one game, one goal. But I will remember it for a long, long time. It was a goal that rewarded the perseverance of a true superstar. It’s a lesson for us on the pitch and off the pitch.

If Soccer Canada doesn’t mind, I would like to borrow their beautiful slogan. I would like to use it to help motivate me and my team, because it elevates what we do everyday. We don’t just create marketing properties. We are doing something of a higher order. Something greater.

I hope Business Leaders in Canada pay close attention to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Not just to Team Canada, but to all of the teams and athletes. If you watched the Swiss play on Monday night, not only would Ramona Bachmann wow you, but her entire team left me in awe at their relentlessness in a close defeat to the powerhouse Japanese team. It was their first ever appearance for them in the Cup and they deserved a better outcome. But still they achieved so much. I am sure today they are moving on and pursuing their next goal, motivated by the knowledge of how they have already inspired their country and recruited new fans, such as me.

Sport inspires people. I believe Businesses can as well. Much like Sport, Business has a mandate to do more than win. It can’t be all about profit. Like Sport, Business can create an impact. Business needs to have greater goals.

Go Canada Go.

It would be impossible for me to craft my blog this week and avoid the FIFA corruption scandal.

Especially in light of our staging the Canadian Sponsorship Forum in Edmonton this week, with our host partner Canada Soccer. How do I avoid this topic when I am taking hundreds of delegates to the opening game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup? How do I turn the other way when we have panels dedicated to utilizing soccer as a marketing property? Can I really put my head in the sand when leading soccer organizations, while not part of FIFA, such as FC Barcelona, MLS, and NASL are involved with our conference? What do I say when I introduce speakers from Visa and Kia, whose organizations have spoken out quite loudly about the behaviour of one of the world’s most powerful sports bodies?

It’s not that I am afraid of controversy. There will be no denying this will be major coffee break fodder at CSFX. I have already received calls from journalists asking me to comment. I have had colleagues suggesting we publish an agency POV on the matter. I have personally considered revising my opening speech, Local Plays. Global Champions, to address this issue head on. You probably wouldn’t blame me given that this is potentially the biggest sports business controversy in modern history.

Where I struggle is not with the question of timeliness or relevance. It’s not that I don’t have an opinion on the matter. Of course I do and you can only imagine how strong it is. It is not that I am afraid that I don’t have something to add to the debate. While I am not so cocky to suggest that I have some inside scoop the thousands of professional journalists covering the matter don’t have. But I do have a perspective as a sports marketer on the matter. Regardless, I will share that at another time.

What bothers me the most, and by now you of course can consider this a blog about the scandal despite my earlier provocations, is the impact on the deserving people who now have to share the spotlight. Especially those involved in the Women’s World Cup.

From athletes to volunteers. From spectators to sponsors. From venue organizers to government officials. From ball kids to broadcasters, this coming weekend’s is the culmination of years of dreams, hard work, goodwill, training, heartbreak, and preparation by so many people.

This weekend kicks off the largest Women’s World Cup in history. Over 500 of the best footballers in the world will invade our country!

It will kick off a media frenzy in women’s soccer loving countries such as the USA, Japan, and of course Canada. It will kick off unbelievable coverage by CTV and TSN. It will kick off the creation of a national profile for sports business whiz Peter Montopoli. It will kick off the hopes and prayers for a Canadian opportunity for revenge of the 2012 Olympic defeat at the hands of the Americans. It will kick off song, dance, cheers, sweat, scoring, pain, victory, and defeat.

It’s a travesty this scandal broke so close to this triumphant event. It’s unfair that coverage that should dedicated to a triumph of women’s sports will be marred by this discussion. Every woman who has ever played soccer in Canada has waited all their lives for this moment. So let’s help them shine a light on it.

The Finals are sold out! The Opening Match in Edmonton will be sold out with over 50,000 screaming fans. Fox Sports in the US is providing more coverage to this event than any World Cup, Men’s or Women’s has ever received from them! This past Friday night in Hamilton, our Canadian women posted a final tune-up victory and my friends in attendance said the atmosphere was electric!

Get out to a game or a viewing party. Tune in to watch as many games as you can. Follow your favourite team online. Dress up in your country’s colours. Support the athletes, thank a volunteer, buy from a sponsor.

Tuesday night I head to Edmonton to put the final prep on our Sponsorship Forum planning. I am so excited to pull on my Team Canada jersey and cheer on our women this Saturday against China.

Join me, join Canada, join the world in supporting these amazing athletes!

The people of Toronto welcomed a new saviour last week. A man chosen to somehow do what his predecessors have been unable to do.

All of his predecessors, like the new man, were smart, well meaning, experienced, and successful in their ascension to the role. Each of them was intensely scrutinized before being chosen. Each was interviewed by an experienced board, comprised of talented and highly successful individuals in their own right. Each was trumpeted as the new hero, the change agent, the newest saviour.

It’s a challenging job. All eyes of the city are upon you. Every person, whether they have relevant expertise or not, has a strong opinion on how you should do your job. The media trails you constantly. Every aspect of your life is uncovered for all to see. Every decision is questioned, challenged, and debated. Every situation you manage has far reaching implications. Every personnel change you make, every strategic shift you plot, every motivational tactic is cause for debate.

Your bosses don’t get along and worse have competing interests on many matters. But they have told you that won’t affect your job. You of course know they have been saying that for years. So what will really happen in a few months when you run headlong into an opponent that you’re having trouble solving?

You get criticized for what you say, and sometimes moreso for what you don’t. You need to surround yourself with talent, but sometimes existing contracts get in the way. You’re being asked to be an overnight success, when the truth is a strong foundation is the only path to success. You understand that Toronto is the most unique challenge in Canada, but saying so too often will only earn you grief.

If you falter, perhaps the guy we kicked to the curb before you will suddenly seem not so bad. The people that supported you might not be there to lean on. Suddenly every finger, camera, and microphone will be pointed at you to hear your replies to the accusations that you messed up.

I can only hope we give you time. I only hope we allow you to do your job. I only hope we grow a collective sense of patience.

I am not talking about the new Head Coach of the Maple Leafs. When you started reading this, you heard Babcock, yet I was talking about Saunders. You put your mind to hockey and I was discussing public safety. You were imagining a Stanley Cup Parade and I was referring to protesters on parade.

It’s unfortunate that our new Police Chief, Michael Saunders, was sworn in the same week that MLSE dropped $ 50 million on a man who will never take the ice. Sure I am as excited as the next fan about Babcock. I once had the unique opportunity to have breakfast with him, six other marketers, and the Stanley Cup. He is super smart, focused, and genuine. His take on leadership I actually have applied to several professional and personal settings.

But as a father, citizen, businessman, and volunteer I wish that Chief Saunders swearing in received the same exhaustive media coverage as Coach B. Toronto is an amazing place to live. But not for everybody. There are areas haunted by violence, fear, economic challenges, and inadequate access to resources.

Chief Saunders replaces Chief Blair, another man whom I have met and was also very very impressed by. One thing that struck me was how much the well-being of this city meant to Chief Blair. But politics did him in. So hear is hoping that a new Chief, coupled with a new Mayor, can rally the city together. To help those who need it the most. To ensure all are treated fairly. To protect the way of life we expect as Canadians.

Despite winning two Super Bowls as a Miami Dolphin, being a Pro Bowl MVP, and a member of the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1970’s, Garo Yepremian is best remembered for one of the greatest bloopers of all time.

Yepremian passed away last week, but will live forever in the minds of football fans of my generation. Let me take the rest of you back in time. The scene was Super Bowl VII and featured the undefeated Miami Dolphins attempting to close out a perfect season against the ageless Washington Redskins. Most football fans know the ending, if for no other reason than the annual perfect season watch that happens in the NFL. When the last undefeated team is vanquished during the season, the surviving Dolphins strike up cigars and the media commemorate the moment.

But back to 1973. The Dolphins had cruised through the ’72 regular season despite the loss of their star QB Bob Griese. His backup (Earl Morall), an unmatched running game featuring Larry Csonka, and a no-name defence featuring….well that would ruin the point… carried the team to a prefect regular season campaign. Sweeping through the playoffs with minutes remaining in the Super Bowl, and the Dokphins leading 14-0, out trotted Yepremian to cap a potential 17-0 season with a three pointer to make the score a highly symbolic 17-0!

Yepremian was a tiny man who was raised in a Cyprus house with no running water. He came to the United States to play soccer but was ruled ineligible. Remarkably he made the Detroit Lions roster without ever having played football before. He so disliked his helmet, he refused a facemask until he was smacked around early in the season. He suffered racism, pounding abuse, and taunting…but withstood the odds to cement an outstanding NFL career.

Now here he was about to make history even more historic. That is until his kick attempt was blocked and the ball sent sailing back into his hands. Here is where the lack of gridiron experience really set in. A seasoned player would have fallen to the ground and allowed the play to end harmlessly. Instead, the eager Yepremian attempted to throw the ball and could only manage to let it squirt straight up in the air. It came right back to him and so, like any seasoned veteran would do, he batted it back into the air. Right into the arms of a Redskins defender who raced down the field for a touchdown.

What should have been 17-0, was now 14-7. Oh, oh.

Blessedly, the Dolphins hung on. Persevered perfection. Bailed Garo out. Created immortality.

The video antics of Garo’s bobbled pass have highlighted every Super Bowl preview ever since. It’s a shame that one goofy play became the hallmark of a man’s career. I’m guilty of it here. Marking his death with a blog about the play.

But it’s not my intention to ridicule Garo or his memory. Instead it’s to encourage you to learn about how Garo recovered from that near disaster. Watch the video replay and you see the 142 pound kicker chasing the Skins player down the field, valiantly trying to make a tackle. Fast forward a season later and he is winning another Super Bowl. Super fast forward years later and you see him chairing a foundation to raise money for brain tumour research after the tragic loss of his daughter-in-law.

One mistake, one as innocent as a bad football play, should not mar a mans life. Yepremian is proof of that. In some ways the play gave him more notoriety than many kickers achieve. Plus he came out a champion. I’m sure “Wide Right” Scott Norwood would have traded places with Garo at the time.

What people also overlooked was the clutch kicking that helped the Dolphins to a perfect season. Like I have said before in this space, nobody’s perfect. Not even a Perfect Champion.

Do you really think all those people who watched the Fight of the Century on Saturday night were boxing fans?

It wasn’t the fight of the century in my mind. But then again I am old enough to have watched Ali-Foreman, Spinks-Tyson, Brown-O’Sullivan. The latter was supposed to be the Canadian Fight of the Century, until O’Sullivan was destroyed by Brown… and his career went in a tailspin. A smart reader will also point out that NONE of my references are from THIS century.

But it was the Fight of the Century on many dimensions. The ten year buildup. The money being wagered. The money being earned. The celebrities in attendance. The criminal charges amassed.

I didn’t want to get caught up in it. Why should I contribute financially to the massive earnings of a domestic abuser and a homophobe?

But how could I avoid it???

This was like the last episode of The Sopranos, Cheers, Seinfeld, and Happy Days all rolled into one. To say nothing of who shot JR? Tony Soprano? JFK? It was the Beatles reunion that never happened.

Olympic 100 metre final, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl, World Series Game 7. March Madness in May.

The hype won.

I made plans to meet with friends to watch the bout at a new hip downtown sports bar. I got there at 8:30 and was faced with a ninety minute lineup. Are you kidding me?

Wandering West we wound up at the Cadillac Lounge.Couldn’t believe they were showing the fight. Cadillac Lounge is great for live music. Karaoke. People watching. Heated patio. But boxing?

But maybe it wasn’t the boxing.

Maybe it was the prospect of evil being defeated by good. Or perhaps less evil is a better descriptor. They used to call the pro wrestling when I was a kid.

Maybe it was the absurdity of watching someone make $ 200 million dollars for 36 minutes of work. That used to be called the dot com era.

Maybe it was the award show like celebrity watching. They still call that award shows. Hey Denzel, what is with that horrible moustache.

Boxing trumpeted this as the start of the sport’s renaissance. I suggest it’s the end of the line.

It was a crap fight. Why risk injury when you’re guaranteed to be filthier and richer tomorrow whether you win or lose. Yes both filthier and richer.

It was boring. It was over hyped. It was sporadic. It was too old men, by sport standards, posing for the cameras. Afterwards they laughed in each others arms. Like two frat boys who just pulled one over on a new pledge. This is the same pair who a manufactured a decade old rivalry out of thin air?

I felt robbed when it was over. I bought into the hype. I was the pledge. The butt of the joke. The only person who got knocked out was me.

And you.