By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
Roaming my well-worn paths of SoMD, I spotted a yard
ablaze with Christmas lights a mere week after Halloween. Is it already time
for flying reindeer, a financial hemorrhage and the rotund distributor of dreams
come true? A bucket of bite-sized sugar bombs still resides on my kitchen
table. What happened to…November? It’s a nice month. Veteran’s Day. Endless
football. College basketball’s kickoff. National Epilepsy and Native American
Heritage Month. It’s even National Novel Writing Month. Whoa…I’m feeling the
pressure
And there’s November’s crown jewel: Thanksgiving, my
top seed of underrated holidays (that aforementioned way-too-early Christmas
display is proof). Turkey Day is steeped in American history. It offers a brief
respite (hopefully) from the daily grind, time with family and the opportunity
to reflect and be thankful. And if you’re upright, healthy and not desperately
fleeing a terrorist-infected homeland or picking up the pieces after a tragic attack,
there’s much to appreciate.
Sports seem so small considering the disturbing nature
of recent world events. Nevertheless sports are what I do and sports are why
you’re reading this column. I suppose as fans we’re all grateful that games
continue to be played. As for the athletes themselves, there are many who
should feel particularly indebted at the moment. Stephen Curry’s Golden State
Warriors are blazing hot. Alex Ovechkin recently broke the Russian record for
NHL goals. Bryce Harper was awarded the National League MVP award. And Ronda
Rousey, after being knocked out by Holly Holm, is the former UCF bantamweight
champion. Wait. What?
On the surface, that makes no sense. While
contemplating her battered body and wounded pride, it would undoubtedly make
little sense to Rousey too. Thankful for losing her belt, an undefeated record
and title of the most overwhelming MMA fighter – male or female – the sport has
ever seen?
Yes.
Rousey was a perfect 12-0 entering the fight with
Holm. Nine of her matches had ended in submissions, via her trademark arm bar;
the three other victories were by KO/TKO. Only one fight had gone past the
first round; eight had ended in less than a minute. She was devastating,
charismatic and attractive. She was the sport’s biggest attraction, its first
cross-over star. The ceiling on her future was raised with every convincing
win.
So now what? Holm left Rousey bloodied and in a heap
on the canvas. After rising to congratulate her victorious opponent, the
one-time Queen of Destruction resembled the Cowardly Lion after Dorothy popped
him in the nose. The rage was gone. She looked…broken.
And therein lies the opportunity and Rousey’s reason
to be thankful.
Not unlike society, the sports world loves champions. Winners
are showered with adulations. Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t
everything, it’s the only thing.” But it isn’t that simple. What appeals to
people isn’t just winning, it’s triumph after adversity. Few can relate to
perfection and total dominance – the pre-Holm Rousey. We are flawed. We fail.
We dominate…nothing. So victory after apparent catastrophic failure is inspiring.
Michael Jordan, on his way to six championships, was beaten back for years by Boston
and Detroit in the playoffs and, after his baseball fling, lost to Orlando in
the conference semifinals. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson took turns getting the
better of each other throughout their careers. Chris Evert and Martina
Navratilova, the greatest rivalry I’ve witnessed, split their 80 matches 37
(Evert) to 43 (Navratilova). Each player failed as much as she succeeded. Even Tom
Brady and Bill Belichick, the best quarterback and head coach of their era, have
been uneven. Yes, they’ve won four Super Bowls. But they’ve also lost two and
grinded for 10 years between their third and fourth titles. Mike Tyson never
did recover from the Buster Douglass loss. Personal and professional adversity
seems to have gotten the best of Tiger Woods, too.
What does the future hold for Rousey? Currently
bloodied and beaten, she has a chance to author her own Rocky Balboa-like return
to glory. I hope she does. An epic Rousey comeback would offer us evidence to
believe in the never-ending series of our own. We could all use the
encouragement.
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