We wouldn't lionised the guy if he got the W. He couldn't overcome the hurdles. Whether he should have gone other there is for him to decide. I didn't think Jake Shields should have gone out and fought a week or so after his father passed away as I thought it might've been a step too soon and fast, but I don't know the guy and he could've been one of the ones that pushed through. I respect his decision.
Simone Biles made the same decision in the other direction and I respect that too. She wasn't right and arguably made the harder choice given the potential fallout. Other thing I don't think people consider is that if she messes up, it's her neck that break and she's the one that lives with it for the rest of her life.
Re: getting on the mic after. I didn't hear it myself. I'd just think the guy just really didn't want to be there at all or anymore. Probably smarter to just walk away but I guess he's obligated to get on the stick. I saw some discussion in previous pages about how Pena could've come out "winning".... The only way he could have come out ahead last night was to win the match. It was as simple as that. There was no way even if he went out on his sword he could have come out ahead, IMO.
It certainly would be possible for him to just refuse to go out on the mat. Though doing so at that point would likely also have had professional consequences. One hand could hold it understandable, but on the other it would also ultimately be a disappointment to all those who up to that point had waited so long for that to happen, especially when there's no guarantee it will ever happen again. (
O Fortuna, velut luna, statu variabilis)
There are continuums of willingness and arm twisting, and agreement happens at points where they intersect. I don't think it was a case where they had mobsters hold a tire-iron to the kneecaps of someone almost totally against doing so-and-so, but i do think they probably tried talking him around to continue going forwards, and that was enough to fill in the rest for his partiality to continuing.
As you say, winning forgives many sins, while losing affords little. There are still those able to understand and appreciate acquitting yourself well though. Maybe not 'come out ahead', but not be as far behind as one might otherwise be. I think playing through to the end then making a simple statement like 'these events have really affected me, but because i hespect Gordon as a competitor and the game i came out for everyone anyways; lets run this back at a better time'. I think everyone could've gotten onboard with that.
A pessimistic eye on the history of these sorts of things would say that's probably not really likely, though. And while it may seem gauche to think about careerism at the same time you're thinking about all too human tribulation, it's also something that is never the less always in the back of a person's mind, even if not on the level of explicit expression. I'm trying not to throw stones here when i say that Pena probably doesn't like his chances all that much in a hypothetical rematch in the future, irrespective of everything else. That's also just something that is what it is. You've got all these different threads tangled up in your head, but they're still always there, always exerting their weight in any case. It's real and influential. This isn't so much about casting judgement per se, as much as simply expressing the reality of the situation, including all of its different parts.
One of the greatest tragedies in combat sports history is the fact that Sakuraba-Rickson never happened. And there are certainly parallels here. A brother, son, and world-class individual taken from before his time. The scheduled match falling through more than understandable. Why did it never get rescheduled later, though? Well, that's just the way the cookie crumbled. Things happen when there is a will to make them happen. And mutual confidence is a big factor in that will.
Though naturally not exactly comparable in every way, since Lo and Pena were not family or even gymmates, though the shock of a figure you know and respect passing tragically and who you may have even had close conversations with can still be there. There's little to no way you can reasonably judge how much or how little someone is 'truly' affected by something... which is ultimately why you can't really use it for or against an argument for something, either. This segues with your discussion of Biles as well. There can be all kinds of different reasons for why someone doesn't stand on top of the world at the end of the day. It's her prerogative to not compete if she doesn't want to. But by that same token, she can't expect equal regard as the ones who do.
Maybe it would have been better if the match was canceled in the end, if only so these conversations would be avoided while everyone's emotions are still raw, while it's hard for people to process, and they're not really able to approach things from a balanced distance; but it did happen at this time, and so that conversation did come up this time, and God as my witness i can't do anything but keep to the plain truth, no matter what the situation is.
