While the following will start out on a factual basis, it will eventually lead into the world of fantasy. A fairy tale, if you will. It didn't happen, and like Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Hansel and Gretel, it's highly unlikely such a thing will ever come true.
But imagine if it did.
Last weekend, Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley squared off in Las Vegas for a boxing showdown with Pacquiao's championship belt(s) on the line. When the fight was over, seemingly everyone who witnessed the bout assumed Pacquiao had "decisioned" Bradley by a wide margin. All the ringside reporters, boxing analysts, the announcers, and subsequently most talking heads and scribes that watched it on TV would echo the same sentiment. Everybody knew Bradley had lost.
Even Bradley. Chris Mannix, of Sports Illustrated, penned an article in this week's issue that said Bradley, after the fight was over, but before the scores were announced, was talking in the ring to Bob Arum, his promoter. According to Mannix, Bradley told Arum that he knew he had come up short. It seemed everybody knew the obvious, except for 2 of the 3 judges that scored the fight. As you know, a very controversial split decision was awarded to Bradley. Even Arum himself was outraged at the verdict. Of course, Arum is also Pacquiao's promoter, so make of that what you will.
Upon hearing the decison, Bradley, being the honorable young man that he is -- did something extraordinary. Knowing he had been beaten fair and square, Bradley refused to take the belts, walked across the ring, held up Pacquiao's hand, and proclaimed him to STILL be a worthy champion.
The world blinked in disbelief. Talking heads and scribes went berserk trying to figure it out. What could possibly possess an athlete to deny himself a win? Had he become mentally unstable? Could he present a threat to society?
Talk show hosts immediately booked the world's most eminent psychiatric gurus to get their opinion on such a bizarre act. Some suggested that Bradley should be confined until he could be thoroughly examined for weeks to determine if he's mentally competent. Various boxing authorities put his license to fight on hold pending the outcome of such treatment. Luminaries from all the major networks ratcheted up the pressure for an in-depth interview with Bradley. Mad magazine did a spoof on crazy boxers. Editorial cartoonists had a field day. The US Senate convened another one of their "special" sessions, and Bradley was hauled before them to be grilled for hours by a bunch of people that wouldn't know a left hook from a left turn.
But in the end -- it turned out Bradley was very much OK. As he would say later, "It was just the honorable thing to do".
Millions of children the world over, that will someday become notable athletes themselves, were paying attention and learned a life-lesson. A new trend quickly went viral. It's cool to be honorable.
The end.
Imagine that.
Doing such a thing probably never occurred to Bradley, but maybe someday the light bulb will go on with somebody that can make a major statement by setting an example.
Everybody living happily ever after in the sporting world is never going to happen, but a little more honor surely couldn't hurt.
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