get drunk.. easily angered and try to or do start physical conflicts with their girlfriends, wives or other family members?
I know it happens and I figure some guilty parties will be reading this and thought it may do some good if they see what other fighters or fans think about them.
fair enough...
training in the martial arts used to mean that you were also developing a sense of discipline and self respect...It is dispicable that someone who is trained to use their tools to hurt other people would take advantage of these tools to threaten or hurt anyone outside the ring let alone a family member who is likely the core of support that allows a fighter to be able to train so intensely in the first place...
it's like Peter Parker's uncle said..."With great power, comes great responsibility"
threatening or hurting your family is a loser move no matter who you are or what you do for a living
amen!
When we tell people what Skip does professionally - aka fighting (as he wears about a half dozen other working hats) - people gasp and clutch their throats like he probably beats me on a regular basis. I'm coming up on my 25th wedding anniversary and never been treated better. Fact is and we've talked about it many times - most of the fighters we know personally are very good people and parents. Many are single parents raising kids, or paying their child support, happily married; etc. This is not an absolute and I could probably cite you names for opposites for all of the above. But more than the majority, the fighters we know have stayed at our home, eaten at our dinner table, are soft spoken and in general good peeps.
One that comes to mind is raising a 3 year old by himself. Another is Ian Freeman on a recent letter about a trip his wife planned and his exact words were "I just love her to bits." Dan Severn has been married to the same woman for over 20 years and has 5 children that are the loves of his life. I could go on. One bad egg and you don't associate with them.
You've got good and bad in all professions and walks of life. We're not perfect - and never will be. But for the most part I think even bad eggs are worth saving and have taken the brunt of shit talk for taking up for what I do see as the good in all people. I'm not a pollyanna but I guess it's the mother in me that tries to bring that out.
later, ma