[JCFLA]

Well-done documentary. Could have been weepy in the wrong hands, but the producers did a good job by staying objective and including all sides of the story.

It was a touching finale with Emile finally meeting up with Paret Jr. and, hopefully, burying the past. Again, this Hollywoodish final scene might seem mawkish and contrived, but with all the pathos of Paret's death and Emile's sad decline, the picture ended on an uplifting note.

The things that stood out to me the most were Fullmer's pounding of Paret, (my god, those body shots hurt me just watching!), the misguided criticism of Ruby Goldtein and the "let's ban boxing" uproar following the fatal KO. Jack Newfield's comment about the "epidemic of piety" really hit home with me. Going back in history, it is interesting to note how Americans generally overreact to tragedy whether it be in sports, crime, war, politics, whatever. Our usual mixture of moral indignation, Old Testament vengeance-seeking and locking the barn door after the herd has fled is evidenced by such recent events as our post-9/11 actions, the steroid "scandal", the attention paid to celebrities' trials and tribulations, the Terri Schiavo circus, the outcry against "vulgarity" in our culture, immigrant bashing, etc., etc.

Pardon the digression from boxing, but the point is: Paret knew the risks and so did his wife, but bad things happen in the ring. In a perfect world his manager might not have let him go through with the fight, Goldstein might have reacted quicker, who knows? Dale Earnhardt knew the risks, too; so did the shuttle astronauts, so did Pat Tillman. We miss these brave souls, we salute them and we try to make sure it doesn't happen again to those following in the path they led. But we must also realize, as they undoubtedly did, that these are extreme and dangerous pusuits with consequences of violence and harm not suited for the average person. They would be the first to tell us that their deaths or any future failures should never deter us from moving ahead. Narrow thinking won't keep our heroes from dying in the arena of their choice any more than it will cure homosexuality, pedophilia or spousal abuse, limit society's abuse of legal and illegal drugs or fix our economic woes.

In the end, a mere prizefight pales in comparison to the real struggles of our time and I, for one, must try to keep my ever-decreasing level of concentration focused on those things I can fix myself.

Sermon's over folks. Copies are available for 5 cents on your favorite brand of toilet paper.