I find it very irritating to watch television at times because of the constant scrutinizing, which is one of the reasons I've never wanted to be a celebrity. I'm not sure that the money is worth the invasion of privacy that entities like TMZ provide or the constant criticism of the general media for ratings and views. I just watched a video where Dana White is talking about Holly Holm and insulting the intelligence of her manager.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:14929842
I have so much respect for Holly Holm's decision. Holly did what I feel any true fighter would do, she took on the toughest competitor and challenge ahead of her. The reason I say true fighter is because this isn't just the position of professional fighters, but any human being with pride and who desires to be the best that they can be.
Another story that has gotten lots of negative attention from the media is Russell Okung's decision to fire his agent and take his affairs into his own hands. People say that he's stupid and should have let his agent (management team) do their job. I recently had a similar experience where a motor in my furnace went bad and I accepted the task to repair it myself. The heating/cooling business that came out quoted me $700 to replace the part, I ordered and installed it myself for less than $200. Does accepting that challenge make me a genius because I succeeded? Does taking on tasks that you're not sure you can do make you a loser or a winner?
On the other side of the coin are guys like Dana White and Floyd Mayweather. Dana White took the right risk at the right time, so he's obviously the smartest person alive, because he's rich and therefore has the right to go on national television and insult the intelligence of others. In this country it does at times seem that your bank account is the true reflection of your intelligence and greatness. Floyd Mayweather won all of his fights and people still don't view him as the greatest. He made all of the right business decisions because he's a prize fighter and approached the fight business as such. As a result, Floyd Mayweather is unquestionably the greatest business-minded boxer of all time.
It's a lose-lose when people are looking at your life in hindsight, but fortunately as "regular" people we don't have to absorb the criticism of millions of people everyday. The entire situation reminds me of Michael Jackson's song "You Can't Win" from The Wiz. I respect Holly Holm and Russell Okung for their decisions and for not being life cowards. That's the stuff that Civil Rights leaders and revolutionaries (my heroes) are made of. For me, being a winner or loser is based upon your character and not your bank account. Though I'm sure Holly Holm & Russell Okung have much healthier bank accounts than my own, I consider them winners because they accepted life's challenges.