Dealing with less noble deeds of our entertainers and athletes

I’ve made a public stance over the years that I can’t support Michael Jackson and also Woody Allen. I believe the former was a child predator, and the latter married his step daughter. As far as I’m concerned, ain’t nobody got time for that.

So I’ve been trying to square in mind how definitive those cases seem and how much I enjoyed watching the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight on Saturday night. In this setup, the former abuses women and the latter is a race baiter.

Seems like I’m not the only one ignoring these inconvenient facts about the fight. The numbers aren’t entirely in yet, but there are reports that the winner, Floyd “Money” Mayweather will live up to his nickname and take home a minimum of $100 million. Most likely after all the pay-per-view orders are tallied up, it could be closer to $200 million. The loser, in as much as he lost the fight, will get at least $50 million, probably much more.

So what are we suppose to do with the less noble deeds of our entertainers and athletes? Where does the line get drawn and who gets to draw it? Seems like the fans spoke with their wallets en mass this weekend with a resounding, “We don’t care, just fight!”

Some of these objections bounced through my brain as I streamed the fight on my phone. As much as I attempted to not care and dial up another episode of “Narcos” on Netflix, I could not stop watching this fight.

There is something very primal and irresistible to the lizard brain about boxing. The premise is so elemental. You’re trying to hit me, and I’m trying to hit you. May the best man win.

I’m no boxing analyst, and I’ve only been to one big fight in person.

HBO invited Don and I to an Oscar de la Hoya fight in Las Vegas back in our sports radio days. If you can suspend your critical judgment, it sure is exciting. There was a palpable excitement everywhere you went on the Strip. It must have been 100 times that on Saturday.

I’ve been thinking about this for two days now, and I still don’t have a satisfying answer. I absolutely despise the behavior of Mayweather, and some of the language of McGregor, but I really enjoyed the fight.

This must be how all those Woody Allen fans feel.