Beginnings, in sports, are easy as tap-in putts. The celebratory news conference for a coach who is likely to be fired within two years. The draft party for unproven players. The marketing campaigns built around promise unlikely to be fulfilled and championships unlikely to be won.
Endings are harder, as we’ve been reminded frequently of late.
John Elway might have created the prototype for glamorous endings. He won Super Bowls in his last two seasons, retired after the second, and wound up running the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50.