If an athlete wants to go out at the top of his game he should go out when he is at the top of his game, not expect others to recreate that dream game he had years ago when he was in his prime. Those other players are also hoping for a share of fame and glory.
What’s that old Dick Butkus quote? “I never set out to hurt anybody, unless it was important – y’know, like the Super Bowl, or a professional football game.”
Taking it easy on the old man would be about the most insulting thing you could do.
It depends. Is it a competitive match? Fuck that, go all-out. Is it a testimonial or something? Sure, let him score.
I look at it like this:
Don’t go too easy on them; it’s disrespectful to them. However, don’t have the intention to show them up either; that’s also disrespectful. Just go out and play like you normally would.
Hopefully the retiring player will have seen the writing on the wall before they’re too pathetic, and will give a good final account of themselves.
Well, a lot depends on the sport in question.
Everyone on the San Francisco 49ers knew that the 2013 Super Bowl was going to be the last game legendary linebacker Ray Lewis ever played (I think Lewis is a creep, but he was a great player and widely loved throughout the NFL).
So, should 49er offensive linemen have taken it easy on Lewis? Should 49er tight ends have passed up chances to knock Lewis on his butt?
OF COURSE NOT! Pro football is a rough game, and if you try to be nice and go easy on a linebacker, well, 1) You or one of your teammates will probably get hurt and 2) You’re liable to lose the championship game. You just can’t chance it.
In the same way, Trevor Berbick PROBABLY knew his fight with Muhammad Ali would be Ali’s last. Should Berbick have gone easy on the beloved Ali? Heck, no! Berbick HAD to fight all out or risk getting socked in the jaw himself.
There are SOME sports where you can safely allow a legendary, retiring opponent to have a last moment of glory (as Denny McClain did to Mickey Mantle), but there are other sports where that’s just too dangerous.
…cricket really isn’t a game where you can give someone a chance. How many times has a batsman been dropped without a run on the board and then gone on to make a century? If one team “goes easy” on the other, the other team doesn’t have the duty or reason to return the favour. Remember players get dropped for bad performances: and going easy could mean a player loosing their pay cheque.
And lets not forget cricket has been dogged by match fixing scandals, and there is a fine line between “going easy” to be nice and “going easy” because a bookie is slipping them some money.
Much depends on the context of the game. Is it really a celebratory last game for this person. If so it is a sign of respect to all people playing past and present to honor this person. The bigger the game the bigger the statement that all the players are worthy of such respect. But this should be done with the consent of the person being retired as their view may be ‘hell no - give me all you got and them some and I’ll shove it back at you seven fold’, so it is also respecting their wishes.
And this just goes to treat others how you wish to be treated, karma and all.
There’s no such thing as a “celebratory last game.”
This reminds me of Johan Cruyff’s Ajax testimonial in the 70’s, when the opposition Bayern Munich took it seriously and won 8-0. I’d love to have seen his face after the game.
Bayern eventually apologised, 30 years later.
Most of those words appear to be English, but I’ve never seen then written in that order before.
Did you see that ludicrous display last night?
Yes, this is the reason I am against this situation, but okay with the idea that you don’t need to arbitrarily run up the score. We’re talking about an actual accomplishment here. Those should not be made intentionally easier, or it taints them. Heck, that’s the reason that drugging bothers people so much.
Now, if the reason you were being nice was that the guy had an illness and couldn’t play as well, and it didn’t really affect any records or anything, I could see going easy. But, even then, you’d need to make sure that’s what the person would actually want you to do. Many sportsmen are of the mindset that they don’t want anyone to ever have pity on them.
I disagree. They just aren’t that common and aren’t a part of the regular league. They are generally a type of charity game.
The thing about them is, they always try to walk it in. 
Seriously though, I’m inclined to say athletes should go easy on a retiring opponent to an extent. Not insultingly so, but I think the retiring player should be ensured a respectable account of themselves (ie score) as a dignified send-off.
I don’t follow any sports, but the idea that ‘taking it easy’ is showing respect really sounds wrong to me. If someone does that to me in any competition, I feel like their being condescending and in a way smug. It’s like they’re saying, I have to go easy on you for you to have a chance.
In cricket the bowler (pitcher for you yanks) is trying to dismiss ( get out) the batsman. However as a single time at bat for a player can see him face dozens of even hundreds of deliveries, the game is a lot more strategic than that. As the bowler is (mostly) allowed to hit the striker with the ball, it’s a common sight to send down barrages of deliveries which threaten actual bodily harm to the batsmanship head and upper body. If someone is in his last game, such an attempt to injure him might be in bad taste ad you can easily dismiss him without such tactics. Incidentally such tactics are called “short pitched bowling” or simply “short”.
There is one example of a team captain telling his bowlers tag the would geld the first one who bowled short at a teenage player.
Would you expect a player at the top of his game to ‘go easy’ on the clueless rookie still learning the trade? Of course not.
Some years ago, Andre Agassi was giving an interview after shellacking his young, much lower-ranked opponent - I think it was like 6-0, 6-0 or some completely lopsided score. And one of the press reporters asked him basically if he ever felt sorry for his opponent, ever felt like maybe going easy on him, letting him win a game or something.
And Agassi shook his head, and said - I’m paraphrasing here, ‘no - because trust me, we’ve all been on both sides of that score. There’s a reason you’re on one side of that score, and it’s something you have to go through, process, and learn from. Who am I to rob him of that experience?’.
I don’t think a retiring athlete would want to be robbed of any competitive experience either.
Those don’t really exist either. Or rather, they do, but no one gives a shit if Whitey Ford grooves one for Reggie Jackson during Old Timer’s Day. Those games occur after the athlete has required and don’t count as a “last game.”
Side question, do any MLB teams have Old Timer’s games anymore?
From a fan perspective, I would be pissed off. I paid to watch professionals try their damndest to win a game. If I got a sense that were not giving their all, I would feel cheated.