In Houston, on this day in history, April 28, 1967: <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SjTtrzUBM4s?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/la-rebellion/timeline/muhammad-ali-arrested-refusing-join-us-army
A little more impressed with Warren Court than Ali on this one, just because of some broader issues I have with his NOI affiliation and behavioral model for black men; but he stood up to a government practice that was corrupted by a dubious specific foreign policy.
He appears to have made around $200 million in today's dollars, which actually lines up pretty well with top fighters from the early '90s onward. Of course that's deducting King's 10% as agent, 10% as manager and the 35-50% in kickbacks that would have come from handpicked accountants and attorneys.
His resolve and dedication to upholding his values even in the face of severe punishment only solidify his status as the greatest.
Well, consistently and repeatedly taking on and beating the best of his division over a decade or so make him the greatest, like hitting .367 over 20 years. Mobilizing young people and black athletes, the latter in their capacity as the highest profile public figures of their race, towards political discourse was probably a worthwhile added bonus.
It's a shame that we don't really have athletes these days, or celebrities in general makes this type of substantial impact on society. Then again, Ali was a once in a lifetime type figure.
Absolutely. But when you're talking about what qualifies the greatest of all time, you start to get into aberrations of personality more than statistical achievement.
Yeah. Regardless of whether or not Ali was the greatest boxer, he certainly made the most of his influence and status. Hard to see Lebron or Tom Brady or anyone do anything like this now.
Those young men who were drafted and willingly went and risked their lives are the real heroes. It doesn't take a hero to go to jail, no matter how "noble" they try to make it appear.
It takes a hero to stand up to a government who is willing to send their people to die in a useless war.
truly, it takes a hero to declare he won't fight... Why is Ali elevated over every other draft dodger? There were thousands of them.
If you think Ali would have been asked to do any sort of combat in Vietnam you are nuts. He would have had some sort of cushy PR type responsibilities. So he was indeed acting on principle instead of cowardice or self interest. He gave up his title, years in the prime of his career and served his prison sentence instead of lend his name to what history has proven to be a debacle and horrific waste of life.
