Happy 65th to Muhammad Ali, arguably one of the greatest athletes of this century. A man who was a figure of massive stature both physically and in the folklore that surrounds his life.
More than a boxer, Ali was a character...a black man who stood tall against America during the civil rights movement, but also a man who openly dodged the draft. He became the first prominent Islamic-athlete when he changed his name from Cassius Clay. His jabs, his feet, and his mouth were faster and hit harder than anyone before him, and anyone ever since. He was The Greatest.
Or so I've heard.
At 22 years old, I can look back at the sports figures that I've grown up with and feel that I've seen some of the greatest players (Jordan, Barry Sanders, Roger Clemens to name a very few), watched some of the greatest teams (The Bulls and Lakers dynasties, the 2000's Patriots and 90's Cowboys, the Yankees 90's run, and the Red Wings dominance), and been witness so some of the greatest moments in sports history (Vince Young winning two Rose Bowls on the same play, Magglio Ordonez's home run to win the ALCS, the Red Sox 3-0 comeback, the Music City Miracle, and the Tyson-Holyfield fight).
But Ali is one man I feel that I truly missed and have no connection to at all. He retired 3 years before I was born, and ESPN classic didn't start carrying his old fights till about 8 years ago. I remember one day stumbling upon an Ali marathon, and I became enthralled by his moxy and charisma both in the ring and out. I laughed out loud when Ali gave Howard Cosell a tack hammer at the end of an interview, saying, "If we was ever to get into it, you gonna need that." My generation has been duped into believing Mike Tyson was the most fearsome and crazy boxer of our time, but this is because most of us never had a chance to discover The Greatest.
So now, on Muhammad Ali's birthday, I want to wish him well. Parkinson's has robbed him of his charm and flair, and because of that he is a phantom to my generation, a man who exists mostly in memory and sporting lore. Every person who considers himself a sports buff should make it a point to immerse themselves into the history of the man who once was Cassius Clay, now Muhammad Ali, and will always be The Greatest.
More than a boxer, Ali was a character...a black man who stood tall against America during the civil rights movement, but also a man who openly dodged the draft. He became the first prominent Islamic-athlete when he changed his name from Cassius Clay. His jabs, his feet, and his mouth were faster and hit harder than anyone before him, and anyone ever since. He was The Greatest.
Or so I've heard.
At 22 years old, I can look back at the sports figures that I've grown up with and feel that I've seen some of the greatest players (Jordan, Barry Sanders, Roger Clemens to name a very few), watched some of the greatest teams (The Bulls and Lakers dynasties, the 2000's Patriots and 90's Cowboys, the Yankees 90's run, and the Red Wings dominance), and been witness so some of the greatest moments in sports history (Vince Young winning two Rose Bowls on the same play, Magglio Ordonez's home run to win the ALCS, the Red Sox 3-0 comeback, the Music City Miracle, and the Tyson-Holyfield fight).
But Ali is one man I feel that I truly missed and have no connection to at all. He retired 3 years before I was born, and ESPN classic didn't start carrying his old fights till about 8 years ago. I remember one day stumbling upon an Ali marathon, and I became enthralled by his moxy and charisma both in the ring and out. I laughed out loud when Ali gave Howard Cosell a tack hammer at the end of an interview, saying, "If we was ever to get into it, you gonna need that." My generation has been duped into believing Mike Tyson was the most fearsome and crazy boxer of our time, but this is because most of us never had a chance to discover The Greatest.
So now, on Muhammad Ali's birthday, I want to wish him well. Parkinson's has robbed him of his charm and flair, and because of that he is a phantom to my generation, a man who exists mostly in memory and sporting lore. Every person who considers himself a sports buff should make it a point to immerse themselves into the history of the man who once was Cassius Clay, now Muhammad Ali, and will always be The Greatest.
No comments:
Post a Comment