Big Papa
Urban!!!!
Sweet gif file of him in his prime, perfect example of why he was the best ever.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Why are we still fascinated by Muhammad Ali?
Few athletes in the history of modern sport can claim to have been, at the apex of their celebrity, known to the masses not just in their native land, but worldwide. Fewer still can boast of enjoying a similar standing almost 30 years after the last time they performed, and almost 40 years from that time when the world was at their feet.
Muhammad Ali is such an athlete.
It seems incomprehensible today that a mere boxer could command such worldwide fame that, a quarter-century after his final appearance in a prize ring, his image remains one of the most recognizable on the planet. Ali's does. Still.
In 2006, 25 years after an ordinary heavyweight named Trevor Berbick pummeled him into a final, dreadful retirement in the Bahamas, CKX, an entertainment licensing firm, paid Ali $50 million in cash for an 80 percent stake in his name and likeness.
WEREK/Imago/Icon SMI
Lethal with his fists and sharp with his tongue, Muhammad Ali carved his place into the public's mind.
In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Ali the "Athlete of the Century." So did the BBC and GQ magazine. In 1996 he lit the torch at the Atlanta Olympics, his body quaking from the debilitating physical effects of Parkinson's syndrome, from which he has suffered since the early 1980s, and which eventually stole away perhaps the most instantly recognizable voice of the modern sporting era.
He has not managed to successfully put together a clear and easily intelligible speech in front of the major press in years, but in 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award. In 2007, Ali received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony. In 2001, Will Smith played the title role in the feature film, "Ali."
Clearly Ali retains a singularly strong hold, not only on the American sporting culture, but on the popular culture at large in much of the industrialized world, even after such a period of time has passed that reduces other mythic sports heroes to relics recalled only when dark milestones are reached.
The question that begs asking: Why? Why do we remain so captivated by Ali?
To some, the answer is simple.
"Because, when he was younger, he was the most charismatic and famous person of his time," said ESPN.com contributor Thomas Hauser, the author of "Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times," an oral history considered by most the definitive Ali biography.
Icon SMI
In his prime, Ali knew what to say and what to do at exactly the right times.
It is saying quite a lot, considering Ali's prime coincided with the primes of some of the 20th century's most influential figures in politics, music, art and literature. One could make the argument that the times made Ali as much as he made them, that the fiery defiance he brought to race relations, religion and politics wouldn't have been possible at an earlier time and would have appeared unseemly, contrived, or inappropriate later.
Indeed, in his extraordinary book, "Ghosts of Manila," the late Mark Kram Sr. argued, at times persuasively, that Ali was not only just an athlete, as opposed to an important socio-political figure, but one of questionable intelligence and conviction.
"Current hagiographers have tied themselves in knots trying to elevate Ali into a heroic, defiant catalyst of the anti-war movement, a beacon of black independence," wrote Kram. "It's a legacy that evolves from the intellectually loose sixties, from those who were in school then and now write romance history."
In another passage, Kram expounded. "Seldom has a public figure of such superficial depth been more wrongly perceived -- by the right and the left." And later on, "[Ali was] no more a social force than Frank Sinatra. The politically fashionable clung to his racial invective as if it were the wisdom of a seer. Today, such are the times, he would be looked upon as a contaminant, a chronic user of hate language and a sexual profligate."
If Kram was right, then it is all the more remarkable that Ali's cultural presence is what it is today, that his supporters have so successfully and for so long managed to convince the rest of us of his social and cultural merit. If it was their job to create a legend, and to make that legend last, they have performed superbly. Kids who weren't born yet when Ali lost to Larry Holmes in 1980 know who he is and what he did, even if they don't know the details.
"There are a handful of iconic figures who transcend their field so even if people didn't know them and weren't around when they were, the stories and the folklore are such that they span generations," said Showtime's Al Bernstein, who covered Ali's pitiable, 10-round KO loss to Holmes in Las Vegas.
"Everyone over 45 years of age or so would talk about him, talk about having seen him fight or hearing him, and so everyone under 30 has heard about him," Bernstein said. "He endures."
There is considerable support for the idea that Ali's illness, the Parkinson's, the very demon that has silenced him, has simultaneously abetted his remarkable cultural stamina, has helped his legend endure.
.
.
.
.
continued
Entire article: ESPN - Why are we still fascinated by Muhammad Ali? - Boxing
Few athletes in the history of modern sport can claim to have been, at the apex of their celebrity, known to the masses not just in their native land, but worldwide. Fewer still can boast of enjoying a similar standing almost 30 years after the last time they performed, and almost 40 years from that time when the world was at their feet.
Muhammad Ali is such an athlete.
It seems incomprehensible today that a mere boxer could command such worldwide fame that, a quarter-century after his final appearance in a prize ring, his image remains one of the most recognizable on the planet. Ali's does. Still.
In 2006, 25 years after an ordinary heavyweight named Trevor Berbick pummeled him into a final, dreadful retirement in the Bahamas, CKX, an entertainment licensing firm, paid Ali $50 million in cash for an 80 percent stake in his name and likeness.
Lethal with his fists and sharp with his tongue, Muhammad Ali carved his place into the public's mind.
In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Ali the "Athlete of the Century." So did the BBC and GQ magazine. In 1996 he lit the torch at the Atlanta Olympics, his body quaking from the debilitating physical effects of Parkinson's syndrome, from which he has suffered since the early 1980s, and which eventually stole away perhaps the most instantly recognizable voice of the modern sporting era.
He has not managed to successfully put together a clear and easily intelligible speech in front of the major press in years, but in 2005 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award. In 2007, Ali received an honorary doctorate of humanities at Princeton University's 260th graduation ceremony. In 2001, Will Smith played the title role in the feature film, "Ali."
Clearly Ali retains a singularly strong hold, not only on the American sporting culture, but on the popular culture at large in much of the industrialized world, even after such a period of time has passed that reduces other mythic sports heroes to relics recalled only when dark milestones are reached.
The question that begs asking: Why? Why do we remain so captivated by Ali?
To some, the answer is simple.
"Because, when he was younger, he was the most charismatic and famous person of his time," said ESPN.com contributor Thomas Hauser, the author of "Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times," an oral history considered by most the definitive Ali biography.
Icon SMI
In his prime, Ali knew what to say and what to do at exactly the right times.
It is saying quite a lot, considering Ali's prime coincided with the primes of some of the 20th century's most influential figures in politics, music, art and literature. One could make the argument that the times made Ali as much as he made them, that the fiery defiance he brought to race relations, religion and politics wouldn't have been possible at an earlier time and would have appeared unseemly, contrived, or inappropriate later.
Indeed, in his extraordinary book, "Ghosts of Manila," the late Mark Kram Sr. argued, at times persuasively, that Ali was not only just an athlete, as opposed to an important socio-political figure, but one of questionable intelligence and conviction.
"Current hagiographers have tied themselves in knots trying to elevate Ali into a heroic, defiant catalyst of the anti-war movement, a beacon of black independence," wrote Kram. "It's a legacy that evolves from the intellectually loose sixties, from those who were in school then and now write romance history."
In another passage, Kram expounded. "Seldom has a public figure of such superficial depth been more wrongly perceived -- by the right and the left." And later on, "[Ali was] no more a social force than Frank Sinatra. The politically fashionable clung to his racial invective as if it were the wisdom of a seer. Today, such are the times, he would be looked upon as a contaminant, a chronic user of hate language and a sexual profligate."
If Kram was right, then it is all the more remarkable that Ali's cultural presence is what it is today, that his supporters have so successfully and for so long managed to convince the rest of us of his social and cultural merit. If it was their job to create a legend, and to make that legend last, they have performed superbly. Kids who weren't born yet when Ali lost to Larry Holmes in 1980 know who he is and what he did, even if they don't know the details.
"There are a handful of iconic figures who transcend their field so even if people didn't know them and weren't around when they were, the stories and the folklore are such that they span generations," said Showtime's Al Bernstein, who covered Ali's pitiable, 10-round KO loss to Holmes in Las Vegas.
"Everyone over 45 years of age or so would talk about him, talk about having seen him fight or hearing him, and so everyone under 30 has heard about him," Bernstein said. "He endures."
There is considerable support for the idea that Ali's illness, the Parkinson's, the very demon that has silenced him, has simultaneously abetted his remarkable cultural stamina, has helped his legend endure.
.
.
.
.
continued
Entire article: ESPN - Why are we still fascinated by Muhammad Ali? - Boxing
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generaladm
Legend
A few years ago, I went on a big Ali kick, reading several books and watching all the fights I could find. I highly recommend the book King of the World: Muhammed Ali and the Rise of an American Hero by David Remnick. It is one of the best sports biographies I have read. It concentrates on the era between Floyd Patterson's title win and Ali's rematch with Liston. The parts about Patterson are particularly fascinating. On the other end of the spectrum, More than a Champion: The Style of Muhammad Ali by Jan Philipp Reemtsma is pure crap. The author has no fucking clue about boxing or writing. I have no idea how he ever got a contract. Do not ever pay a cent to read that book, but if you find it at a library, it's good for a laugh just to read the fucking two page long endnote about the character Pauly from the Rocky movies (not making that up).
The most amazing aspect of Ali's career was that he was ineligible to compete thru much of his prime years, due to his refusal of military service. During that more than three year span (starting at age 25), he lost some of the quickness that set him apart from the other heavyweights of the time. As a result, he had to rework his whole style of boxing. The Ali of the epic Frazier bouts was quite different from the young boxer that danced his way around Sonny Liston. Likewise, the "Rumble in the Jungle" against Foreman showed his ability to again find new ways to defeat world class opponents. Had he been able to to compete uninterruppted (and stay in optimal shape) throughout his career, he likely would have dominated the boxing world for 15+ straight years. I normally can't stand Bryant Gumbel, but he had a great observation in an Ali documentary: (paraphrasing) "If you had told people in 1964 that Muhammad Ali would light the Olympic torch in 1996, and be the most beloved figure in American sports...you would have won a lot of bets."
The most amazing aspect of Ali's career was that he was ineligible to compete thru much of his prime years, due to his refusal of military service. During that more than three year span (starting at age 25), he lost some of the quickness that set him apart from the other heavyweights of the time. As a result, he had to rework his whole style of boxing. The Ali of the epic Frazier bouts was quite different from the young boxer that danced his way around Sonny Liston. Likewise, the "Rumble in the Jungle" against Foreman showed his ability to again find new ways to defeat world class opponents. Had he been able to to compete uninterruppted (and stay in optimal shape) throughout his career, he likely would have dominated the boxing world for 15+ straight years. I normally can't stand Bryant Gumbel, but he had a great observation in an Ali documentary: (paraphrasing) "If you had told people in 1964 that Muhammad Ali would light the Olympic torch in 1996, and be the most beloved figure in American sports...you would have won a lot of bets."
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lightsout
Senior
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JNXqvBgliA"]YouTube - Muhammad Ali Highlight Tribute[/ame]
greatest heavyweight but ali will tell you who the real greatest of all time is:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fK2Cc2mxNA"]YouTube - Sugar Ray Robinson Highlight[/ame]
greatest heavyweight but ali will tell you who the real greatest of all time is:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fK2Cc2mxNA"]YouTube - Sugar Ray Robinson Highlight[/ame]
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
On this day in sorts history in....
1965 -- Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston a minute into the first round in the controversial rematch for Ali's heavyweight title.
1965 -- Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston a minute into the first round in the controversial rematch for Ali's heavyweight title.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Sports history: On this day in.......
1960 - Cassius Clay won the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
1960 - Cassius Clay won the gold medal in light heavyweight boxing at the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy. Clay later changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Sports history: On this day in.......
1967 -- Muhammad Ali refuses to be drafted into the Army in protest of the Vietnam War and is stripped of his title as world heavyweight champion.
1967 -- Muhammad Ali refuses to be drafted into the Army in protest of the Vietnam War and is stripped of his title as world heavyweight champion.
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rolandsmartin @rolandsmartin
BREAKING NEWS: Multiple news sources say Muhammad Ali has been placed on life support & his family has been told the "end is near."
BREAKING NEWS: Multiple news sources say Muhammad Ali has been placed on life support & his family has been told the "end is near."
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dragurd
Head Coach
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/muhammad-ali-greatest-all-time-dead-74-n584776
Unfortunately he's passed.
Unfortunately he's passed.
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