A sad day
RIP Muhammad Ali
I was happy to learn he’d embraced Sufism.
Here was a man of real courage esp. outside the ring.
RIP to a genius athlete who was more famously a brash, complicated, fascinating, and generous person.
And once more, for the however many-eth time, Barack Obama shows how you can craft a statement like this that sends multiple messages in different directions. Something of an Ali-like elegant warrior himself intellectually.
One of Muhammad Ali’s lesser achievements was to become the greatest boxer ever. His life was the example that inspired and encouraged many other achievers. No doubt including President Obama.
peace
That was beautiful. I read years ago about the nature of geniuses and Ali was described as a genius because of his innate abilities in the use of language and communication. No other athlete has had the cultural impact of Ali and it’s hard to become hyperbolic when discussing his impact on American and world culture. RIP, Champ.
The Greatest opened so many doors.
One of which Barack Obama passed through.
What a fine commemoration Mr President.
jw1
He dared to suggest to a national, actually international, media that there was more to African Americans than what they’d be fed. Of course this angered many Good 'ol Boys.
This is what President Obama wrote in tribute to Muhammed Ali in 2010.
What a beautiful, human essay. No mere comment, this, it clearly came from the heart. I’ll miss Muhammad Ail - I feel very old this morning. And I’ll miss having this eloquent, thoughtful man in the White House, looking at those gloves and that picture in his private study.
I had never been a fan of boxing before Ali. Just out of college, an older cousin invited me to attend a fight at the Houston Astrodome between a young and beautiful Ali and Cleveland “Big Cat” Williams. Awhile later we returned to the same arena for his fight with top contender Ernie Terrell. I was hooked for life! For the next 50 years I’ve watched every fight I could get to whether in person, big screen TV at paid admission auditoriums and in recent years in televised or pay per view bouts. I always enjoy the bouts, but have never seen the like of The Greatest of All Time. Thank you Mr President for a beautiful eulogy.
The world needs more people like Muhammad Ali and less people like Donald Trump.
Thanks to Ali for this quote, which woke up a young white boy who had never had to consider that others hadn’t experienced the same privileges that he had enjoyed and took for granted.
"“I Ain’t Got No Quarrel With The VietCong…No VietCong Ever Called Me Nigger.”
Ali shook the world and so did our beloved President. Two of the greatest men to come along in our time and they are Black. Take that you white haters. Can you just imagine if black people had the same opportunities that white people have by birthright, what this country might be? I suspect it would be a much better world.
Or raped and hung black folks,
An inspired eulogy drawing on the poetry in a great American’s storied life; well done, Mr. President.
I love Obama, and this statement, but that picture is from the second Liston fight. He was already Ali.