re: Marlins announce Ali has died

1. Jack Johnson, not babe ruth, was the first american sports superstar. Ironically enough Jack Johnson was also arrested on bullshite trumped up charges at the height of his career.


2. This is something, and I don't mean this to sound racist at all or anything of the sort, that white people just do not understand. Ali was not just a boxer and american, he was a spokesperson for the African American community. I don't mean Jessie Jackson / Al Sharpton "Spokesperson for the African American community" I mean black people getting the shite beat out of them on CBS not being able to vote leaders getting assassinated African American Community. He was really put in an impossible situation with no right answer. Join the war and be labeled an Uncle Tom by your own people at a time where race was still a pretty big fricking deal; Ali would not be a boxer forever, but he would always be a black man living in America for as long as he lived.. or Don't join the war effort and be labeled a traitor.

They pretty much told him look Ali just fricking go, you don't even have to fight or pick up a gun. We'll put you in a kitchen or do tours where you can boost morale or some shite, just save face and go and he wouldn't do it. I wouldn't call it brave per say, But he stood for his beliefs when it would have been very easy for him not to.


Funny, 3 years later when you have people camped out in front of the white house demanding LBJ bring the troops home, people STILL call Ali a traitor for doing the same thing basically 3 years earlier


3. Not only did he go to prison. He went to prison in his mid 20's. HE'S THE GREATEST FIGHTER OF ALL TIME, AND DIDN'T EVEN GET TO FIGHT IN HIS TRUE PRIME.


Part of me always thought, that MJ's retirement and come back was planned from jump street. MJ retired at 30.. his prime, and came back at 32. The reason we consider MJ and Ali the greatest is because they got to the top, gave it up one way or the other, came back and dominated again, both cases they were better when they came back, AFTER their "primes".


4. A prime Foreman would demolish Tyson. Young Tyson wasn't experienced enough. Old Tyson had no stainima or fundamentals, neither could take a flush punch to the chin and Foreman was the hardest of all time