Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama: What Muhammad Ali meant to me
In 2010, in celebration of Muhammad Ali's 50 years on the world stage, President Barack Obama penned for USA TODAY Sports the following essay on what Ali has meant to him:It was the winter of 1959, six months before he would take the sport of boxing by storm at the Rome Olympics, and Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was on the move. Rising at 4 in the morning, before the first glimmer of daylight broke the horizon, Clay would put on his sweats, lace up a pair of old steel-toed Army work boots, and run out into the biting cold. He would crisscross his beloved Louisville, often racing the school bus for 20 blocks down Chestnut Street. Why doesnt he ride to school like everybody else? one student asked. Hes crazy, replied one of Clays classmates. Hes as nutty as can be.
...
As the world would come to know, that young man would always chart his own course. I was too young to remember Clay before he became Muhammad Ali, when he was not only the heavyweight champion of the world but also at times the object of controversy and even scorn. And I was still in grade school when Ali made his extraordinary comeback after nearly four years of exile and later shocked the world by winning his title back.
...
We admire the man with a soft spot for children, who, while visiting a hospital in Philadelphia many years ago, picked up a boy with no legs. Gazing into the childs eyes, Ali said, Dont give up. Theyre sending men into space. You will walk someday and do this, and proceeded to do the famous Ali Shuffle with the giggling boy in his arms.
We admire the man who has never stopped using his celebrity for good the man who helped secure the release of 14 American hostages from Iraq in 1990; who journeyed to South Africa upon Nelson Mandelas release from prison; who has traveled to Afghanistan to help struggling schools as a United Nations Messenger of Peace; and who routinely visits sick children and children with disabilities around the world, giving them the pleasure of his presence and the inspiration of his example.
And we admire the man who, while his speech has grown softer and his movement more restricted by the advance of Parkinsons disease, has never lost the ability to forge a deep and meaningful connection with people of all ages.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2016/06/04/obama-what-muhammad-ali-meant-me/85346588/
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
11 replies, 765 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (12)
ReplyReply to this post
11 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Obama: What Muhammad Ali meant to me (Original Post)
Surya Gayatri
Jun 2016
OP
ghostsinthemachine
(3,569 posts)1. Wow, I cried...(Thanks Obama).
Albertoo
(2,016 posts)2. Obama should be above this. Disappointing.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)3. Is this sarcasm? Comprends pas...
Albertoo
(2,016 posts)4. Ali was a great sportsman, not a great citizen
Democat
(11,617 posts)5. What do you mean?
Can you explain?
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)6. Just edged you out for the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
...and you're still bitter over that one?
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)8. YMMV...
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)9. He was much more then an athlete
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)11. Explain why he wasn't a great citizen. nt
Ali was a fantastic athlete and great human being.
BootinUp
(47,141 posts)7. Very well stated. nt