Former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson commented that,“I came to see that I was a fighter and he was history” (Remnick 299). Patterson and Ali were rivals in boxing and even had personal conflict, but even he could see that Muhammad Ali was more than a boxer because he was a nonconformist committed to breaking the expectations that society put upon him. He was one of the first public figures to speak out against the draft for the Vietnam War, he was a member of the nation of Islam, and he was even against the Civil Rights integration movement. To say that Ali was an image breaker is an understatement. Ali’s unique image was one of the main reasons of his popularity and influence in his time period. Remnick's portrayal of Ali’s rise in
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In, What’s My Name Fool, by David Zirin he states that Ali was “the catalyst that forced professional sports- and the country as a whole- to examine the issues of racism and war, no longer exists.” (53) The transition of Ali being a controversial cultural and political icon, into the more lovable and soft image as we see him today is bewildering. Although some of the older generation who remember seeing Ali first hand in the ring and in the newspaper see him as the icon he was, the younger generation of America fails to recognize his legacy. Zirin mentions in What's My Name Fool that Hall of Fame Baseball player Bob Feller objected to Ali throwing the first pitch in a game because of his refusal to enter the draft. Being a conscientious objector is less of a stigma than it once was. Only scholars, and the older generations who lived to experience Ali in his prime, truly understand Ali’s legacy that the current generation is ignorant to see Ali as he clearly was. had been was due to the produced media image of Ali being a more tamed and soft athlete. Although some of this image holds true because it can be argued that with age Ali is less hot blooded, this image is dishonest and harmful because the lack of recognition to the struggle and hatred Ali faced dulls the meaning of Ali’s triumphs and legacy to sports
In, What’s My Name Fool, by David Zirin he states that Ali was “the catalyst that forced professional sports- and the country as a whole- to examine the issues of racism and war, no longer exists.” (53) The transition of Ali being a controversial cultural and political icon, into the more lovable and soft image as we see him today is bewildering. Although some of the older generation who remember seeing Ali first hand in the ring and in the newspaper see him as the icon he was, the younger generation of America fails to recognize his legacy. Zirin mentions in What's My Name Fool that Hall of Fame Baseball player Bob Feller objected to Ali throwing the first pitch in a game because of his refusal to enter the draft. Being a conscientious objector is less of a stigma than it once was. Only scholars, and the older generations who lived to experience Ali in his prime, truly understand Ali’s legacy that the current generation is ignorant to see Ali as he clearly was. had been was due to the produced media image of Ali being a more tamed and soft athlete. Although some of this image holds true because it can be argued that with age Ali is less hot blooded, this image is dishonest and harmful because the lack of recognition to the struggle and hatred Ali faced dulls the meaning of Ali’s triumphs and legacy to sports