Thursday, December 1, 2005
Ali. The boxer.
First, a very positive review of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky in OpinionJournal:
Inspired by the Champ - A visit to the new Muhammad Ali Center.
...As an athlete, Mr. Ali had the magical ability to attract interest in his bouts from those who were not ordinarily boxing fans. However, a fascination with boxing will certainly enhance a visitor's experience of the center. Though there are many exhibits that would fit well in a civil-rights museum and others that explore the debate over the Vietnam War, the boxing-related presentations (such as the robe that Elvis Presley gave Mr. Ali) pack the real punch. Many are just plain fun. There is a mock-up of Mr. Ali's Deer Lake training facilities in which visitors can learn to hit a speed bag, and there is a strange contraption that conveys an impression of the force of a heavyweight punch...
And then there's the other side, presented in this piece by Daniel Pipes - the second of two:
Muhammad Ali's "Beautiful Soul"
o Ali knowingly betrayed Malcolm X, a betrayal that led at least indirectly to Malcolm's assassination.
- Ali publicly turned his back on his press secretary, Leon 4X Ameer, which led to Ameer's death.
- When Nation of Islam activists executed five friends and family of the Hanafi sect—four of them children—Ali did not quit the Nation or even publicly protest. Nor did the media ask him to.
- For at least four years running Ali publicly degraded Joe Frazier, often along the crudest racial lines. "There's a great honor about Joe," says baseball great Reggie Jackson. "That was evident in the way he fought. And Muhammad ridiculed Joe; he humiliated him in front of the world."
- Ali also verbally and physically abused Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrell, two men who did not deserve it...
Etc...
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Two Views of Muhammad.
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Yeah Ali was horrible to Frazier.
Yeah Ali embarrassed and punished Patterson in the ring bcs he wouldn't call him Ali.
Yeah, Ali had a big mouth and was under the thumb of the head of the Nation of Islam, who likely had Malcolm X killed. I've heard that Ali in private wasn't actually that quick or indignant and was often a malleable stoop to other people who took advantage of him.
Whatever, what the F does any of this have to with the relevant material Pipes writes about? Ali went to bat for Pearl and is not accused of being anti-semitic? Ever hear of Howard Cosell?
So Ali was a male chauvinist? BIG WUP?
The article is idiotic and creates more enemies and waves for Pipes and he's already got plenty.
Is becoming like Hitchens now, or wishes he could be? Like writing hit pieces on Bob Hope after he passes to generate some heat and further name recognition for himself?
Stupid article.
Yeah, I also thought of Hitchens when I read the two Ali pieces. Pipes isn't afraid of controversy, that's for sure (and yes, CAIR is on him about his first column, it's why I took notice of it).
CAIR is on him for which article?
Link.
CAIR being 'on you' for something doesn't actually qualify as real controversy since they sue every and anyone.
Oh, it wasn't that big a deal, just something in one of their email updates: "INCITEMENT WATCH: DANIEL PIPES SMEARS MUHAMMAD ALI" and a link to his first Ali article (see the link in the article above).