Happy birthday Muhammad

[ParadigmShifter]

Not even a thread in the sports section He's so famous he transcends sport though.

A thread started by a Brit

Dudes, where is your respect for (probably) the greatest sportsman of all time.



Legend


Link to video.

EDIT: Looks like I spelt Muhammad wrong, oops

 

[CELTICEMPIRE]

Yes, he is a legend, especially where I live, as it is his birthplace.

 

[wilycoyote]

And one of the greatest egos in the history of mankind.

 

[Quackers]

sauce be upon him

 

[downtown]

And one of the most interesting and influential sportsmen of all time. Ali was awesome. Happy birthday Champ!

 

[warpus]

I wouldn't call him the greatest sportsman of all time.. I mean, it is after all boxing, a sport where the object is to punch people in the face.

A shame what the sport did to him..

 

[classical_hero]

Cassius Clay.

 

[downtown]

I wouldn't call him the greatest sportsman of all time.. I mean, it is after all boxing, a sport where the object is to punch people in the face.

A shame what the sport did to him..

Doesn't he have Parkinsons? You can't get that from Boxing, right?

 

[warpus]

Doesn't he have Parkinsons? You can't get that from Boxing, right?

Apparently there is a bit of a controversy surrounding that, but what isn't controversial is how messed up his brain is due to all the hits to the head over the years.

I think his birthday is the perfect time to raise some awareness of this and to highlight how dangerous the sport really is.

 

[kochman]

Why is he even close to possibly the best sportsman of ALL TIME?
I can name dozens that were better than him.

How about Michael Jordan? Babe Ruth? Mickey Mantle? Pele? Messi? Just off the top of my head...

 

[downtown]

They may have all been better at their sport, but I think Ali was a more interesting guy. Jordon is a major douche.

 

[kochman]

They may have all been better at their sport, but I think Ali was a more interesting guy. Jordon is a major douche.

I never liked Jordan (I was a Knicks fan, and he put us out EVERY DAMN TIME).

Ok, if being an interesting guy matters... there are a ton of those around too...
Ty Cobb (douchebag, but interesting)...
I find Babe Ruth to have been interesting.

Lou Gehrig!!!

Messi is also pretty interesting, with his history of super shortness overcome, etc...

Magic Johnson?

Larry Bird...

Steve Young/Joe Montana

Even within boxing...
George Foreman... he's pretty awesome.
Rocki Marciano...
Joe Frazier...

My point is, way too many greats out there to sloppily dub Ali the best...

 

[Leoreth]

Why is he even close to possibly the best sportsman of ALL TIME?
I can name dozens that were better than him.

How about Michael Jordan? Babe Ruth? Mickey Mantle? Pele? Messi? Just off the top of my head...

Messi? What? He's a spoiled product of the soccer training industry, nothing more.

 

[warpus]

They may have all been better at their sport, but I think Ali was a more interesting guy.

Ali was an interesting guy, you can't argue against that.

Messi? What? He's a spoiled product of the soccer training industry, nothing more.

Spoiled? The guy's a class act and one of the best player to ever live.

 

[kochman]

Messi? What? He's a spoiled product of the soccer training industry, nothing more.

Well, I don't know about that.
This guy has overcome some serious challenges.
He's also classy, as was mentioned... he doesn't think of himself first, he thinks of helping the team win.
http://www.leomessi.com/eng/

As many of you may already know, as a child, when I was about 8, I had to undergo special treatment in order to have a normal rate of growth. I always remember that every night I would sit on my bed and have injections in my legs. It wasn’t fun, I can assure you, but I wanted to become a footballer so much that it was worth it. The problem was that the treatment was very expensive and my family couldn’t afford it. Mum and Dad tried everything and I will always be grateful for that. In the end, it seemed like the solution was in Spain, in Lerida, where some of our relatives live. My Dad was offered a job and, at the same time, it was my chance to go for a trial with Barca.

What makes you angry?:
Many things, but mainly injustice and the suffering of the underprivileged.

Lionel Messi Foundation Projects
http://www.fundacionleomessi.org/proyectos.php

 

[Darth Caesar]

Happy birthday to the greatest.

 

[naterator]

Ali was the greatest self-promoter the sports world ever saw. A top tier boxer as well.

 

[Supr49er]

Ali was socially significant. He was not the greatest athlete of all time. Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson, Jim Thorpe, Bob Gibson and many others were Hall of Famers that excelled at more than one sport.

 

[emzie]

The irony of boxing is that gloves prevent cosmetic damage but actually do more brain damage. MMA, without gloves, is safer. From a brain injury stand point anyway. Of course, I don't think doctors would recommend either.

 

[wilycoyote]

Ali is up there with Ruth and Jordan as a top five most significant sports figure in US history. Messi?! That's like calling Queen James a potential candidate for greatest ever. At the VERY LEAST wait until a player has retired to claim such things.