Thread: Did George Foreman betray his race in the olimpics???

Foremans flag waving after he won gold is well documented.

He did at a time when other black athletes were making a stand about how black people were being treated at home in the USA.
Such as the 2 US athletes (cant remember there names)that held there hands up with black gloves on as the national anthem was being played as a protest.

Muhammad Ali at the time was shamelessly being persecuted by the US state.


And in the middle of all this big George was waving the stars and stripes.

I have been wondering about this for a while.

Did he betray the other athletes who made a stand or was he just being a proud American?

no he didnt ....George was sheltered almost from all that being from texas and so focused into boxing he didnt know anybetter ...also when asked "how could u do it george" he replied "how could i not?" he wanted everyone to see his flag and was proud to be the one able to carry it around the ring victoriously ....

in history the olympics are meant to be free of politic & religion,like when hitler hosted the games in munich ...its about whos common folks can be the best at the games and AMerica DID win the Gold and seriously how can you not wave ur colors ...its why your there

Originally Posted by means2184

no he didnt ....George was sheltered almost from all that being from texas and so focused into boxing he didnt know anybetter ...also when asked "how could u do it george" he replied "how could i not?" he wanted everyone to see his flag and was proud to be the one able to carry it around the ring victoriously ....

in history the olympics are meant to be free of politic & religion,like when hitler hosted the games in munich ...its about whos common folks can be the best at the games and AMerica DID win the Gold and seriously how can you not wave ur colors ...its why your there

It seem's as if he put 2 finngers up to the 2 guys who sacrificed there own sports carrer by waving the flag in the ring.Foreman had nothing to lose as he was turning pro anyway.

I recall that Foreman was heading for jail or the cemetary, until he was enlisted in the Job Corps who gave him some purpose in life. He has always been a patriotic American and was not involved in social politics (in fact, he is a practicing baptist minister)

Hold on, porkypara, it's a bit strong to accuse the guy of betraying his race by waving a flag at the Olympics. Firstly, the olympics is about nationality not race. In fact the Cold war was hotting up and Foreman had just beaten a Soviet fighter for the gold. Secondly the 'Black Power' salute was a gesture made by the two runners in isolation.

Foreman certainly was not consulted and as a young amateur gold medallist looking for a pro contract, to be associated with the radical black movement would have got him persecuted just like Ali was. This does not make it entirely right, but reality does bite and Forman was not a radical or a black muslim.

I am definitely not defending anyone here, but would we ask whether Amir Khan was betraying his race by waving a union jack (which he does) rather than a islamic crescent or pakistani star - especially during these times of tension? Let's not even go into the Barry McGuigan argument!

Steady on, old chap!

Foreman was and is still proud to be an American! Screw those bastards who raised their fists and "Dr." Harry Edwards (that's one sumbitch I'll kick square in the balls if I ever have the pleasure of meeting him). Those 2 track stars stood up and where were they once "The movement" was through with them? 1 had to work at a car wash and the other went with "Dr." Edwards giving speeches about god knows what....and the Black socialist movement.....ok, we're not in the let's get it on part of the site, I'm gonna chill out here......AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN RAISE THE SAME FIST!!!! Which to me is the TRUEST symbol of unity they represented.

Also why get mad at someone for being patriotic? Sign of the times I guess.

I HIGHLY doubt Big George was worried about money when he won the gold, I don't think he was like "What will they think of me"

Were minorities being treated poorly yes, but that was YEARS in the making and much like WWII was made by bad decisions in WWI the civil rights movement was due to poor ideas in Reconstruction after The US Civil War, it made the south bitter and rightfully so. I'm not defending them for being racist but saying you would do something like that too if a minority population was suddenly put above you and if you had land and money they were taken away from you

Originally Posted by porkypara

Originally Posted by means2184

no he didnt ....George was sheltered almost from all that being from texas and so focused into boxing he didnt know anybetter ...also when asked "how could u do it george" he replied "how could i not?" he wanted everyone to see his flag and was proud to be the one able to carry it around the ring victoriously ....

in history the olympics are meant to be free of politic & religion,like when hitler hosted the games in munich ...its about whos common folks can be the best at the games and AMerica DID win the Gold and seriously how can you not wave ur colors ...its why your there

It seem's as if he put 2 finngers up to the 2 guys who sacrificed there own sports carrer by waving the flag in the ring.Foreman had nothing to lose as he was turning pro anyway.

so porky do u or dont u have an opinion? do u thyink he betrayed tehm ...
the games is about what country can produce teh best athletes and has ALWAYS FOR 1000s of years ....and now why were a few people boycotting the olympics anyway?? what does qualifying too compete in another country and tehn not doing it ...tahts making a fool of yourself more than making a statement about americas own little arrogant problems

u dont have to wonder why history wont remember the names of the ones who boycotted ...

The track guys were John Carlos and Tommy Smith.

George foreman has always rose above race.....
That has to be respected

no-cuz foreman is different from the men who raised their fists--he felt differently so he acted differently

Wow lots of race issues on the board today.

George Foreman was just a kid, so i very much doubt he understood what was going on.

Furthermore, by his own admission he was poorly educated. Better educated people tend to have a better understanding of political issues. His wealth and fame have given him an informal education. Compare his interviews now and then. He is far more articulate these days.

Suggesting someone can be patriotic, when their relatives are being lynched is staggering. He was just celebrating, like any innocent kid his age would do.

Originally Posted by rob7022000

Wow lots of race issues on the board today.

George Foreman was just a kid, so i very much doubt he understood what was going on.

Furthermore, by his own admission he was poorly educated. Better educated people tend to have a better understanding of political issues. His wealth and fame have given him an informal education. Compare his interviews now and then. He is far more articulate these days.

Suggesting someone can be patriotic, when their relatives are being lynched is staggering. He was just celebrating, like any innocent kid his age would do.

lynchings in 1968? "when their relatives".........GFs relatives were being lynched? what black panther book did you read that from?

Foreman still loves America....he wouldn't do that different even given his current knowledge.

Tommy Smith and John Carlos like any other protesters were well intentioned but didn't do anything but piss people off.

if anyone was ignorant it was Smith and Carlos...they were pawns in the game and lost out for the gain of guys like "Dr." Harry Edwards