Is Muhammad Ali an American Hero?

[Hulk]

I don't knock Ali's skill or his impact on the sport and certainly he is a hero to some Americans....I am not one of them. I do not mind people seeing him as a hero, I mean he certainly seemed to stand against the war in Vietnam and being as big of an icon as he was at the time and with the rise of the "counter culture" hitting at the same time I think that has a lot to do with why people think so highly of him. For example, when (former news anchor, now host of HBO's Real Sports) Bryant Gumbel talked about the result of Ali-Frazier I he said "You got the feeling like the bad guys won"...now I for one take offense to that because Joe Frazier wasn't white, he wasn't pro-War, he wasn't "the anti-Ali" in anything other than his fighting style. But the cult of personality that is/was Ali branded Joe Frazier as some sort of collaborator with the status quo because he didn't talk trash, he didn't get involved in politics...and that's a shame for Joe because he basically shared the same view of the war with Ali but he just had a different personality is all...same with Foreman.

Joe Louis is an American hero to me...he served his country honorably, he opened doors for African-Americans to excell and acheive in areas they had previously been unable to participate in for example he got African-Americans onto the PGA tour, he worked towards getting the Armed Forces desegregated, and he won one of the most important fights of the last century.

What eats at me is that when the Counter Culture hit the trail blazers of the past (especially Joe Louis and Jesse Owens) were not trusted, they were not respected, and they were all but shunned by the very people they aimed to help clear a path for just because they had EARNED the respect of the average American of the previous generation. I just wish things hadn't happened that way...and after Louis' death I'm sure Ali felt the same way, I just think it's a shame that those two great champions couldn't have shared a greater bond.

This is a GREAT answer. Joe Louis is as big a hero as Ali was in my book.

Louis is a bigger hero than Ali. Ali calling Louis a sell out and his constant bad mouthing of him is one of the most fucked up things ever. It was totally uncalled for. And it's one of the reason I will always say fuck Ali

Yep Ali was a disrespectful cold hearted punk to Joe Louis.

Louis had a great comeback to him once tho.

Ali: "Joe all you ever did was fight the bum of the month."

Louis: "You woulda been one of the bums."

[Master]

I don't knock Ali's skill or his impact on the sport and certainly he is a hero to some Americans....I am not one of them. I do not mind people seeing him as a hero, I mean he certainly seemed to stand against the war in Vietnam and being as big of an icon as he was at the time and with the rise of the "counter culture" hitting at the same time I think that has a lot to do with why people think so highly of him. For example, when (former news anchor, now host of HBO's Real Sports) Bryant Gumbel talked about the result of Ali-Frazier I he said "You got the feeling like the bad guys won"...now I for one take offense to that because Joe Frazier wasn't white, he wasn't pro-War, he wasn't "the anti-Ali" in anything other than his fighting style. But the cult of personality that is/was Ali branded Joe Frazier as some sort of collaborator with the status quo because he didn't talk trash, he didn't get involved in politics...and that's a shame for Joe because he basically shared the same view of the war with Ali but he just had a different personality is all...same with Foreman.

Joe Louis is an American hero to me...he served his country honorably, he opened doors for African-Americans to excell and acheive in areas they had previously been unable to participate in for example he got African-Americans onto the PGA tour, he worked towards getting the Armed Forces desegregated, and he won one of the most important fights of the last century.

What eats at me is that when the Counter Culture hit the trail blazers of the past (especially Joe Louis and Jesse Owens) were not trusted, they were not respected, and they were all but shunned by the very people they aimed to help clear a path for just because they had EARNED the respect of the average American of the previous generation. I just wish things hadn't happened that way...and after Louis' death I'm sure Ali felt the same way, I just think it's a shame that those two great champions couldn't have shared a greater bond.

This is a GREAT answer. Joe Louis is as big a hero as Ali was in my book.

Louis is a bigger hero than Ali. Ali calling Louis a sell out and his constant bad mouthing of him is one of the most fucked up things ever. It was totally uncalled for. And it's one of the reason I will always say fuck Ali

Yep Ali was a disrespectful cold hearted punk to Joe Louis.

Louis had a great comeback to him once tho.

Ali: "Joe all you ever did was fight the bum of the month."

Louis: "You woulda been one of the bums."

To be fair Ali did also say that Louis was the greatest. Most champions had criticism from older champs, Johnson to Dempsey, to Louis, to Ali, to Holmes to Tyson.