Ever heard someone say, “He is the GOAT”? It may sound like an insult, but it’s not. GOAT stands for “Greatest of All Time,” and it’s a huge compliment.
The origin of the phrase is connected to Muhammad Ali, specifically to his wife Lonnie Ali. In 1992, she used it as the company name for her husband’s business. Since then, it’s become part of everyday conversation. Years earlier, sports journalists had their own nicknames for Ali: “the Greatest,” “the Champ,” “the Louisville Slugger,” “Boxing’s Poet Laureate.” Some of these names were about his boxing talent. Others were about his talent for talking. But none of them reflected his true values and why he stayed in the sport for as long as he did.