Free
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.
Ali had no ordinary boxing record. Across his career, he had 56 wins and only five losses. The wins included 37 knockouts. (A knockout is when a fighter is knocked down and cannot get up by the referee’s count of 10.) He owed his amazing record to his speed, agility, footwork, and athleticism. Ali would sometimes use his “rope-a-dope” technique, standing against the ropes for extended periods of time. His opponent, eager to land a punch, would swing and swing but hit only air because Ali would lean back and out of the way. Before too long, his opponent was worn out. ▶
◀ Ali had a unique way of talking to go along with his exceptional approach to boxing. His verbal style earned him the nickname “the Louisville Lip.” His style included boasts about himself, like this one: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.” And this one:
I’ve wrestled with alligators. I’ve tussled with a whale. I done handcuffed lightning and throw thunder in jail. You know I’m bad. Just last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean, I make medicine sick.
▲ Ali also wasn’t shy about sharing truths about his career. Once he said, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” He also shared his ideas about what it takes to be a champion:
Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.
Think Piece!
Some journalists used Ali’s boasts to criticize him. Reflect on the quotes you’ve read. What do they tell you about the kind of person Ali was?
◀ During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the United States was at war in Vietnam, a small country in Southeast Asia. The war was extremely controversial. Demonstrations and anti-war protests took place from coast to coast. At that time, the country had a military draft. That meant all male citizens of a certain age and ability could be drafted, or ordered to serve in the military. In 1967, Ali was drafted. But, he refused to serve. “I am a member of the Black Muslims,” he said, “and we don’t go to no wars unless they’re declared by Allah himself.” He also said, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong [Vietnamese enemies].”
After refusing to enter the army, Ali was charged and convicted of draft evasion. Sentenced to five years in prison, he was banned from boxing for three years. Ali’s lawyer appealed the conviction, during which time Ali didn’t have to spend any time behind bars. In 1970, the New York State Supreme Court reinstated Ali’s license to box. The next year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction. And Ali was in the ring again – for another 11 years. Ali’s last fight, which he lost, was in December 1981. ▶
