Sacrifice ( noun ) – A sacrifice is a loss or something you give up , usually for the sake of a better cause .
For Ali , that CAUSE was his people . His people were Africans worldwide and their descendants , along with the poor and shut out . The higher he rose in prominence , the more he used his platform to advocate for his people . Ali sacrificed his life , legacy , livelihood , and his legendary status for his people . He far exceeded the definition of what every MAN should be by leaps and bounds .
I see the title “ G . O . A . T .” being thrown around and attached to many men who attain a certain level in sports , men who rise to the top of their respective games experiencing lots of success and the accolades and awards that come with that success . For me , Ali set the bar too high for most of them . There have been a few like Mahmoud AbdulRauf ( Chris Jackson ), who gave up his NBA career in order to adhere to his own religious beliefs and his disdain for what America represents for African people . Craig Hodges quietly stood up and spoke out for our oppressed collective through correspondence to the Commander in Chief that eventually got him benched , permanently “ blacklisted ” and banned from the NBA . I ’ m certain there are a few more , but no one did it like Ali . Ali was by far the best in the sport of boxing during his tenure . He was big , he was strong , he was fast , he was evasive , he could take a punch , and he was CONFIDENT . He was unshakeable . He proclaimed he was the GREATEST and meant every syllable , spoken with his chest . Ali was clearly the BEST . He won most of his fights before he ever stepped in the ring simply because his light was too bright for the opponents he faced . They couldn ’ t see him . He was literally a STAR . Ali was humble . Ali was a man who pledged his life to the teachings of men who empowered him with the knowledge and understanding of himself . Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X helped to turn a light on in Cassius Clay that would render him an ascended version of himself , ALI , who would never return to being a mere mortal man . He became a global icon that represented what it meant to be FREE . Freedom was his essence . He spoke and did exactly what he wanted to do however he wanted and was both unfailing and unflinching when it came time to voicing the needs and concerns of his people in a way that made them clear . He made it clear that he wasn ’ t content to eat while his people starved , while they subsisted from crumbs allocated by a sick and sinister system , a government that kept his people in bondage , worldwide . Michael Jordan gave us 13 years of basketball bliss and was by far , the best to ever play the game , but he and Ali are not in the same universe . The differences are a bit more than subtle .
In 2016 , many of us have succumb to the patriotism that leads us to celebrate the Memorial Days , the Veteran ’ s Days , and the Independence Days . Ali was the only athlete on record , and one of a few Black men who stood and spoke to what lies dormant in many :
“ . . why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while socalled Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights ? No I ’ m not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over . This is the day when such evils must come to an end . I have been warned that to take such a stand would cost me millions of dollars . But I have said it once and I will say it again . The real enemy of my people is here . I will not disgrace my religion , my people or myself by becoming a tool to enslave those who are fighting for their own justice , freedom and equality . If I thought the war was going to bring freedom and equality to 22 million of my people they wouldn ’ t have to draft me , I ’ d join tomorrow . I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs . So I ’ ll go to jail , so what ? We ’ ve been in jail for 400 years . .”
His positions and proclamations cost him dearly . He lost his championships , he lost his license to fight in the ring , he lost tons of money , and he lost his freedom . He lost his freedom , but he established his FREEDOM . He was the epitome . Ali was chastised by not only the U . S . government and Whites who hated him already , but he was also chastised and became the subject of scorn from many Black Americans who still clung tightly to the American dream , that dream that as long as they soldiered up and donned the red , white , and blue , they ’ d come home no longer oppressed based on hue . Sixteen years into the second millennium and the castes and conditions are still exactly the same for that collective .
Ali was a soldier for US , and was courageous enough to take those stands many men still won ’ t . He was both a pioneer and a beacon . He showed the way and mapped a path , although collectively we still haven ’ t garnered the strength , the stamina , or the fortitude to follow his lead . A tough act to follow , but we ’ ll get there . If we all strive to be even half the human Ali was , we ’ ll end up in a very good place . We ’ ll be almost there . His life was a map for us . Be courageous , be brash , be bold , be conscious , be conscientious , be confident , be daring , BE YOU , BE FREE ! . . UNAPOLOGETICALLY !!!
Heroes sacrifice . Ali was my HERO .
R . I . P . . LOVE , RESPECT , and HONOR .
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