Free Republic

When Muhammad Ali fought, the world stopped to watch. In the 1970s, at the height of his fame, live broadcasts from Las Vegas, New York, Kinshasa and Manila, drew millions of adoring viewers to the greatest boxer, indeed sportsman, of all time. And aside from the US, perhaps nowhere was he idolized more than in the Arab world, where the people of a region so often in turmoil adopted the American hero as one of their own. Ali’s fights became ritual. With many taking place in the US, his fans would set their alarm clocks for the early hours to...

In 1964, Egyptian Al-Musawwir magazine published a report claiming that boxing legend Muhammad Ali had a love affair with an Egyptian girl called Inyat Mustafa. The news reached global media outlets as Ali’s then-wife Sonji Roi, with whom he had a disagreement at the time, had learnt about it. Ali denied the report and commented in a few words saying it was a lie, adding that he was not even interested in filing a lawsuit against the magazine. The boxing legend, who passed away on Friday following a battle with Parkinson’s, did visit Egypt in 1964 upon the invitation of...

Although Camacho and Cruz met in middle school they just reunited last DecemberAfter Gilbert Camacho finished the Rock and Roll marathon Sunday he decided to go the long haul and propose to his girlfriend Stacie Cruz. He clocked a personal best for the race and used the extra confidence to pop the question. Camacho's friends said he was nervous, not only to propose, but also because he had just recovered from an injury. In front of family and friends – and marathon finishers – Camacho asked the girl he’d known since middle school to be his wife. "Spectators all...

The president of Turkey and king of Jordan joined the long line of world leaders, religious figures and superstars set to speak at Muhammad Ali's funeral Friday. Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell announced funeral details at a news conference Monday. California imam and scholar Zaid Shakir will preside over the service at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. …

Uruguayan players stood dumbfounded as Chile’s national anthem was played ahead of Sunday’s clash with Mexico, prompting an apology for Copa America Centenario organizers. As the two sides prepared to begin Sunday’s match, both Mexico and Uruguay stood side by side for their respective national anthems. Mexico’s portion went without a hitch, but Uruguay was stunned as Chile’s national anthem played over the loud speakers.

<p>At a time when Muslims in America are facing scorn and bigotry, the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali should be remembered as the true, peaceful face of Islam, residents of his hometown say.</p>

Two games into the NBA Finals, the Warriors are halfway to repeating as champions. A 110-77 rout of the Cavaliers in Game 2 on Sunday at before a supremely satisfied sellout crowd at Oracle Arena gives the Warriors a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Cleveland for the next two games. Forward Draymond Green scored 28 points to lead all scorers, while guard Stephen Curry finished with 18 and guard Klay Thompson finished with 17. Guard Leandro Barbosa came off the bench to put in 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Warriors shot 54.3 from the field,...

The BBC has warned English football fans not to dress as crusaders when attending the Euro 2016 tournament this summer as they might cause offence to Muslims. The advice comes via their ‘iWonder’ website, aimed at a younger audience, which asks such pressing questions as “Was Shakespeare a feminist?” and “How green is my commute?” Posing the question: “Is it wrong to dress as a crusader for an England match?” the answer appears to be a resounding “yes”. “Crusaders were the perpetrators of violent attacks across Europe and the Middle East on Muslims, Jews and pagans,” the website intones, suggesting...

Final Prelim Fight airing now on FS1 Main Card on Pay-Per View, 2 Belts on the Line Rockhold vs.Bisping 2 Cruz vs. Faber 3 Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard Dustin Poirier vs. Bobby Green

Just had FOX News on the past hour or so. They cannot get enough of the adulation for Muhammed Ali. I'm not creating the thread to debate the pros or cons of that position. Just want to observe: they're playing clip after clip of Ali boasting of his power and skill and abilities. And the media is saying what a wonderful fellow he was. Seems to me there is a parallel today in another arena.

The guard was polite but unyielding. “I’m sorry; you can’t go any further.” At which point, Muhammad joined us. The guard repeated what he’d just said. “Mr. Ali; this man and this woman don’t have security clearance. I’m sure you understand how these things work. They simply can’t go any further.” And Muhammad was understanding -- “If they don’t go, I ain’t going.”

President Barack Obama, who keeps a pair of boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali in his private study off the Oval Office, said Saturday that Ali “shook up the world and the world is better for it.” Obama likened Ali, who died Friday, to other civil rights leaders of his era, and said the boxer stood with Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela in fighting for what was right. […] “He wasn’t perfect, of course. For all his magic in the ring, he could be careless with his words, and full of contradictions as his faith evolved,” Obama said...

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver threatens to pull next year’s All-Star Game from Charlotte if North Carolina doesn’t change its bathroom law by the end of this summer.

The poem, Casey at the Bat, by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, was first published in The San Francisco Examiner on this date in 1888: Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville Nine that day;the score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,a sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The restclung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;they thought, if only Casey could...

Five-star recruit Jeffery Simmons has been allowed to enroll at Mississippi State despite an ongoing legal process stemming from misdemeanor charges against a woman, the school announced Thursday. Simmons, a defensive end and the top recruit in the Bulldogs’ class, will be allowed to take summer classes and participate in football activities “with conditions,” the school said. He is awaiting resolution on his charges that followed a video of him striking a woman multiple times while she was on the ground.

Pathetic. Embarrassing. Miserable failures. These are just some of the words San Diego Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler used to discuss his team's play this season. Fowler's exasperation was on display during a radio interview with ESPN's The Mighty 1090 in San Diego on Wednesday -- one day after the team was drubbed 16-4 in Seattle to conclude a 1-7 road trip. "It's been embarrassing. I don't know how else to put it," Fowler said. "Our performance on the road trip, 1-7, was pathetic. "I'm a very competitive individual. I think I've won a lot more than lost in my...

Blind student training for Track Meet

A three-time major winner is turning into a major headache for the PGA Tour. In a memorandum filed with the New York State Supreme Court on Tuesday, Vijay Singh accused Tour officials of subjecting him to "absurd" and "unfair" treatment by ignoring the use of deer antler spray by five other professional golfers playing on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour and then lying to the public by "characterizing Singh as a cheater who caught a break." ... Singh's lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, claimed that the Tour's legal strategy attempts to rewrite their rules to cover their own tracks. ......

Big 12 expansion is not happening, neither is a Big 12 Network - not this year - multiple sources across the league told HornsDigest.com as the Big 12's presidents and chancellors meet in Dallas this week. If summer releases are about blockbusters, then what everyone is calling potential “Big 12 realignment” when the league’s presidents meet in Dallas the first week in June is shaping up to be the biggest letdown of the summer.

Sure, autumn's cool, less sticky weather will make you want to strap on your sneakers and get outside, but pushing yourself in the summer heat could help improve your performance in running, cycling, or other fitness-based activities. So long as the right precautions are taken, hot-weather workouts may give you a boost if you’re training for an endurance event, such as a marathon, Tough Mudder or some other sort of weekend warrior-style event. Hot-weather training may even eclipse high-altitude training when it comes to improving your performance. Here's what you need to know to sweat it out safely. How Heat...