Posted on 06/19/2007 9:19:20 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Muhammad Ali Awarded Honorary Doctorate from Princeton University
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Associated Press
PRINCETON, N.J. — The Greatest is now an Ivy League doctor. Muhammad Ali has been awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities from Princeton University.
Ali was honored for his contributions to humanitarian efforts and his athletic achievements.
The 65-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion was one of seven people awarded honorary degrees at the university's graduation ceremony Tuesday.
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What a ridiculour comparison. Hopefully this is one of those times where you’d wish you thought more about what you wrote before hitting post.
Ali was the one doing the stealing at that point in his career. He'd flurry the last 20 seconds of most rounds & get awarded the round while he rested the first 2:40. It was boring & outrageous at the same time. Leon Spinks was a machine then. Crude, but relentless. Ali could not repeat his formula & finally got handed a loss -- a much deserved loss.
Well, this ain’t ancient times any more. Sport is not savaging another person or animal for the sheer hell of it, and if it is that, then sport needs a lot of redefinition. Sorry, we don’t really do gladiators any more. Far less have a fine school hand one of these “sports” a reward. Is Princeton cheapened by this? Well, I guess!!
My younger brother played Jr. High Football against Joe’s Frazier’s son, Marvis. Joe would be on the sidelines watching the game. Marvis was a heckuva athlete, but chose to give up football & wrestling for boxing. The shame of it was he really couldn’t take a punch like his Dad.
From Wikipedia: In 1964, Ali failed the Armed Forces qualifying test because his writing and spelling skills were sub par. However, in early 1966, the tests were revised and Ali was reclassified 1A. He refused to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War as a conscientious objector, because “War is against the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. I’m not trying to dodge the draft. We are not supposed to take part in no wars unless declared by Allah or The Messenger. We don’t take part in Christian wars or wars of any unbelievers.”
With this kind of horse puckey, a mainstream University is offering him a degree? ergo, it is time to move on.
Ali was at the peak of his talent when he converted to Islam. I think that the conversioin was before the rematch against Sonny Liston.
Though he’s a Muslim, I understand that he left the Black Muslim’s a long time ago.
Well, he was a good boxer, but he never was an academic. In fact, based upon his IQ, he is borderline mentally retarded.
one of his lines regarding his intellect was “I never said I was the smartest, I said I was the greatest”.
I read that he has an IQ of 80, and thats before the Parkinson’s. Nothing like an honorary degree, is there?
“Sport is not savaging another person or animal for the sheer hell of it,”
WRONG. Boxing isn’t about “savaging another person... for the sheer hell of it.” Boxers make a living out of their profession and train their asses off to be at the level where they can compete.
So, Boxing(or any other combat sport) isn’t just for sheer hell of it its practitioner participate in boxing events. They have championships and attract sponsorships that pay off for their hard training and enable them to live a dream life.
Regarding your comment about redefining what sports is... what is wrong with physical contact/combat sport?
Saying boxing isn’t a MODERN sport is kind of stretching it. Sport is always competitive and physical. How many sports are most competitive than Boxing? When two humans actually compete, literally, to see who has superior hand strikes power, speed, and accuracy.
Even golf is physical with the stress on back and hip. Boxing is one of the most physical combat sports out there that requires sheer athleticism, determination, reflexes, skillset, training, and of course a little bit of luck. Exceeding boxing in athleticism and competitiveness, MMA is the ultimate in sports.
Let me ask you — is football less of a sport than baseball simply because football requires more physical contact and involves more injuries? After all, what kind of sport idolizes group of giant muscled madmen running at each other at full speed... to get control of a ball! That is simply unfathomable to you, right? What makes football(or baseball or chess!) more modern sports than boxing?
Boxing, like any martial art, is a TRUE sport when it is organized and promoted as an athletic event and being sanctioned by governing bodies.
It was a different time. He’s not a bright man, but he did one thing well, and gave many of us pleasure in watching it. His courage in dealing with his affliction has always given me respect for him.
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