Muhammad Ali/Quotes

[O]n April 28, 1967, at the U.S. Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station in Houston, Muhammad Ali refused to respond to the call of "Cassius Clay" and dodged the draft during the Vietnam War. Later, Ali justified his decision by asking the world, "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 so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs?"

It was the single most important political protest in the history of sport. At the very top of his game, Ali sacrificed everything and sparked a meaningful debate about race relations and the morality of America's involvement in Vietnam.

Furthermore, Ali set a new precedent of what athletes are capable of, stepping out of the boxing ring and into the arena of politics. No athlete has yet matched Ali's political significance.

—Oren Weisfeld, "Olympic protest ban is a corporate power play that could backfire badly on IOC", CBC Opinion, Feb 17, 2020

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