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How Did Muhammad Ali Influence Social Change

947 Words4 Pages

Muhammad Ali was an athlete formally known as a Cassius Clay before he changed his name to Cassius X and later to Ali after joining the Nation of Islam. He is well known due to his mark on the world as an athlete in boxing. Besides him being an iconic boxer he also remembered as a person who fought for social and political change through his outspoken political positions and this the point where his greatness excelled . Ali had a great political influence on many individuals in the United States. Different occasions portray Ali’s stand on political and social change. This study will show some roles that Ali played on separate occasions to enhance political and social change.
In 1960s Ali was at the peak of his career as he dominated the world …show more content…

He was later convicted for his stand against the war in Vietnam and for violating the United States Selective Service laws . His refusal to join the army showed that he stood for his religion and what he believed was right despite him being a black. This had an impact in America as it empowered individuals who did not support the Vietnam war and those who did not support the government laws or system (mainly black Americans) . Moreover, every major social equality Association and Pioneer at some point adulated Ali and shielded his choice to oppose the Vietnam War. Ali predecessors on sports were not actively involved in politics. This was a way to focus on their respective games by doing away with any political involvement. The impact of Ali’s stand against the discrimination and racism led to encouraged other athletes to support political and social change. Ali's readiness to openly take an oppositional political stand separates him from notable African-American athletes that went before him, such as Olympian Jesse Owens and baseball's Jackie Robinson. For Owens and Robinson, their greatness in sports joined with their minimal involvement in political activities. Some of these athletes were asked to swallow their pride keeping in mind the end goal to excel in their respective sports. Robinson …show more content…

Butterworth. "Muhammad Ali's fighting words: The paradox of violence in nonviolent rhetoric." Quarterly Journal of Speech 97, no. 1 (2011): 50-73.
Mazrui, Ali A. "Boxer Muhammad Ali and soldier Idi Amin as international political symbols: the bioeconomics of sport and war." Comparative Studies in Society and History 19, no. 2 (1977): 189-215.
Marqusee, Mike. Redemption song: Muhammad Ali and the spirit of the sixties. Verso, 2005.
Saeed, Amid. "What's in a Name? Muhammad Ali and the Politics of Cultural Identity." Sport in Society 5, no. 3 (2002): 52-72.
Sammons, Jeffrey T. Beyond the ring: The role of boxing in American society. University of Illinois Press,

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