MLB Civil Rights Game (I refussed to go)

[pvfan]

Tonight, MLB and the Cincinnati Reds will begin a yearly event known as the Civil Rights Game. While I think the idea in general is great, and I think we can all agree African Americans need to get more involved in baseball, I refuse to go or support whats going on up there this evening. The Reds are going to honor Muhammad Ali, anytime any group, organization, or our country honors this man I want to punch a wall. Why do we as a society honor this man? Have people forgotten what this man has done in his lifetime. Furthermore, I'd love to know what he's done to be honored tonight at a Civil Rights Game. If anything I think he hampered the Civil Rights movement. Ali, is a sorry American, and while I know many people love this guy I'll never understand it. He disrespected the sport of Boxing, he refused to help his country (we weren't going to force him to shoot somebody, just boost morale), and we honor him? Maybe the next time the Cincinnati Reds want to honor a true American involving Civil Rights they'll honor Colin Powell, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, etc not this guy.

[Unchained]

Tonight, MLB and the Cincinnati Reds will begin a yearly event known as the Civil Rights Game. While I think the idea in general is great, and I think we can all agree African Americans need to get more involved in baseball, I refuse to go or support whats going on up there this evening. The Reds are going to honor Muhammad Ali, anytime any group, organization, or our country honors this man I want to punch a wall. Why do we as a society honor this man? Have people forgotten what this man has done in his lifetime. Furthermore, I'd love to know what he's done to be honored tonight at a Civil Rights Game. If anything I think he hampered the Civil Rights movement. Ali, is a sorry American, and while I know many people love this guy I'll never understand it. He disrespected the sport of Boxing, he refused to help his country (we weren't going to force him to shoot somebody, just boost morale), and we honor him? Maybe the next time the Cincinnati Reds want to honor a true American involving Civil Rights they'll honor Colin Powell, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, etc not this guy.

Agreed. As a boxer,he was awesome,but as a human? I have nothing for him.

[R13]

He definitely didn't have the impact as large as King or X, but he did have a lot. Most blacks opposed the War, with most of America, why would a black want to fight for a country that hates them? That'd make zero sense. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to fight in that hellhole, especially if they were black. That did help with the movement a lot actually, he was a unbelievably huge figure that stood up to that.

[pvfan]

It was against his religion to fight, explain how he got in the ring and fought people who never used racial slurs towards him. That was his whole reason for not fighting.

[R13]

That was part of it, pretty sure he said "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet-Cong, they never called me a n*gger"..something to that sort. Big difference in getting in the ring fighting for yourself and what you believe, that killing others for someone that hates you. He was an icon in the movement, no doubt.

[pvfan]

A) The country hated him so much they let him make millions of dollars, speak his mind, and worship freely.

B) He wasn't going to kill anybody, the military was going to use him for morale boost. He was going to go around to camps and be a celebrity more than anything else.

[BlueWahooChambordDevil]

Tonight, MLB and the Cincinnati Reds will begin a yearly event known as the Civil Rights Game. While I think the idea in general is great, and I think we can all agree African Americans need to get more involved in baseball, I refuse to go or support whats going on up there this evening. The Reds are going to honor Muhammad Ali, anytime any group, organization, or our country honors this man I want to punch a wall. Why do we as a society honor this man? Have people forgotten what this man has done in his lifetime. Furthermore, I'd love to know what he's done to be honored tonight at a Civil Rights Game. If anything I think he hampered the Civil Rights movement. Ali, is a sorry American, and while I know many people love this guy I'll never understand it. He disrespected the sport of Boxing, he refused to help his country (we weren't going to force him to shoot somebody, just boost morale), and we honor him? Maybe the next time the Cincinnati Reds want to honor a true American involving Civil Rights they'll honor Colin Powell, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, etc not this guy.

Ali was a groundbreaker in his day and helped to make boxing relevant as a major spectator sport

many shortcomings of others like him have also been ignored in honoring them

as for the ones you mentioned.......LBJ would never be honored at a "civil rights game" as its clearly a "black event"

MLK is already honored with a day in jan

as for colin powell..........what did he really do for the "civil rights" of blacks?