Sports with Banji Boye:When one thinks about a champion that popularised and brought a new definition to the sport BOXING, regardless of one’s race, country or faith, the name MUHAMMAD ALI comes to mind.
MUHAMMAD Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., January
17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among
the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing. Ali changed his name after
he joined the Nation of Islam. At the height of his fame, Ali was and remains one of the most famous athletes
in the world. Even after his
retirement, he is recognised wherever he goes. He retired with a professional
record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses.
In 1984 at the age of 42, Ali was first diagnosed with
Parkinson syndrome, a medical condition closely related to Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms include body
tremors, slurred or difficult
speech, rigid limbs, facial immobilization, and other neurological problems. The disorder sometimes develops
in boxers, because of the repeated blows to the head they suffer over a long
career. As the former champion coped with the condition, he became a strong
advocate for more research money for Parkinson disease and related conditions.
However sad it is for the public to view this once world class athlete in his current condition, the
former champ tries to remain lighthearted. He has joked that when he gets bored of a
conversation he simply pretends to nod off to sleep and blames it on the Parkinson’s. He can
still be seen shadow- boxing and if you listen
closely, Ali still speaks boastfully of himself and his abilities. His
body may be letting him down, but
throughout it all, Ali’s mind has been and continues to be his most prolific asset.
Following his celebrated boxing career, Ali began an even
more celebrated career in retirement. He has donated much of his time to
various charities and humanitarian missions around the world. However, poor
health has limited him in this effort. He was inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 1996 he was awarded the honor of lighting
the Olympic torch in Atlanta, to begin the Summer Olympic Games. He has also
been an inspirational guest appearing at numerous other sporting events,
including a touching moment at the 2004 MLB All-Star Game. At the end of the
century, many publications listed him as one of the 20th century’s greatest and
most influential athletes.
In addition to his humanitarian work worldwide, Ali has
been an advocate for current boxers and the conditions they are expected in
which to compete. In 2002, Ali sponsored a bill that passed through Congress
that addressed these concerns.
In November 2005, at the dedication of the $80-million
Muhammad Ali Center in Ali’s hometown of Louisville, former President Bill
Clinton told the cheering crowd the world is a better place because of Muhammad
Ali. “You thrilled us as a fighter and you inspire us even more as a force for
peace, reconciliation, understanding and respect. Now you’ve got this center,
which will enshrine both your thrills and your inspiration and inspire others
to follow your lead.” Remembering that, in 1990, Ali negotiated the release of
15 U.S. hostages in direct negotiations with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein --
was a force for peace, Clinton said, “You proved once again that the power of
example matters a lot more than the example of power.”
The legendary Muhammad Ali made an appearance at the
London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, to the delight of the 80,000+ fans
that cheered him on. Assisted by his
wife Lonnie, Ali carried the official flag to be raised in the center of the
arena. While the crowd was awed by his
presence, the severity of his Parkinson’s syndrome Progression was extremely
evident.
It would be hard to imagine a boxing world without
Muhammad Ali. Although Parkinson’s
syndrome has damaged his body and mind, his life and hardships brought the
subject of Dementia Pugilistica to the main stage. Perhaps younger boxers will now heed the
warnings neurologists give about the risks associated with head trauma. Muhammad Ali is still
heavily involved in raising money for charitable organizations. His social media organization
generationali.com strives to improve farming, food supplies, and sustainable
agriculture for the future. Hauntingly
he is even quoted on the site as saying “He who is not courageous enough to
take risks will accomplish nothing in life”.
Yes, if he had it to do all over again he would.
If Ali were a Nigerian
Were Mohammad Ali a Nigerian citizen, chances are very
high that by now he would have long
been dead. Reasons for this assumption
are not far-fetched. For one, it is doubtful if any insurance company in the
country has the liquidity capacity to have borne the invalidity burden of the boxing legend
all these years. Although, information about his insurance status has been
rather tightly guided, the bill was already reading several millions in the US
dollars as at last year.
Apart from that, we are still looking forward to a
truly caring government in Nigeria that will honestly show its citizens the
level of concern and adoration that the West and Americas have for their
heroes. Another reason why a
‘Nigerian’ Mohammad Ali would have died long before now, given his peculiar
condition, is that our country falls far below benchmark as regards the
acquisition of the necessary medical technology to tackle his peculiar ailment
and keep the heroic boxing legend
alive.
The Bash Ali’s of this world
have become history with faint remembrance, the name Sam Oparaji is only
remembered courtesy of his statue, even Rashidi Yekini prior to his death last
year, was forgotten. Welfarism and national gratitude on the part of our leaders is lacking, even those in the so called “glass house”
are not helping matters. They only identify with you when you are achieving something for the country and forget you
existed as soon as you are out of
form. Here, we are beginning to get used
to the neglect and ill-treatment
suffered by our sports greats.
However, at this
juncture, one must not fail to give kudos to President Goodluck Jonathan
for remembering to honour those who deserved to be honoured in the Sydney
Olympic 2000 feat with humble presidential apology. Though belated, this
gesture is plausible.
All the same, we
want to submit that this attitude must be changed to bring progress. No wonder
some Nigerian sportsmen and women often times, calculate the expected financial
benefit rather than the patriotic motive before embarking on national
assignments. A case in point was the recent near- boycott action of Nigerian
players in the just concluded Confeds tourney which almost cost the country a miss at the competition and the penalty of
which would have been quite grave for us at the international level. And who
will blame the boys? After all, no
one will like to work himself to the
bone for a country that won’t
recorganise one in the short future or even organise a good welfare package that would at least,
afford one the opportunity of saving bits to secure one’s future which the
nation has no plan to secure for its citizens, especially in the area of
sports.
But one more
question: When will our corporate business world, especially insurance and other firms in the Nigerian financial
industry, begin to develop the altruisic interest in the management of our sports men and women
while they are valid and active in order to secure their welfare in future when
they become physically invalid (like the case of Ali), or when they just have
to let go their cherished career on account of old age (like the case of Segun
Odegbami, Dupe Oshikoya, Chioma Ajunwa and many others)?
Let not the labour of our heroes past be in vain!
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