Watching some classic ESPN tonight I had recorded via DVR (thank you, God!) I had an interesting realization: my dad, who was an immense fan of Muhammad Ali aka "The Greatest," was about 24 years old when the Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and George Foreman happened in 1974. Here was a man (Ali) who talked huge and fought ever-larger. The Congolese in Zaire ADORED Ali, and during the fight they were vocal about each strike, however perceptible, to Foreman's dome. They wanted Ali to kill George Foreman. How much of this affected my Dad is certainly unknown, though I can guess: if this American man could somehow win the affections of a whole nation against another equally talented American man in a contest of strength, it deserved thought and perhaps even some great consideration.
For me at least, I remember three things about this fight the very first time I saw it: George Foreman at one time in his life looked Pretty Mean! The image of him hawking his wares belied the fact that he at one time really was a beast. Though his grills are no slouches, he in his prime was machine-like. I'll never forget how Ali used that fact to his advantage: the way Ali made it seem like he was losing and then finally strike his adversary like uncoiled cobras was pure mastery. But the thing that really makes me think is this question: once the cultural icons of our youth have passed on into selling stuff on infomercials and commercials, does that mean that we too have passed into old age? If it matters at all to ask the question, have we then lost it, what does it mean?
I wonder what my dad thought of when he saw Ali send Foreman to the canvas. That man who had fought only two rounds for most of his fights because he had knocked out the opposition so quickly. Though Foreman was mean and strong, the most important factor was that Ali was quick, quicker to deflect all blows to his head by shrugging off Foreman's powerful punches, thereby letting the champ tire himself out.
ROPE A DOPE!
I don't quite know where I was going with this but that I started writing a couple of weeks ago after watching the replay of the fight. I conclude that
1) Sports TV has come way too far and how much farther can it go? I wonder
2) Muhammad Ali is one of the closest things to Jesus we have on the planet.
3) George Foreman grills aint nothin to Fuck With.
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