Reports are coming out that Muhammad Ali has died. 
AP and Washington Post have it.
Not even sure how to react.
That is a big one. IMO probably the biggest American sports Icon of the 2nd half of the 20th century. It was hard to watch him deteriorate, and saddest now that he is gone totally.
He was the greatest. RIP.
Yep. I’m deeply saddened by this.
Ali was a great man.
Is it safe to say he was the single most recognizable athlete in the world ever?
No doubt.
I would posit that he was the biggest icon, period, worldwide, of the second half of the 20th century.
Funnily enough I was watching this videoof Ali just yesterday. I don’t know much about boxing but anyone can appreciate the amazing skill on display here. And beyond that skill was the epic fortitude and stamina in his legendary battles with Foreman and Frazier. RIP.
I live in Louisville. This is going to be huge when everyone wakes up and sees it. They cut into the local broadcasting to announce it, but a good portion of people were already asleep, I’d wager. CBS has a crawl on the bottom of the screen about it. I expect to see a LOT of local stories about him.
The world is a smaller place now. He was the greatest man of my generation, the embodiment of courage, a true hero, selfless in his dedication to principle. He was a great boxer, he was the greatest of human beings.
The 1996 Olympics brought me two of the most stunning and powerful videos that I’ve seen in my life.
The first came during the opening ceremonies; seeing him with that torch at the Atlanta Olympics was the most heart-wrenching sports TV moments that I have ever experienced.
RIP Mr. Ali; you were truly The Greatest of us.
When I was a kid and teenager, I idolized him, and could not only name all the heavyweight champs from John L. Sullivan to him, I could give you their records and short bios. Now, I have no idea who the heavyweight champ is. Boxing just wasn’t the same without him.
Percentagewise, there’s no doubt, especially after he became a Muslim.
In absolute numbers, probably Tiger Woods had more people who would recognize him, since there are a few billion more people now than in Ali’s prime.
His funeral will be there, I read, and presumably will be a huge event.
I presume that his funeral will be covered, and potentially broadcast, live. Most of the local channels, and probably one of the ESPN channels, too.
Those extra billions know who just passed away, as do their children. When Laila Ali went to China to box in 2000 a massive arena sold out and the vast population of the country followed the event. Only a tiny percentage of the Chinese people had ever seen Ali fight during his career, not even a video, but they and their children packed the hall and lined the streets just to catch a glimpse of the great man’s daughter. No mere athlete comes close to that.
Truly one of the best of us has passed. And I’m certainly not just talking athletically but humanely as well. His devotion to his beliefs and principles and what he thought was right and his fight for those is a light for us all.
You’re right. I too couldn’t tell you who the heavyweight champ is (especially as there are probably half a dozen with the alphabet soup of boxing organizations these days).
I started following boxing when Patterson was king and still remember being stunned when Liston took him down. Then Clay/Ali turned professional and though I found his antics hilarious I really thought that Sonny Liston would demolish him in a couple of rounds. I still don’t know what happened to Liston the two times he fought (if you can call it that) Ali.
Ali was to demonstrate over the ensuing years that he really was the greatest boxer ever to appear on this planet. And he did something else - he took boxing away from the Mob, who had controlled it for years.
America and the world lost a titan today. Rest in peace, Ali.