"What Makes A Sporting Icon.."

What makes a great athlete?? Medals, Achievement in their sport? Championships? I think all of these components make great athletes, but I think what makes an great athlete an icon is when they use their voice to make people aware of more important things around the world. This is why Muhammad Ali is often referred to as an icon, not just because of his talents inside the boxing ring but because of what he did concerning the vietnam war. Muhammad Ali was drafted to be in the army in 1964 to go and fight in the Vietnam war, when Ali was informed of this he publicly considered himself a conscientious objector. He came out with that famous quote

"I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong ... They never called me nigger.."

This is something that was very uncommon for the heavy weight champion of the world to come out and say at the time. Ali was then scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. An officer warned him he was committing a felony punishable by five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. He refused to move, as a result he was taken in to custody and on the same day the New York State Athletic Commission suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his title. After other boxing commissions did the same thing. 

On June 21 1967 after on 21 minutes of deliberation the jury found Ali guilty. Ali took it to the court of appeals and they held up the conviction, Ali took it to the U.S supreme court and on 1971 the U.S supreme court reversed the decision in favour of Ali.

This shows a man that is not just a great athlete but a man that is willing to stand up for his beliefs and be a voice for people that try to speak but never are given the chance to be heard. 

A Basketball team The Phoenix Suns, did something last week before there game 2 game with the San Antonio spurs. The Suns were taking a stand against Arizona's new immigration law which basically means the Arizona's law orders immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there's reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant laborers or knowingly transport them. This a lot of people believe it will lead to racial profiling in Arizona.

On Nba.com the following was said by Phoenix owner and supported by long time veteran and former 2 time M.V.P Steve Nash.....

"Our players and organization felt that wearing our 'Los Suns' jerseys on Cinco de Mayo was a way for our team and our organization to honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the State of Arizona, and our nation.  The frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law. However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill afford them."

I believe the sporting Icons are the ones that show they care about the happenings in the world and will use their status as a star athlete to help people's voice to be heard.

Let me know your thoughts 

Peace

A x

The United States Senate

On Thursday, the United States Senate delivered an apology for slavery and segregation. This is the first official statement on behalf of the U.S. For the government to acknowledge responsibility for slavery, as well as segregation is such a massive massive thing. I think that definitely after 144 years peoples families that were enslaved and people effected by this all over the world can finally start to heal. This is something that those people all those years ago suffered for, I mean there is still racial prejudice around in the world but the world has come so far and progressed so far from then which always warms my heart...Having said this when the European elections came round and 130,000 people in my own home town voted for the British Nationalist Party...well lets say I was pretty disgusted and I felt like a step back had been taken and I really don't care what any one says about feeling being abandoned by Labour party and the Conservative party. The British Nationalist Party are simply racist and if you vote for them you are agreeing with what they stand for. It really disgusts me but I guess that's the world we live in, just when it looked like the world is moving past certain things something like this happens...It really angers me and just makes me think, that 130,000 people in the North-West thats more than the Capacity at Old Trafford can you imagine a full football ground supporting a racist party what is the world coming to...I dunno but I'm definitely not gonna stand for it. People like Malcom X, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Muhammed Ali and many more didn't stand for it so why should we now when things are a lot better now...One thing is for sure well and truely Nick Griffin is a complete and utter F*cking C*nt! Love peace and Chicken Grease people!