The First Sports Super Hero

June 14, 2016

I was born in 1961 and as a result I am a product of the turbulent times of the 60’s and 70’s. My Dad, born and bred in the Bronx, was an old school sports fan and boxing was a huge thing in our house back in the day. Muhammed Ali was larger than life in America and was an idol that forced me to deal with numerous thoughts that seemed both amazing and complicated to me.

On one hand, “the Champ” was a super hero. I went to see the first Ali-Frazier fight after winning an “odd finger out” test with my brothers. Dad had two tickets and we went to see the closed circuit live broadcast…me and my pop. My brothers were steamed that little ten-year old Matty won the toss to see the “Fight of the Century”. I cried when Ali got beaten up…Joe Frazier was the better fighter that day.

Ali was also a complicated figure who helped me think about the world we lived in and what it was like to be African American in the 60’s. Make no mistake, the world was black and white and Ali pushed the boundaries in sometimes uncomfortable ways to help America better understand what it was like to be black.

He was creative…no sports figure has ever been as entertaining and as smart at seizing the moment as Ali. His ability to embrace television to connect with people and to build fans worldwide was clearly unique. When he lost his ability to function as a result of Parkinson’s, he still never lost the ability to own the moment.

I was at the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 and Ali’s appearance there remains the most compelling sports memory of my lifetime. Watch it here.

This was the kind of guy who we encounter once in a century and we should all pause to reflect on his contributions to life, to sports and to helping to make us all better.

Matt Ross
Founder
#MondayThoughts #MuhammedAli
matt@oneriverschool.com

Matt Ross

Matt Ross is the Founder of One River School of Art + Design. Since 2012, One River has grown from one location in Englewood, NJ to fifteen schools in six states with a goal to “transform art education” across America. Prior to One River School, Matt was the CEO of School of Rock, where he built the company into the world leader in music education for kids. Prior to his experience with School of Rock, Matt held a variety of management positions in broadcasting, working for diverse media companies such as Clear Channel, CBS and Viacom. He is also active in promoting Autism awareness and supporting emerging artists and is passionate about collecting Contemporary Art with a focus on painting, mixed media and drawing.