If it seems fitting that we’re celebrating the birthday of Dr.
Martin Luther King on the actual birthday of Muhammad Ali, it’s
because it is. No two men have ever been more dedicated to a shared
cause. Dr. King and Ali were of similar minds, sacrificing without
an ounce of regret. They were pioneers, leaders and men of
unyielding principle.
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If it seems fitting that we’re celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King on the actual birthday of Muhammad Ali, it’s because it is. No two men have ever been more dedicated to a shared cause.
Dr. King and Ali were of similar minds, sacrificing without an ounce of regret. They were pioneers, leaders and men of unyielding principle.
This particular day and their status as American heroes led me to a question: Will an American sports figure ever be deemed worthy of a national holiday?
She doesn’t have to be perfect, but her credentials must be impeccable. He has to be a Hall of Fame caliber competitor who transcends sport and touches society at-large. She doesn’t have to be a politician, but she must be politically aware. He must be a symbol of justice and equality and courage — and possess evidence of making a lasting imprint on future generations.
Rarefied air for a jock but not inconceivable given the relevance of sports.
Jackie Robinson would seem to meet the standard as well as any athlete but has not been so honored. Maybe he should be. Who is more laudable?
Jim Thorpe was a fantastic athlete and an original American hero, but he failed to leave an enduring legacy for his people or his country.
Babe Ruth towered over our national pastime and was the first athlete to become a national treasure, but his impact beyond baseball was far more symbolic than actual.
Jesse Owens, aptly described by the esteemed Daniel Okrent as “white America’s first black athletic hero,” was a patriot who was relatively uncelebrated because he lacked influential advocates.
Boxing champ Joe Louis served his country honorably in war and in the ring but was reluctant to speak up for himself and, ultimately, was victimized by his own government.
John Wooden, the man best suited to coach America’s coaches, including Connie Mack and Vince Lombardi, stood for all the right things. He embodied all that is noble and admirable, but his humility may have prevented broader impact.
Ali surely had the athletic and social bona fides and may have been up to the task. How might he have influenced us over the past quarter century had he not been robbed of his unique and mighty roar?
Tennis great Billie Jean King hoisted the banner of sexual equality and changed the perception of female athletes, but her athletic feats were surpassed by many others.
The cultural phenomenon that is Michael Jordan has the profile and popularity but never cared to grow shoulders broad enough to fit such an immense jacket. He wore a nice suit that was relatively empty.
As a multiracial superstar in an enlightened time, Tiger Woods was blessed with perhaps the grandest opportunity of all but blew it, spectacularly, in mid-career.
The NFL’s Pat Tillman is an interesting case. He possessed the innate character and, while responding to the call of his country, made the ultimate sacrifice. He would be deserving of consideration — if only he had been a surpassing football talent.
Lance Armstrong has way too much baggage, Curt Flood was far too underappreciated, and the legend of Drew Brees is confined to Louisiana — and may someday rate a state holiday.
So we’re back to Robinson. Of course we are. If Dr. King is our most definitive and enduring symbol for fighting injustice, Jackie is precisely that for demanding equality. He seized the torch carried by Owens and Louis and carried it to the mountaintop.
Presented an opportunity no one else had been given, Robinson accepted it and excelled. Both college student and military man, he was modest yet confident, flexible yet firm and unflinching in the face of undeserved hatred.
He was a statesman the equal of any politician, with an uncompromising dignity and a bottomless reservoir of courage.
Robinson’s entrance into the national pastime in 1947 begot the integration of our military in 1948, the constitutional integration of our schools in 1954 and the Voting Rights Act in 1964. He opened the door for President Barack Obama.
“If Jackie Robinson has done all the things they’re saying he’s done — and he’s done all that and more — why isn’t there a thought of having a national holiday for this American?” asked Don Newcombe, a former teammate of Robinson.
That was almost 14 years ago, during Major League Baseball’s 50th Anniversary celebration of Robinson’s debut.
April 15, 1947 is a landmark date in our country’s history. Almost 64 years later, recognition is restricted to baseball despite compelling grounds for taking it national.
Not yet but maybe someday. Meanwhile, we wait. We wonder. And we dream.
— Column by Monte Poole, The Oakland Tribune
