This post was triggered by the recent demise of Muhammad Ali who was not only one of the greatest exponents of his sport but indeed transcended it, due in no small measure to the courageous stand that he took against Vietnam war and in favour of the Civil Rights movement in the US. I was intrigued by the young Ali's eloquence and principles and his willingness to sacrifice the best years of his sporting career for what he believed was right.
I started wondering if there were any others like him in History. Here are three inspirational folks that I cam across that I wanted to share with the Steemit community.
- Baron Gottfried Von Cramm
Von Cramm was the scion of a prominent aristocratic family in Germany, and an exceptional tennis player in the 1930's noted as much for his balletic grace on the court as for his sportsmanship and decency. He won the French Open twice. He famously stood up to the Nazis, repeatedly refusing to join the Party and speaking out, never sacrificing his honour on or off the court. He was jailed for a time forHomosexuality, and deployed in a penal division on the Russian Front.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/04/08/tennis.greatest.match.cramm/
- Matthias Sindelar
Sindelar was perhaps the finest soccer player in the Europe of the early 1930's and the key man in the "Wunderteam" , the wonderful Austrian national team of the time. He refused to disown his old friends (including Jews), repeatedly pissed off Nazi officialdom including memorably celebrating "in the face" of Nazi dignitaries after scoring against Germany in the last game of the Austrian team before the two national teams were to merge. He died in a mysterious poisoning incident in his own apartment, officially called an accidental suicide. But one wonders.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/apr/03/sport.comment3
- Emil Zatopek
Magnificent long distance runner. Four-time Olympic Gold medallist. Famously threatened to boycott the 1952 Olympics when the Communist Goverment in Czechoslovakia tried to prevent a dissident's son from taking part. Staked his career at the apex of his powers on a matter of principle (and won). Later, criticised the government for its actions in 1968 during and in the lead-up to the Prague Uprising. Trivia: His wife Dana was also an Olympic Gold medalist (Javelin)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Z%C3%A1topek
Hope that the community finds this trip down memory lane as interesting as I did.