Muhammad Ali Lights the Olympic Torch 1996
Muhammad Ali
By 1996   Muhammad Ali  didn't really need to supply us with more reasons to cheer for  him .  Ali   suffering from Parkinson's disease  had long proven  himself  to be one of the most iconic athletes in the world  and even if  Ali  didn't end up lighting the torch on July 19th  1996  we'd still have plenty of moments to treasure both in and out of the ring.
But as it happens  it was  Ali  who took the torch from Janet Evans  hands shaking  but proud as ever. The man who fought in some of the greatest fights in boxing history  was the subject of some of the most iconic images of the 20th century  and who changed this country in ways we're still feeling to this very day  had one more moment of greatness for the world to witness.
Related Chance the Rapper Honors  Muhammad Ali  With New Song Chicago MC delivers stirring performance with collaborators Donnie Trumpet  Jamila Woods
But as former NBC executive Dick Ebersol told Sports Business Journal last year  the head of the Atlanta committee for the games  Dick Payne  put up a fight  saying  "Where we're from  he's perceived as a draft dodger." Hometown hero Evander Holyfield was the local pick to do the honor  but Ebersol countered that  Ali  didn't dodge the draft: " He  lost three big-money-earning years. But he didn't run away from the country. He didnât go to Canada. He was willing to stand on his principles."
It took four months to convince Payne and the committee that  Ali  was the right person for the job  four months for them to agree that a person who Ebersol figured  "outside of perhaps the pope" was "the most beloved figure in the world."
Of course  eventually the committee agreed  and what happened when the champ and 1960 gold medal winner was handed the torch was truly a moment that is so perfect that it defies any sports cliche you could toss at it. A reminder  once again  why  Ali  was  and always will be the Greatest of All Time.
By 1996    [TGT] didn't really need to supply us with more reasons to cheer for   [TGT]  .  Ali   suffering from Parkinson's disease  had long proven  himself  to be one of the most iconic athletes in the world  and even if  Ali  didn't end up lighting the torch on July 19th  1996  we'd still have plenty of moments to treasure both in and out of the ring.
But as it happens  it was  Ali  who took the torch from Janet Evans  hands shaking  but proud as ever. The man who fought in some of the greatest fights in boxing history  was the subject of some of the most iconic images of the 20th century  and who changed this country in ways we're still feeling to this very day  had one more moment of greatness for the world to witness.
Related Chance the Rapper Honors  Muhammad Ali  With New Song Chicago MC delivers stirring performance with collaborators Donnie Trumpet  Jamila Woods
But as former NBC executive Dick Ebersol told Sports Business Journal last year  the head of the Atlanta committee for the games  Dick Payne  put up a fight  saying  "Where we're from  he's perceived as a draft dodger." Hometown hero Evander Holyfield was the local pick to do the honor  but Ebersol countered that  Ali  didn't dodge the draft: " He  lost three big-money-earning years. But he didn't run away from the country. He didnât go to Canada. He was willing to stand on his principles."
It took four months to convince Payne and the committee that  Ali  was the right person for the job  four months for them to agree that a person who Ebersol figured  "outside of perhaps the pope" was "the most beloved figure in the world."
Of course  eventually the committee agreed  and what happened when the champ and 1960 gold medal winner was handed the torch was truly a moment that is so perfect that it defies any sports cliche you could toss at it. A reminder  once again  why  Ali  was  and always will be the Greatest of All Time.