A personal favourite of mine is Muhammad Ali, who said he was the greatest and then worked harder than most to ensure he deserved that accolade. But Muhammad Ali is a champion not only because of what he accomplished in the ring, but because of what he stood for. He stood up against an unjust system of racial segregation in the 1960s and defied the will of the most powerful government in the world. A government that was prepared to send him and fellow African Americans to die for their country’s political ideology in the Vietnam War, and yet was unwilling to uphold the civil rights guaranteed to those same African Americans under the constitution of the United States.
In refusing to go to war, and confronting his government, Ali brought global attention to the racist and segregationist policies that belied the America’s founding philosophy of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” and in doing so, he helped to advance a movement that secured civil rights and lifted up people of colour in the United States. That is a Champion and that is Greatness!
Essentially, I am saying that a champion who embodies true greatness is one who carries the fight, refuses to settle for a comfortable existence, thinks about the plight of others, inspires hope and decides to make the aspirations of others their personal fight despite major challenges. That is the difference between being a WINNER and a CHAMPION!
RIP to the Great CHAMPION, Muhammad Ali.