How the Olympics Shaped Muhammad Ali

Posted June 5, 2016

External Article: The Wall Street Journal

It has only been a few days since Muhammad Ali’s passing but the sporting world has demonstrated its admiration for the late boxer in full-force. Dubbed “The Greatest,” Ali is often recognized as the single best boxer of all time.

School of History and Sociology Assistant Professor John M. Smith, Ph.D., co-authored “How the Olympics Shaped Muhammad Ali” for The Wall Street Journal. The article follows Ali’s bold beginnings as Cassius Clay, through his transition period and outspoken years of activism, all the way to his run as the final torch bearer in the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympics. Read more about Ali’s past, as well as the intimate moments leading up to the lighting of the 1996 Olympic cauldron, in the full article.