Maybe there's more to this story that Tim Smith is leaving out, but this sure does sound pretty weak:
When the fund-raisers were soliciting contributions to help build the new Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, they contacted prominent professional athletes - Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal. The answers all came back the same: "Sorry, but I'm all tapped out."
It was one of the few disappointments for Lonnie Ali when she talked about the long road to getting the center for her husband completed.
...What does it say about the modern American millionaire athlete that he can't reach into his pocket and peel off a couple thousand for a good cause? These guys spend more money settling bets on the golf course.
(snip)
...I'm sure they get hit on for charitable contributions all the time. And I know they all have their own foundations that do charitable things. But when someone calls from the Muhammad Ali Center you take the call. You do some homework. Then you write a check. It's tax-deductible.
Come on! It's Muhammad Ali, for crying out loud.
I could see if you disagree with his politics or his religion and you didn't want to contribute on moral grounds. The athletes who didn't contribute don't fall into this category. They're just cheap.
(snip)
How many of them would take the kind of stand for a moral principle and sacrifice financial gain the way Ali did in the prime of his career? Perhaps the same number that contributed to his center.
"If Muhammad Ali didn't stick by his goals and his religion, a lot of athletes wouldn't be where they are today," [boxer Lennox] Lewis said.
Lennox Lewis was the only athlete who contributed, and he isn't even American.
1 comment:
Kinda hard to believe. It IS Ali, afterall. You'd think they'd all be lining up to associate with that. But hey, I see Ali's got a new friend in the White House! Maybe George can kick in a few bucks.
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