Description
Book SynopsisMuhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay) has always engendered an emotional reaction from the public. From his appearance as an Olympic champion to his iconic status as a national hero, his carefully constructed image and controversial persona have always been intensely scrutinized. In Muhammad Ali, Michael Ezra considers the boxer who calls himself "The Greatest" from a new perspective. He writes about Ali's pre-championship bouts, the management of his career and his current legacy, exploring the promotional aspects of Ali and how they were wrapped up in political, economic, and cultural "ownership." Ezra's incisive study examines the relationships between Ali's cultural appeal and its commercial manifestations. Citing examples of the boxer's relationship to the Vietnam War and the Nation of Islam-which serve as barometers of his "public moral authority"-Muhammad Ali analyzes the difficulties of creating and maintaining these cultural images, as well as the impact these themes have on Ali's meaning to the public.
Trade Review“Muhammad Ali is a terrific book. Disciplined, convincing, equipped to deliver on his bold and original thesis, Michael Ezra makes fresh sense not only of Ali as cultural icon and historical figure but of the vast Ali literature and mythos that surrounds him.”
—Carlo Rotella, Boston College, author of Cut Time: An Education at the Fights
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Why Another Book about Muhammad Ali?
Part I: Louisville Sponsoring Group
Louisville's Favorite Son: The Professional Debut
Choosing Management: The Courtship of Cassius Clay
The Early Bouts, 1961-1962
Clay vs. Moore: The Seminal Text
The Most Hated Man in Boxing? The Early Bouts, 1963
Damage Control through Moral Authority: The Louisville Sponsoring Group's Specialty
The Relationship between Cassius Clay and the Louisville Sponsoring Group: A Summary
The Commercial Elements of Clay-Liston I
PartII: Nation of Islam
Main Bout Inc.: How Commerce Affects Culture
Carving Out Moral Authority: Ali's Race Man Phase
Part III: Good People
Forty Years of Ali: The Making of an Icon
The Legacy of Ali's Exile and the Nation of Islam
The Prodigal Son Returns
King of the World: The Consequences of Monarchy
Death of a Salesman
Lonnie Ali: The Savior
Thomas Hauser: The Literary Rehabilitation of Ali's Legend
Olympic Torch: From Literature to Television
Beyond Moral Authority: The Apotheosis of Muhammad Ali
Culture Meets Commerce: The Muhammad Ali Center, Naming Rights, and the Price of Moral Authority
The Backlash: Exploring Contradictory Meaning of Ali
Notes
Index
