Comparing Michael Vick and Muhammad Ali Part 1 of 5

The other day I heard some commentators on ESPN, former professional athletes, share their views on whether or not NFL superstar Michael Vick could return to the grid iron after July 20, 2009 when he has served time for dog fighting ( http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nflnation/0-7-835/Double-Coverage--The-Vick-debate.html) The segment brought to mind a comparison with another star athlete who went to jail on federal charges in 1964, Muhammad Ali. There are some interesting similarities and differences between these two athletes that provide insights into the history of race and politics in American sports and society from the 1960s until today. Both Michael Vick and Muhammad Ali are African American males born in poverty in the urban south; Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) in1942 in racially segregated Louisville, Kentucky and Vick in 1980, in the economically segregated Newport News, Virginia. Both came from working class homes where black women provided some sense of stability and the majority of parental guidance. Both Ali and Vick had fathers who seemed to have relationships that were, at least at times, problematic with their sons. Ali’s father was often in trouble with the law and Vick’s father was often absent so much so that he and his siblings chose to use their mother’s maiden name Vick and instead of their father’s name.