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M uhammad Ali’s moral authority, central to his appeal as an American hero, if not his gravity as a world-historical figure, draws a great deal of its strength from his three-and-a-half-year exile from boxing. His other outstanding attributes and accomplishments notwithstanding, it is the perception that Ali sacrificed his personal interests in the name of principle that has driven his cultural upgrade from legendary athlete to iconic model citizen and philosopher-guru. The exile has become the narrative linchpin of the Ali Story, transforming it from biography to allegory, defining its protagonist as heroic, and giving him an undeniable redemption point that marks him as a credible moral authority. Because its meaning and consequences have changed with the times, Ali’s exile from boxing, as a cultural text used to symbolize heroism, is hard to define precisely. Some forty years ago, the exile literally meant an impending jail sentence and the end of Ali’s boxing career, but after a long, hard fight those threats vanished; Ali avoided prison and eventually regained his title. Today, the exile represents a much wider range of possibilities. In the commercial world, for example, it stands in as a reference point for various philosophies , character traits, and ideas, from courage to tolerance to intelligence . This versatility is critical to Ali’s status as an attractive corporate pitchman, because his story can be used in myriad ways to engender feelings and moods that presumably help sell commodities. Over time, the meaning of the exile expands and becomes ever more useful and accessible to a growing spectrum of interests. Ali’s resistance to a war The Legacy of Ali’s Exile and the Nation of Islam 140 Good People that according to the majority of Americans turned out to be unjust and foolhardy resulted in the loss of peak ring years. The pain and the suffering Ali experienced are still at the core of his appeal as a heroic figure, but the terms of this appeal and the perception of what his exile means have changed as a result of new revelations. For example, any current use of Ali as a corporate spokesman must take into account his battle with Parkinson’s syndrome. Ali’s courageous coping with the condition is admirable in itself. But when coupled with the injustice of the exile, and juxtaposed with images of Ali in his prime—dancing, talking, radiating good looks and charisma—it becomes downright gallant. These connections between the past and the present are easy to make, especially in the hands of professional advertisers. But even laypersons can do so. Ask anyone familiar with his story whether Muhammad Ali fought for too long and he or she will answer affirmatively. Although this overindulgence had as much to do with his being a spotlight-addicted glory hog as anything else, it was also tied to his economic insecurity during the 1970s and 1980s. Ali fought on when he shouldn’t have because he needed income, and these late-career bouts seem to have had a dramatically negative impact on his health. Whatever the reasons for Ali’s financial problems were, they can be easily connected to his exile. Simply put, he needed money to compensate for three-and-a-half years of lost earning power, all the while generating massive legal bills and other expenses. This cause-and-effect relationship may or may not be real, but in the hands of a capable marketer or good storyteller , it is easy to persuade people to believe it. The point is that the exile has become a profoundly adaptable cultural text that can be used to ascribe courage and positive values to Ali in a wide range of milieus, among them advertisements and other corporate endeavors. It is this versatility that helps keep the Ali legend relevant, and those who have tapped into it have been able to sell successfully the former champion, even to consumers who were born years after the relevant events had occurred. At the heart of the equation of Ali’s exile with heroism is his willingness to eschew money to follow his principles. More than the threat of a prison sentence, more than the discomfort of an uncertain future, it is the money that Ali gave up that has served as the ultimate barometer of his sacrifice and that has come to represent indelible proof of his commitment to uncommon moral standards. As time has passed, Ali’s refusal to...

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