SPORTS MARKETING
MUHAMMAD ALI:
Lessons In The
Universality Of Sports
By Richard Wanjohi
I
n my last article, we looked at the
aspects of personal branding with
respect to sports personalities. It’s
only fair that we revisit this with
a legend of sport, a person who
exemplified the tenets of personal
branding and a case study in sports
marketing and activism. I invite to
indulge in this excursion.
In the month of June 2016, the days
after his passing offered a glimpse
into the life and times of one of sports’
greatest (if not indeed, ‘the Greatest
Of All Time - GOAT’), boxing
legend formerly known as Cassius
Marcellus Clay Junior and converted
to Muhammad Ali. His passing
created a purview of his historic
‘‘ I am the part you
won’t recognize.
But get used to me
– black, confident,
cocky; my name, not
yours; my religion,
not yours; my goals,
my own. Get used to
me.” Muhammad Ali
88 MAL 13/16 ISSUE
career, marked by major milestones
and whose final chapter featured
his longest but bravest battle with
Parkinson’s disease, before succumbing
to the ailment on 3rd of June 2016.
To illustrate how popular this
man was, his face and name were
recognizable across the five continents
of the world. His name search on
Google and major search engines was
second only to Jesus (Christ) – and
has significantly changed in the last
few weeks too.
To the world of sport, he was an icon,
an ambassador, an example as well
as trendsetter for those who lived in
the peak of his career. This was still
the case in the last days of his life
as he sought to live each day with
debilitating illness.
Louisville Lip
Starting off as just another boxer
back in the mid-50s, this gentleman
quickly found his calling in the
sport racking in honors at local and
national competitions in Kentucky
State and United States. His selection
to represent the country in the 1960
Olympic Games in Rome was a
foregone conclusion. He topped
his weight category in the light
heavyweight winning gold.
Always hungry for success, he quickly
converted into a professional boxer to
prove that he was still better than his
amateur boxing days.
Moving to the heavyweight category
was a bit of a risk given that most
of his future opponents would pack
heavier punches and rake more in
weight. This though proved to be his
advantage as he was faster, lighter and
as he put it, floated and stung.
His defining moment came when he
lined up against reigning champion
Sonny Liston (in 1964) upsetting
the formbook and knocking out the
favorite to take his place as the new
champion. In winning this fight,
he also came to the fore as a fresh
new face into the profession: young,
fresh, cocky, irritating to some but
entertaining to others.
He also became the media favorite
thanks to his ability to call the fights
and in effect get into his opponents’
heads. Then and now have always
strived to brand themselves as the
epitome of success. To prove it on the
stage – be it the ring, pitch or court is
one thing, to do it over and over again
and calling attention to your exploits
changes the equation drastically.