27 Comments Monday, August 11th, 2008
Top 10 Sports Revolutionaries
KING acknowledges 10 radical sportsmen who scored in their struggles for change.
10) Pat Tillman
Inspired to serve his country after the Twin Towers tumbled, Pat Tillman left behind a respectable football career as a safety on the Phoenix Cardinals to join the hardbody Army Rangers. Tragically, on April 22, 2004, when Tillman was gunned down on patrol in Afghanistan, he became the first professional football player to die in combat since the Buffalo Bills’ Bob Kalsu was killed in Vietnam in 1970. Although Pat was quickly deified by pro-war zealots and the flag-waving NFL as a hero who had made the ultimate sacrifice, few knew the real story of his battlefield demise; originally reported as a casualty of an ambush from hostile forces, it later emerged that the Army had covered up the fact that Tillman was killed by “friendly fire” in a case of mistaken identity. “They realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out,” said his enraged father, Patrick Tillman Sr. “They blew up their poster boy.” The drama gets deeper—according to fellow troops, Tillman despised President Bush, planned on meeting anti-war writer Noam Chomsky and described the Iraq invasion as “so fucking illegal.”
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27 Responses to “Top 10 Sports Revolutionaries”
08.11.08 at 2:33 pm
Rob Mo says:
THIS IS WHATS UP!
08.11.08 at 8:56 pm
the milkman says:
dope shit
08.12.08 at 12:36 am
Paul says:
Excellent!!!
08.12.08 at 12:00 pm
Genral says:
Well done
08.12.08 at 1:18 pm
HisNameIsAlive says:
A good list but seems to be missing roberto clemente, while you claim to have some martyrs in the piece, clemente died a true martyr in trying to help his country men. I think its a travesty hes not on your list.
08.12.08 at 1:27 pm
Stefan says:
What a coincidence they’re all Americans!
08.12.08 at 1:28 pm
ceril says:
TOP TEN TO ***** IT UP. 10. Randy Moss
9. Jayson Williams
8. Ron Artest
7. Ray Lewis
6. Kobe Bryant
5. Pacman Jones
4. Barry Bonds
3. Mike Tyson
2. Michael Vick
1. Orenthal James Simpson
08.12.08 at 1:30 pm
Hank says:
LOL. Biased against conservatives much, ladies?
08.12.08 at 1:31 pm
Kimosabe says:
No Ron Artest??? He stand up for da hood.
08.12.08 at 1:41 pm
B says:
@hank: It’s the violence and lack of tolerance that conservatives represent that spawned such heroes to action.
Thanks, chica.
08.12.08 at 1:49 pm
Max says:
@Hank: Kind of hard to be a Conservative “revolutionary.” Since, you know, conservatives kinda dislike revolution.
08.12.08 at 1:55 pm
shameonu says:
Well, Jesse Owens was allowed to stay in the same hotels as whites when in Germany, when back home he wouldnt be allowed to, and he even had to ride the elevator lift on the Waldorf Astoria (his job) on his own reception. Talk about racism. At least the nazis had a reason.
08.12.08 at 2:02 pm
transcending popular culture « alex deherrera says:
[…] There is one easy way to gain prominence but it may lead to a lack of endorsements: become a sports revolutionary. The 10 people listed are more well known for their off the field actions, yet some might claim that they are more important than a Jordan or a James. During the height of the Vietnam War, St. Louis Cardinals linebacker Dave Meggyesy, weary of conservatives using football to boost pro-war patriotism, circulated a petition amongst his teammates asking their Congressman to bring the troops home. Ownership, incensed, became even more furious when Meggyesy, inspired by the Mexico City Olympic fist-raisers, refused to obey Commissioner Pete Rozelle’s order for players to salute the flag during the national anthem. Benched for “political reasons” midway through the 1969 season, Meggyesy quit football in the prime of his career and subsequently authored a book, Out of Their League, which aired out the NFL for exploitation, racism and drug abuse. […]
08.12.08 at 2:21 pm
Krazd says:
Great list. The Tillman story definitely has a lot of cover up with recent articles stating that he was intentionally murdered.
08.12.08 at 2:22 pm
Saranno says:
Alrite,since baseball and American football aren’t considered a real sport that only this a top 5 sports revolutionaries.
08.12.08 at 2:43 pm
A.P. says:
i say that ceril is an idiot . . . read a book
08.12.08 at 3:13 pm
Web 2.0 Announcer says:
Top 10 Sports Revolutionaries […]Ten radical sportsmen who scored in their struggles for change[…]
08.12.08 at 3:41 pm
Fred says:
7) Etan Thomas??????????? Are you serious? Get real man. Just because he has corn-rows and talked about politics dosen’t mean he is influential.
08.12.08 at 5:02 pm
BoredQuiz says:
Where is OJ? I would say getting away with murder is sorta revolutionary.
08.12.08 at 10:07 pm
vaporist says:
billie jean king yo
08.13.08 at 2:45 am
HHH says:
GOAT
08.13.08 at 2:46 am
HHH says:
G.O.A.T!!!
08.13.08 at 7:19 am
Jason says:
Carlos and Smith? The most enduring image of the 68 Olympics should have been George Foreman waving the American flag. Patriotism rather than separatism.
08.22.08 at 4:35 pm
bass fishing lures_andreamae says:
“One should be able to sacrifice in order to achieve.”
09.23.08 at 9:39 pm
peterose4084 says:
fuck brent musburger racist bastard
03.2.09 at 5:26 pm
President Ward says:
I like Muhammed Ali, JIM Brown , John carlos and Tommie smith , Pat Tilliman R.I.P
03.2.09 at 8:59 pm
charlie says:
wow! you guys at king did it again! nice list..if it was a top 11 (lol) that dude with the arabic name…abdul…rauf, something..a Muslim brotha, he stayed seated at the national anthem saying US was an oppressive force in the world, remember?