Pelé and Muhammad Ali Deserve Spots on Mount Rushmore of All Athletes
Pelé passed this weekHe died in 1982 at the age of 82. Although it is unlikely that he enjoyed any fame beyond his time, it was still an honor to read the reactions to my column. Most of my responses come from people in the boroughs: Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut, Westchester, Rockland.
Sometimes we hear from New York’s satellite sister provinces in Florida and L.A. and Vegas. But with Pelé, the addresses were as varied — .uk, .au, .fr; on and on — as the praise for him was universal.
It does however get the imagination going.
Pop culture has long been familiar with the idea of creating Mount Rushmores. Usually we have modest parameters — the Mount Rushmore of the Yankees. The Mount Rushmore of NBA. The Mount Rushmore for guitarists. The Mount Rushmore of sitcoms.
Pelé begs a bigger list.
Because Ali and him were the most prominent athletes of the 1960s and 1970s. That was long before satellite TV and 24/7 news cycles. Social media and the instant access that we have today. A soccer player scores a goal in Croatia, you can see it in Copiague two minutes later (if you didn’t already see it live).
Wasn’t that way for Pelé.
Wasn’t that way for Ali.
And yet it didn’t matter where you lived — North Dakota or Nepal, Kansas City or Kazakhstan, Boston or Beijing — you knew who Pelé was. You knew Ali. No matter where they traveled, their admirers and fans remained close to them, long after their retirements.
So Pelé and Ali are the first two faces on the Mount Rushmore of Sports, Earth Division.
What about the other two?
Here is where things get tricky. Soccer and boxing are sports with worldwide appeal, which is something that, say, baseball doesn’t have. So as iconic as Babe Ruth was — and remains — in the United States, it’s difficult to imagine that he has the same appeal elsewhere. American football follows the same standard. Thanks to modern media a lot of people outside the U.S. may know who Tom Brady is, but few have ever actually seen him do what he’s famous for.
Golf is a global game. And though Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors has seemingly survived Tiger Woods’ early speed, and though Nicklaus is certainly well known and beloved in places well beyond the boundaries of his native country, he never approached the global fame that Tiger did. There isn’t a country on the planet that isn’t familiar with Woods now — when he was winning a couple of majors a year it was even more of a fury.
So I will put Tiger’s face up there, too.
The fourth? Hockey is a global sport, and Wayne Gretzky certainly had a career worthy of consideration since he’s the best to ever do it (and yes, I know Bobby Orr fans feel differently). Tennis has just as much global appeal as golf does, and Roger Federer’s dominance, along with his gentlemanly bearing, have made him iconic just about everywhere.
However, I would choose Michael Jordan to be the fourth. Basketball may have started out as a strictly American game, but a quick glance at NBA rosters in 2023 reminds you that it isn’t ours alone anymore, not by a long shot. And though it is a fair argument to ask if Jordan or LeBron James deserves the title of GOAT, the fact is that Jordan’s fame supersedes LeBron’s: Which of the two has a silhouette of himself as one of the most recognizable logos in international marketing, after all?
Pelé. Ali. Woods. Jordan.
Let’s find a few pickaxes and get started, shall we?
Vac’s Whacks
If it isn’t something like Giants 14, Colts 3 at halftime, then something will have gone terribly wrong at MetLife Stadium.
After 35 years on the job, Lorraine Hamilton, one of the unsung heroes of the Mets’ organization, retired last month. Shea Stadium, Citi Field and all other on-field events were managed by her for over 40 years. She is also a pleasure to talk with. Here’s to a wonderful run.
One of the problems of multiple binge-watching: If you’re watching season three of Amazon Prime’s “Jack Ryan” and season one of Netflix’s “The Recruit” You can also be simultaneously involved in Russian conspiracy theories, just like I am.
Memo to the Jets’ O-line: Keep Mike White healthy and upright Sunday, both for the sake of your playoff hopes this year and to be able to get a genuine gauge of what White can be going forward.
Whack back at Vac
Jeffrey Moritz: As a New Year’s resolution, may Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman remember Gene Michael’s courage regarding the wild young talent of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Bernie Williams. It is important to embrace and nurture the glimmers that are beacons of hope such as Peraza, Volpe, Dominguez, and Peraza. Cash and Hal need to ask: “What would Stick do?”
Vac: It’s hard to argue with Stick’s game plan. This was one of the greatest masterstrokes of a franchise that had so many players.
Alan Hirschberg: Victor Wembanyama seems to be in decline according to the Red Sox.
Vac: I think that might make even my angriest Boston friends — and they are plenty angry — smile. For at least a moment.
@kantwishtaye: It is not an excuse to play the Vikings close. It was the same thing that happened to the Bears.
@MikeVacc: I think if you polled Vikings, and gave them all truth serum they would prefer to see someone other in the first round in two weeks.
Vito Vaccaro: There was some hope for the Knicks. But how can you lose to the Mavs? Like Reggie Miller all over again!
Vac: We are not related, but I couldn’t get dusty old images of Reggie out of my mind that night, either.
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