Sound and Fury: Two Powerful Lives, One Fateful Friendship by Dave Kindred is about sportscaster Howard Cosell and boxer Muhammad Ali's fascinating relationship. I'm not a huge fan of sports-oriented books but this one was a classic. The book chronicles how Cassisus Clay becomes Muhammad Ali, going from a brash loud-mouth young boxer with seemingly unending talent, to one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time. Included are the gripping stories of his fights with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and others.
The book also chronicles how Howard Cosell went from a struggling New York Jew to one of the most popular and recognizable sports broadcasters of all time. It describes his meteoric rise at Monday Night Football, which was enormously popular at that time. The book also shows how the thing that annoyed so many folks (Cosell's ego) was the thing that made him so spectacular.
Throughout the book Mr. Kindred describes how these two larger than life figures essentially rode each other to the top. He recounts the tension-filled months leading up to Muhammad Ali ultimately dodging the draft as a conscientious objector, only speaking to Cosell from the media.
Mr. Kindred is a decorated and well-respected sportswriter. This book is a result of his talents as a sportswriter but also as a compassionate human being. It's clear that he struggles to see his two friends (Cosell and Ali) in their downward spins.
This was not so much a sports book as it was a book about how star power is leveled by race and religion, set in the context of the sporting industry. I was lucky enough to get an interview with Mr. Kindred wherein he shed more light on this.
A few things stood out to me:
- How quickly stars fade and how it self-perpetuates self-destruction: Howard Cosell and Muhammad Ali were nothing short of mega-super stars in their day. But, in the words spoken to Rutger Hauer's character Roy in Blade Runner by his creator: "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy."
The thing that is so amazing to me is how quickly they both fell away from the public's mind after burning so very, very brightly. Very few kids know who Howard Cosell was and even fewer remember Muhammad Ali.
Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2
Article comments