In 1996, Muhammad Ali and I co-authored a short book about bigotry and prejudice that was keyed to religious and racial divisions. To spread the message, we visited schools in a half dozen cities across the country, talking with students about the need for tolerance and understanding.
The standard publishing contract is replete with clauses that strip authors of control over their books.
I've learned over the years that big-name writers might be treated fairly by the media conglomerates that dominate publishing today. But the average author isn't.
Publishing is a business. It's about squeezing every last dollar out of every available source, and the most vulnerable source is the author. No clearer proof of that exists than the 'standard' book contract.
The Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice should take a long, hard look at the standard publishing contract.
Being a good police officer is one of the most difficult, dangerous, idealistic jobs in the world.
My personal relationship with Ali began in 1988, when we met in New York to explore the possibility of my writing the book that ultimately became 'Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times.'
I researched and wrote 'Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times' for two years.
It's not fun to get punched in the face. It's hard, and there's no glory in it.
The heavyweight championship of the world was the most coveted title in sports. Everyone knew who the heavyweight champion was. And not only when it was Muhammad Ali or Rocky Marciano: they knew when it was Ingemar Johansson.
Boxing is allowed to exist as an exception to state laws against violence on the premise that it will be regulated in a manner that protects the combatants physically and financially.
As well-intentioned as it might be, the Ali Act suffers from glaring flaws.
In 1946, the year I was born, Yankee Stadium was only 23 years old. But from my perspective as a boy, it had been around forever. At age seven, I saw it for the first time. As I grew older and was allowed to navigate the city's subway system on my own, I went to Sunday doubleheaders with friends on a regular basis.
Three of my childhood dreams went unfulfilled. I never saw a no-hitter, never saw a triple play, and never caught a ball that had been hit into the stands. But I did see the Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in a World Series game when I was 10.
Yankee Stadium played host to the most important prizefight ever when Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in 1938.
Even when the heavyweight champion was a fighter of limited ability, he was still the heavyweight champion of the world.
The single most important thing that sports fans want is competition building to a meaningful championship.
The ultimate goal of any athlete in any sport is to become a true world champion.
When Roy Jones was young, he glowed. There was an aura about him, and words came out of his mouth like bursts of machine-gun fire.
Young fighters dream of the future. Old fighters seek to recapture the past.
