The decision has sparked an obvious question: Are these two men really comparable?
Ali’s protest came with consequences that reached far beyond public criticism. Kaepernick’s protest transformed him into a cultural figure, a Nike spokesman and a prominent activist.
The contrast is difficult to ignore.
Ali Lost His Career
In 1967, Ali refused induction into the U.S. military after being drafted during the Vietnam War.
The consequences were immediate and severe.
Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title and prevented from boxing during what should have been some of the most productive years of his career. He was convicted of refusing induction, fined $10,000 and sentenced to five years in prison.
Although he ultimately avoided serving the prison sentence after the conviction was overturned, the damage to his career was enormous.
Ali was 25 years old when he was forced away from the sport.
For a champion whose entire professional life revolved around boxing, losing more than three years during his physical prime was an enormous sacrifice.
He wasn’t merely criticized on television or attacked on social media.
He lost the career that had made him famous.
That distinction matters when institutions invoke Ali’s name while celebrating modern-day activists.
Kaepernick Took a Very Different Path
Kaepernick became a national political figure in 2016 after choosing to kneel during the national anthem before NFL games.
His decision generated intense debate. Supporters described the demonstration as a courageous protest against racial injustice, while critics argued that kneeling during the anthem disrespected the country and those who served it.
Kaepernick later became an increasingly prominent activist.
He also secured a major relationship with Nike, becoming one of the company’s most recognizable faces in a campaign built around his activism.
His decision to part ways with the San Francisco 49ers and his subsequent grievance against the NFL further cemented his status as a polarizing figure in American sports.
The NFL grievance eventually ended with a confidential settlement.
Kaepernick’s supporters see his career as evidence that he accepted professional consequences for his beliefs.
Critics see a very different story—one in which an athlete turned political activism into a powerful personal brand.
That disagreement is precisely why the Ali Center’s decision deserves scrutiny.
The Award’s Message
The Muhammad Ali Center’s Humanitarian of the Year award recognizes Kaepernick for his activism and work involving racial justice.
“Colin was chosen for his courage to stand against racial injustice and his unwavering commitment to empowering underserved communities,” Lonnie Ali, co-founder and president and CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center, said in the announcement. “Like Muhammad, Colin has used his platform to advocate for equality, human dignity, and social change, even when doing so came at significant personal and professional cost.”
Those words deliberately draw a connection between Kaepernick and Ali.
But that comparison raises uncomfortable questions about what the institution believes Ali’s legacy actually represents.
Ali’s stand against the Vietnam draft remains one of the most consequential acts of civil disobedience by an American athlete.
He knew precisely what could happen.
And then it happened.
His title disappeared. His boxing license was taken away. His career was interrupted. His reputation was battered. He faced the possibility of imprisonment.
Ali continued to defend his position despite the enormous consequences.
Kaepernick’s Castro Controversy
There is another part of Kaepernick’s history that makes the award particularly controversial.
During his activism in 2016, Kaepernick was photographed wearing a shirt depicting Fidel Castro, the longtime communist ruler of Cuba.
The image drew criticism, particularly from Cuban-Americans who viewed Castro as the dictator responsible for decades of repression.
When Miami Herald reporter Armando Salguero questioned Kaepernick about his position before a game in Miami, Kaepernick defended aspects of Castro’s record.
“One thing that Fidel Castro did do is they have the highest literacy rate because they invest more in their education system than they do in their prison system,” Kaepernick said.
Salguero, whose column appeared in a city housing the biggest Cuban exile community in the U.S., labeled Kaepernick a “fraud” and an “unremorseful hypocrite” in writing.
State politics updatesThe Miami audience that Sunday clearly understood what Kaepernick was honoring.They jeered at him forcefully whenever he stepped onto the field.
The Ali Center was either unaware of this, indifferent, or believed it was acceptable.
The Cycle the Ali Center Continues to RepeatThe Muhammad Ali Center has not hit the mark well before.
In 2022, the Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to Dr. Anthony Fauci.Now they’re awarding Humanitarian of the Year to the man who supported Castro in front of Cuban-American journalists.
A pattern exists that is unrelated to Muhammad Ali’s true legacy.In 1967, Ali found himself at a Houston induction center and remained still when his name was announced – recognizing that it signified his title, his profession, and perhaps his liberty.
He didn’t don the T-shirts of tyrants while portraying himself as an advocate for human rights.He didn’t gather settlement payments and redefine himself as a benefactor.
Regardless of your views on his politics, that was genuine.The Muhammad Ali Center once celebrated that type of bravery.
Now they’re presenting awards to men who sported police-as-pigs socks and educated Cuban exiles on literacy statistics.Muhammad Ali warrants more than this from the organization that bears his name.
