Two of the 20th century's greatest athletes lost several prime years to the U.S. military -- TED WILLIAMS because he served in WORLD WAR II and KOREA (reluctantly both times) and MUHAMMAD ALI because he did not serve in VIETNAM, for which he was stripped of his heavyweight title and his license to fight. WILLIAMS didn't want to fight in WORLD WAR II. He successfully fought the draft board, then enlisted in the NAVY only after public opinion turned against him. He didn't see action. He was recalled from the NAVY RESERVE several years later and complained again, but ended up fighting in KOREA. Turned out he was an ace fighter pilot. He's generally remembered as a war hero. ALI, a pretty good fighter himself, eloquently stated his religious objections to the war in language that evoked race, history and his moral convictions. He stuck to his principles in the face of a vicious backlash and the derailment of his career. He is not remembered as a war hero. But why not? What constitutes true heroism? To whom does history grant a pass for fighting his draft board, and to whom does it not? And why? One of the best essays I've read about the politics of ALI was KARA BROWN's "IF YOU DON'T SEE BLACKNESS, YOU DIDN'T SEE MUHAMMAD ALI." Throwing a counterpunch to the many commentators who said ALI "transcended race," BROWN argues that ALI's race was essential to his identity and his life. "Blackness," she writes, "is part of the narrative of every black person in a country that has reminded us of our blackness since the day we arrived"... ALI and COSELL. Tears... The STANFORD swimmer rapist is a serious criminal, worthy of far more punishment than he has received. But he's not the societal problem. He's just a common thug. The problem is institutional, from universities that value athletes over the women they assault, to university (ex)presidents who refuse to confront any sense of culpability in what happens on their campuses, to a justice system willing to sympathize with (certain) convicted men in ways that defy any notion of basic decency. CNN's ASHLEIGH BANFIELD reading the STANFORD rape victim's letter to her attacker is devastating... RIP KIMBO SLICE and VIKTOR KORCHNOI.