Gary Smith retired last month after more than 30 years of writing for Sports Illustrated.
"We were on the Santa Monica Freeway, Ali's driving 70 miles an hour and his eyes are drifting asleep—the medication for Parkinson's would do that to him. I'm thinking, 'Oh, crap.' We're weaving between lanes, cars are honking, and I'm wondering in the passenger seat, 'Should I grab the wheel from the greatest champ of all-time?' The writer in me wants to let it go, let the crash happen just so I get a scene for the story. But the human in me was just getting scared as hell."
Thanks to TinyLetter and EA SPORTS FIFA WORLD CUP for sponsoring this week's episode.
Show notes:
Smith on Longform
[18:30] "Crime and Punishment" (Sports Illustrated • Jun 1996)
[39:00] "The Secret Life of Mia Hamm" (Sports Illustrated • Sep 2003)
[40:00] "Someone to Lean On" (Sports Illustrated • Dec 1996)
[41:00] "As Time Runs Out" (Sports Illustrated • Jan 1993)
[42:15] "Tyson the Timid, Tyson the Terrible" (Sports Illustrated • Mar 1988)
[47:45] "Damned Yankee" (Sports Illustrated • Oct 1997)
[48:30] "Ali and His Entourage" (Sports Illustrated • Apr 1988)
[52:00] "Coming Into Focus" (Sports Illustrated • Jul 2006)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices