To be incredulous that somebody who was only famous for punching people for a living could be voted as The Greatest Person of the 20th Century?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I know that opinions will differ massively and that this is only a subjective choice (BBC Icons) - also that they specifically decided on different categories and then looked for four people in that field for each one.

Personally, popular though sport and entertainment are, I don't see how being a singer, actor, artist, writer or any kind of sports person could ever earn you such an accolade.

So far, there's been a scientist who discovered a revolutionary treatment for malaria and has impacted millions of people's lives for the better (rejected), a campaigner for women's suffrage and a brave man whose actions led to the end of vile, appalling racial inequality in the USA (at least one of whom will be rejected), the 'Father of Computing' and Enigma codebreaker (a worthy category winner, IMHO), and somebody who sang pop/glam rock songs (albeit ones that many people have greatly enjoyed). Also, coming soon, a man who painted pictures of soup cans.

Of apparently far less importance and influence were Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web), Anne Diamond (instrumental in saving thousands of babies from cot death) and Trevor Baylis (inventor of the wind-up radio, which has revolutionised communication and educational opportunities in large parts of rural Africa). I realise these people are still alive, but so are some of those who did make the cut. Then again, these three have all completely failed in the 'punching people for a living' stakes.

I suppose we just need to be thankful that Richard Branson and Kanye West didn't make the list.

AIBU or am I just a Philistine? Who else should have been on the shortlist who wasn't included?

I assume it was Mohammed Ali who won then as you haven't said.

Right. No point watching that on catch up then!

Muhammad Ali (if this is who you are referring to) was a cultural icon in the USA and very admired for his principled stance against the Vietnam War. He was much, much more than just a boxer.

Do you know much about Ali OP?

Not just famous for punching people though
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/X6Ht2ycPpLF4lTz0VgGTS1/muhammad-ali

Far more than just a boxer, and also had the most beautiful face ever.......

If we are talking about muhammad ali then i am definitely with clawdy

Have you read much about his life at all?

Would suggest you listen to Imagined Life podcast. Believe it's the second episode. Real eye opener

Like others, assume it’s Ali. YABU

No, he hasn't won the category yet - he's one of four contenders in the world of sport who's on the programme that's just started.

I know his boxing fame gave him a platform, which he then used to air some very brave, radical views, which did change society for the better.

Maybe I was unfair to say 'only famous' as he did go on to use that fame for very admirable purposes.

Even so, I believe he is still primarily known for his boxing - and that's how he came to fame in the first place. Maybe the end justifies the means, but I still have far more respect for people such as MLK, who became famous because of his cause - and managed it through peaceful means.

You are very ignorant if you really think that this is all he is admired for.

Flaunting your own ignorance there OP.

Flaunting your own ignorance there OP.

It seems like IABU, then.

I look forward to seeing his section in the programme.

Who are the other three people in his category?

CinnabarRed - I assume you are joking.

MLK is in one of the categories.

I agree with you OP

Sorry OP but this is an astonishingly snobbish and ignorant post. Read King Of the World:Muhammad Ali and the rise of an American Hero by David Remnick - it’s a brilliantly written (and genuinely enjoyable) book about what it meant to grow up as a poor black boxer in the Jim Crow south - and what Mohammed Ali did for the civil rights movement:

Cassius Clay grew up in the Jim Crow South and came of athletic age when boxers were at the mercy of the mob. From the start, Clay rebelled against everything and everyone who would keep him and his people down. He refused the old stereotypes and refused the glad hand of the mob. And, to the confusion and fury of white sportswriters, who were far more comfortable with the self-effacing Joe Louis, Clay came forward as a rebel, insistent on his political views, on his new religion, and, eventually, on a new name. His rebellion nearly cost him the chance to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.

I have very little interest in boxing but absolutely loved this book - highly recommmend it.

I don't think that one person can be 'the greatest icon of the 20th century', it's far too wide a category. People were great in different fields and can't be compared. I know quite a lot about Ali's life and he was influential in some areas but in the wider sense I don't see his influence outside boxing and American politics. Had he never lived would we be in a worse position? Many people on that list made wide-ranging contributions to the world without which life would have been very different.
Still, he was the pc choice.

I gave up on the programme when they didn’t include Elvis in the entertainment episode.

I love Muhammad Ali. He was the greatest athlete of his generation and a pioneer of social change. He was also a brilliant communicator, incredibly intelligent and utterly principled. His views on Vietnam and his decision to throw his Olympic medal into the Potomac were so courageous. A prince among men.

and what Mohammed Ali did for the civil rights movement:

That would put him in the running for the greatest American maybe but there's a whole world beyond their shores upon which he had no influence.

Wasn't Helen Keller amazing though

YABVVVU for the reasons listed on the previous page.

Ali was not just someone who PUNCHED people for a living.

FGS. Words fail me!