How Muhammad Ali's Refusal Is An Example of Agency

He refused to join the army because he didn’t believe in the war.

I’ve talked about this before, but in sociology, agency is an individual’s capacity to act independently and make their own choices.

It’s their ability to think critically about decisions that shape their experiences and act on them.

For example, in 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali used his agency and refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army to fight in the Vietnam War.

He knew there would be major consequences.

How Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Attendance at the Cleveland Summit Is An Example of Agency

He ignored the critics and acted with free will.

In sociology, agency is an individual’s capacity to act independently and make their own choices. It’s their ability to think critically about decisions that shape their experiences and act on them.

For example, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a 20-year-old sophomore at UCLA, he decided to support Muhammad Ali’s decision to not serve in the military during the Vietnam War, despite the media shunning Ali. His Bruins’ basketball coach, John Wooden, also criticized him.