I'm a Canadian who worked as a sportswriter in China from 2010-20 -- a job that included extensive travel all over Asia and the Pacific Rim. During a week-long trip to North Korea in 2017, I had a rare opportunity to interact with fellow sports journalists from the DPRK, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and several other countries. The one American athlete they ALL knew and wanted to learn more about was Ali. The same was true in Japan, where baseball is king. Ruth, Jordan and Woods weren't even on their radar.
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