People say that it was degrading for an Olympic champion to run against a horse, but what was I supposed to do? I had four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals. There was no television, no big advertising, no endorsements then. Not for a black man, anyway.

Interview (1971); also quoted in "Owens pierced a myth" by Larry Schwartz in ESPN SportsCentury

Owens pierced a myth[espn.com]