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Jim Brown Rips Tiger and Jordan

One of the all-time greats, both in terms of athletic ability and social consciousness has let loose again, as Browns Hall of Famer Jim Brown recently criticized global sports icons Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. According to Brown, the two megastars could be doing much more to help less fortunate people, rather than focusing on their own sterile, albeit hugely successful corporate images.

Considering my vast respect for Brown’s epic football skills, toughness and determination during his playing days, combined with his unflinching desire to improve the lives of society’s bottom half, I would strongly urge any modern day athlete to embrace this man’s words. Brown’s work with inner city gang members, which is authentic - not in the Laura Bush way - shows that he truly cares about improving the areas of society that most people either try to ignore or are too dumb to recognize.

If you view Brown’s biography, his social work dates back to the 60’s, when he fought for Civil Rights, but again in an authentic manner, by advocating black owned businesses and creating wealth within poorer communities. This mixture of idealism and practicality further cemented Brown’s legacy, but also made him a controversial figure. Considering the tenuous racial climate of the 60’s, Brown’s stance showed his passion, toughness and courage to stand up to the established order of society.

Which brings us to today…as Brown continues to be a voice, or more precisely, one of the only voices of social change.

And speaking of voices…one of my favorites weighs in on the situation…

Jesus walked with prostitutes. Jason walks with strippers.

This wasn’t Jason Whitlock’s main point, but what a great line. Speaking of which, I haven’t been to Akron since forever.

Jim Brown is the most important athlete in American history. Everything we foolishly credit Muhammad Ali for standing for Jim Brown actually did and does. The reverence we shower on the self-serving, draft-dodging, Joe Frazier-is-a-monkey Muhammad Ali more appropriately belongs at Jim Brown’s feet.

His work in Los Angeles and across the country with street gangs, felons and prison inmates is truly Christ-like. That sentence is not an exaggeration. Through his Amer-I-Can program, Jim has chosen to associate with America’s underclass in hopes of changing a destructive culture.

My respect for Jim Brown couldn’t be any higher. I consider him a good friend.

Again, Jim Brown displays the type of common sense that so many social activists, religious leaders and politicians have largely been unable to figure out, or not committed enough to acheive. Obviously, success comes from within. Whitlock’s hyperbole aside, Brown has done more to help improve America’s underbelly than the entirety of Congress or any current collection of NFL superstars.

He’s wrong about Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, though.

Brown wants Woods and Jordan to do what they’re incapable of: duplicate their athletic courage in the social arena.

“(Tiger) is a killer, he will run over you, he will kick your ass,” Brown said during his interview on Real Sports. “But as an individual for social change? Terrible. Terrible … He can get away with teaching kids to play golf, and that’s his contribution. In the real world, I can’t teach kids to play golf and that’s my contribution, if I’ve got that kind of power.”

The era of professional athletes being the leaders of social change has come and gone. Integration and money disconnected most modern athletes from the plight of the underclass four decades ago.

When you earn the kind of money Woods and Jordan rake in, you become a member of the establishment. It’s difficult to fight the power when you are trying to hold onto it.

In my opinion, Woods and Jordan are not the problem. The media are.

On one hand, you can somewhat empathize with Tiger and Jordan. There’s a big reason why Tiger refuses to say anything relevant or perhaps even unscripted during interviews…he has too much at stake. Because of the enormity Tiger brings to the global sporting world, one mistake could cost him dearly. However, if you look at Woods’ impact from another perspective, it could also be said that his power could bring about unbelievable social change.

As for the media being the problem…well, of course they are.

We spent the better part of four decades convincing the public that Muhammad Ali was the ultimate black athlete, and now we wonder why Chad Johnson and a multitude of assclowns have perfected an Ali imitation.

Remember, I figured out years ago it’s a good thing everyone doesn’t act like me.

Think about it. Don Imus was vilified and demonized for uttering “nappy-headed hos” and Ali was celebrated for repeatedly calling Joe Frazier a gorilla as white reporters laughed and fought back tears of joy.

You’ve been hoodwinked, bamboozled and led astray.

Imagine if the media had spent 40 years extolling Brown’s authentic commitment to and representation of the underclass rather than speculating about and interpreting domestic disputes. Imagine if Jim Brown had lit the Olympic torch in Atlanta rather than the Louisville Lip.

Imagine if Jim Brown was universally praised as the ultimate black athlete rather than as the angry black man in the funny hat.

Maybe then there would be fewer hey-look-at-me bojanglers and more Baron Davises trying to positively influence the communities that produced them.

This is America, home of capitalism. We’re conditioned to follow the money. The media made Ali’s buffoonery marketable and profitable. We made Brown’s legitimate social conscience dangerous and scary.

There’s no mystery as to why Woods and Jordan fall short of Brown’s dedication to advancing social change. They’ve personally experienced little or no injustice. Beyond funding educational opportunities for the poor and carrying themselves in a dignified manner, they have no real clue how they can give back without being exploited.

I completely agree with Whitlock’s points regarding Chad Johnson and assclowns (literally) and the reason for Tiger and Jordan’s lack of motivation when it comes to social change. Obviously, Tiger didn’t have a rough background growing up on private golf courses. However, in viewing Brown’s community work, much like Whitlock says, it is “dangerous and scary”….which got me thinking about what Brown’s legacy would be if he were a modern day athlete.

Imagine if Brown emerged in 2009 as the top offensive playmaker in the league, made a small fortune, then wanted to turn to social activism. What would the reaction be if a 2009 version of Brown advocated that black communities create their own wealth, or maintain a better sense of family? Remember the abuse that Bill Cosby received when he criticized black fathers? What kind of treatment would Brown receive from the black community, let alone the sterile, corporate environment of modern day media?

You have to consider that Brown would be labeled as “dangerous and scary” yet again if he consistently called for social change. Today’s mainstream media seems to only embrace the kind of soft, Warrick Dunn Extreme Makeover-esque kind of change that makes for a feel good story, rather than accepting the fact that NFL players could ever have associations with felons. Could you imagine the headlines that would be made if one of today’s superstars began a gang intervention program…that was similar to the authentic social work being done by Jim Brown?

Roger Goodell would have a field day. Remember, this is the league that penalizes its players for removing their helmets. Imagine the fury…

Sadly, the days of completely noble, self-courageous social change performed by professional athletes are over. Perhaps Whitlock is correct in stating that media images have helped to shape modern day athletes, and certainly every player has a different background. Obviously, there are a multitude of social factors that play a role in an athlete’s benevolence, but unfortunately, any real action would signal the complete destruction of the player’s image and earning power.

Just as Browns fans must still cling to the echoes of the past, society also has to reach back for real social change. Sadly, there are no more Jim Browns in either case.

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