Remembering Jim Brown: Titan of Football, Social Justice Pioneer

Reflecting on a sports icon that transcended sports and changed the way we look at athletes forever

One of my favorite sports documentaries is “The Last Dance”, the 10-part Netflix docuseries that aired in 2020 chronicling Michael Jordan’s final season in Chicago and also spoke to key moments throughout his career as a Bull. One particular moment that stuck with me was when Jordan didn’t endorse North Carolina Democrat Harvey Gantt in his run for a Senate seat in North Carolina. Gantt was an African American who was going against a white incumbent named Jesse Helms, who was a known opponent of African American issues. What followed is a now notorious line from Jordan where he is rumored to have said that “Republicans buy sneakers too”. The moment was a big blow to Jordan’s reputation in the Black community, but it also reaffirmed a key point: not all athletes are cut out to be activists.

There have been a number of players that have been instrumental to advancing social justice reform. Names like Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Colin Kaepernick come to mind. This week we lost a sports figure whose name holds a similar gravitas when it comes to his achievements as an athlete but also as a civil rights leader: Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown. Brown was a hero, a demonstration of excellence…