Tag: Jim Brown

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically . . . No, the only tired I was, tired of Giving In.”~Rosa Parks

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is a holiday to celebrate the man who helped guide the citizens of the United States to find its better self–one of acceptance of differences, integration and the start of equal representation. We haven’t quite mastered that yet, but most of us are still trying to accomplish his dream.

In reaching towards King’s dream, sports has been a leader in helping society to see past the differences of skin color, facial features, dialect or spoken language, gender, nationality, and now, orientation. There are serious strides still to be made especially in regards to gender and orientation but the conversations have started and movement has been made.

But what if athletes of all different nationalities and races were not like Rosa Parks and tired of giving in? What if Jackie Robinson never stared down racism every time he was hit with a pitch or called a nigger? Where would Major League Baseball be? What if Willie O’Ree was afraid to take to the ice to integrate the National Hockey League? There are not many minority NHL players. Without O’Ree, would there be any? What about Ernie Davis and Jim Brown with the National Football League or Major League Lacrosse or the Heisman Trophy? What about tennis with Arthur Ashe or the Williams Sisters?

We owe the minority sports pioneers a debt of gratitude for having the courage to make us face the ugliness of bigotry and become more enlightened. Because of their faith and courage, players from all walks of life come together on courts, fields, pitch and the ice. Sports has taught us the beauty of combining our cultures, our strengths and weaknesses as well as our personal beliefs to help us overcome obstacles and win championships. MLK’s dream along with others made that possible.

There’s a scene in the 1988 movie, Mississippi Burning, about the real life events of MLK and SCLC trying to integrate the South in which 3 young Civil Rights workers (Jew, White and Black young men) are killed in Jessop that illustrates this point:

Mayor: You can tell your bosses that people got the wrong idea about the South. You know what I’m talking about . . . everybody running around ragged, backwards, illerate . . . eating sour belly and corn pon three times a day . . . Simple fact is Anderson we have 2 cultures down here–White Culture and a Coloured Culture. That’s the way it’s always has been and that’s the way it always will be.
FBI Agent Anderson: Rest of America don’t see it that way.
Sheriff: The rest of America doesn’t mean jack shit. You’re in Mississippi now.
FBI Agent Anderson: Uh, that’s for sure. What’s the score Mr. Barber?
Barber: St. Louis up 5-0.
FBI Agent Anderson: What inning is it?
Barber: The bottom of the 7th.
Mayor: You like baseball do you, Mr. Anderson?
FBI Agent Anderson: Yeah, I do. You know it’s the only time when a Black man can waive a stick at a White man and not start a riot? (laughs)

A 92 year old man died in prison a few days ago. He was one of the men who killed those 3 young Civil Rights workers . . . today, our country appears to be going backwards with the blood shed and ignorance of the 1960s reappearing in the language of our government leaders and select hate groups. But here’s hoping that sports helps the United States continue to kill racism plus all the other “isms” and phobias and heal itself before it’s too late. Here’s to Not Giving In.

Source: Graduate School (Wake Forest University)

“And regardless if he is a starter or a backup, it doesn’t matter. His opinion and his rights are the same as a guy making a hundred million or a guy making ten dollars an hour.”~Cris Carter*

The answer to that depends on who you ask, and the answer may be as complicated as determining what being selfish truly means. Selfish is often described as being stingy or only concerned about oneself or not caring about other people. It is a phrase that has often been used to describe our professional athletes.

However, there are times when selfish is used to guilt or manipulate someone into doing something that is not the correct course for him or her. For example, spending less time with a family member or significant other because the athlete needs to train or rehab is not being selfish. Nor is the athlete’s refusal to sign an autograph for a fan while she is out on a date with her husband or hanging with her friends. On the other hand, an athlete shrugging his responsibility to those people for excessive training or partying is being selfish.

On the show, We Need To Talk, sports journalist, Aditi Kinkhabwala, mentions she spoke to Jim Brown the day before Muhammad Ali’s funeral. During that conversation, Kinkhabwala asked Brown if he thought today’s athletes were willing to take a stand like Ali did regarding the war. Brown’s response without hesitation to her was “absolutely not. . . because of money.” That’s an implication that today’s athlete is selfish . . . that he relishes money more than the welfare of his fellow man.

The question is: is it true? Are professional and collegiate, or even high school or amateur, athletes to concerned with their own personal brand, endorsements and safety to truly care about the plight of those less fortunate? On the surface, it does appear to be true for the majority of athletes. For every LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, J.T. Brown or the ladies within the WNBA, there are hundreds more who are not willing to risk endorsements, fans, playing time or their standing within their own culture or team.

Fear overtakes some while not others, so perhaps it is fear that holds some athletes back in regards to taking a stand on the current protests being held by fellow athletes. I am unsure which is worse: the fact some athletes will not participate when they believe in a fellow athlete’s protest, or the fact they state they have no opinion on the subject matter perpetuating the idiotic adage of “dumb jock.” The latter scenario implies that the athlete is either lying or is out-of-touch with the world his fans work and reside in.

And yes, it is easier for an athlete to take up causes that deal with diseases or children. But the children that those athletes are working with need a better future outside of the athletic arena as well . . . those children need a safe place to call home or country. Those children who never asked to be birthed deserve to have adults–to have heroes–who are willing to take a stance so they do not have to face discrimination or fear that being in the wrong place at the wrong time will end their lives by a police officer too quick to fire a gun instead of calmly assessing a situation through conversation.

The blame is not just the athlete who is either selfish or afraid. The blame is also ours as a society. In the words of Amy Trask, former Oakland Raider CEO, “It is absolutely unfair of us as a society, as a collective group, to both criticize athletes for not doing anything to improve society, to improve the community, and then to go nutty and criticize them when they do.”

We, as a society, as a community, need to take that stance with our athletes. In psychology, there is something known as the mirroring effect–reflect the actions back to those who we either want them to continue or discontinue their current behavior. That means we need to support their protests, their charities, and when companies, leagues or teams pull the endorsements or unfairly penalize those players it means us fans, aka society, pull our endorsements of those companies, leagues and teams.

We as a society stand with our athletes, then we can further the conversation and make this world a little bit better for all of our children.

Quotes were quoted by their individual authors on two different television programs: Any Given Wednesday With Bill Simmons (HBO S1|E10) and We Need To Talk (CBS Sports September 13, 2016).