Saying that Jim Brown was one of the greatest players of a sport in American history is heady enough without recognizing that, in addition, his legacy includes the off-field blueprint for the modern athlete. This, at a time of social unrest and upheaval, may end up being the headline on his life and career.
It is undoubtedly an imperfect legacy, as Brown also left behind a string of accounts of violence against women. Elsewhere, though, his ideas of personal freedom and the potential of his platform helped shape a new generation of players known as much for activism and pursuit of individual passions as for getting tackled (or, in Brown’s case, constantly evading and bulling right through those trying).
Brown walked away from the NFL—a prospect that is utterly terrifying to many players and, at the very least, life-altering for those who have defined themselves via a popular national pastime—after just nine seasons, still at the height of his power. He’d never missed a game due to injury. He’d compiled three straight seasons of 1,400 rushing yards or more, including a masterpiece of a 1963 campaign in which he rushed for 1,863 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was Barry Sanders before Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson before Calvin Johnson and Andrew Luck before Andrew Luck. He left us all to wonder what could have been if he’d played out a longer career, while still recognizing the transcendence of what he gave us.
