Athletic heroes each live one life but often seem to need two obituaries: One for what they meant to their sport, and the other for how they interacted with the world. This is especially true for Jim Brown, who died Friday at age 87.
Calling Brown’s social legacy “complicated” is an extreme understatement; he was at the forefront of the fight for racial justice, but also faced numerous allegations of violence against women. A long discussion can—and should—be had about Brown’s values and actions.
His football legacy is a much simpler story. Some athletes are so far ahead of their time that they don’t really have peers in their era. Babe Ruth. Simone Biles. Michael Phelps. Tiger Woods. Jim Brown.
