Jim Brown Was a Complicated Man: Hero And Misogynist
Can We Celebrate One Without Ignoring The Other?
Jim Brown passed away at 87 on May 18, 2023. Death is usually a time to look back in appreciation for what a person accomplished, and we tend to focus on the good and not the negative aspects of a person's life. What point does it serve to speak ill of the dead? Jim Brown wasn't single-faceted; he was a legitimate sports hero in two sports, a movie star that broke barriers, a civil rights activist, and abused women. Shall I write only of the first three and not the last?
Jim Brown wasn't a hero because he was a great athlete; that only made him famous. But that fame allowed him to go on and do the things that were indeed heroic. Brown first earned fame as a lacrosse player. He played in high school at Manhasset Secondary School in New York, where he earned 13 varsity letters in lacrosse, football, baseball, basketball, and track. He went to Syracuse University, where he led his team to three consecutive National Championships in 1957–1959. He was named First Team All-American for three weeks. Brown wasn't just good at lacrosse; he's still considered one of the best players ever.
