Black In Business

” He intimidated people off and on the football field. He was brutal yet brilliant,narcissistic yet magnanimous,relenteless,yet unyielding. Most of all he was the greatest football player of all time. He was Jim Brown.” The quotations are there to indicate it was taken word for word from the sleeve of Mike Freeman’s book on Jim Brown.

I do not like referring to Jim as was. For most ex superstars of sports, was is appropriate, because for many their living as a productive citizen stops when the applause stops. Sad but true. We all know people, who’s best days were long ago, the former homecoming queen, most popular,football star. It is fun to reflect on the pass but not live in the pass. The objective is to take the best of the past combined with accomplishments in the present to objectively set goals for a productive future. This is critical in business and I am proud to say, Jim Brown’s life is an example of productivity, past,present and future.

During the 1950s  Jim Brown was the nations best college football player. Yet in the vote to determind the Heisman trophy winner, given to college  football top player, Jim lost to Paul Horning. Horning was a great football player but pales in comparsion to Jim Brown. Jim was denied this honor because of his skin color. Look it up! That will give you an idea of the racial attitudes in the country during Jim formative years.

Jim went on the greatness in the NFL but retired befor his time at age 30. In typical Jim Brown fashion, when the team owner fined Jim for being late to training camp, Jim retired. Take this job and shove it, I aint working here no more! The sports world was stunned but Jim is one of the few to retire from sports and never return.Jim went into movies as a leading man.

Freeman book states,”Sidney Poitier was a splended actor,also safe for white audiences, who felt comfortable with Poitier. Poiteir was an emasculated blackman not a virile one.” “Jim Brown was different, he wanted to be every thing Poitier was not. Jim Brown broke on the screen with his shirt off and his sexuality intact. He provoked gunfights,battled in brawls and bedded Raquel Welch. Welch was the white woman every whiteman wanted to touch!”

Jim Brown was now a movie star and a pretty good one. Freeman book argues, Brown had a bigger impact on movies than Poitier.

OK JD, I know this is super bowl week but what dose Jim Brown have to do with blackinbusiness? By the way, Bears 28, Colts 14 is my prediction.

While playing for the Cleveland Browns, Jim became founder and CEO of the Black Economic Union. Their goal was to develop success in business for black business people. Brown invested his own money and according to the book, the Union had considerable success.

Black sport figures of Jim”s day showed more concern for black issues than todays super stars. When Muhammed Ali refused to enter the military, he became the most hated man in the world by white folk. Some whites rufused to call Ali by his  Muslim name. Sadly some blacks also turned their back on Ali. Brown gathered many of the nations top black athletes in Cleveland for a Muhammed Ali draft summit. Jim gave of his time and money to help black causes.

Fast forwarded to one of the world most beloved super stars of sports Micheal Jordan. In a senate race  a black candidate and mayor of North Carolina’s largest city, Harvey Gantt could have used Micheal Jordan support. North Carolina is Jordan’s home state . The incubent Senator, Jesse Helms is a racist and no friend to black people. The race was hotly contested and Helms appeared vulnerable. Helms use race implying that good white familes would lose jobs to black folk if Gantt won.

The Gantt camp correctly felt, Micheal Jordan could swing votes his way. Jordan, in a cowardly way replied, republicans buy sneakers too.

Today Jim Brown a man in his 70’s is impacting the lives of young black men in a postive way. He founded Amer-I Can organization aimed at helping gang bangers become productive citizens. Jim also works in the prison system. Jim spoke to a capital hill subcommittee, headed by Senator Herb Kohl. The commitee was on Juvenile Justice. Jim’s program has several success stories and has given Jim an even more important contribution to society than other points in his success filled life.

http://www.amer-i-can.org/