NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown isn’t just one of the greatest running backs and football players of all time. He was also a very important figure in the Civil Rights movement.
Brown marched with some of the most heroic figures of the mid-twentieth century and he pled with a nation of football fans to support him not only on the field but in his struggles for equality. Brown often “put his money where his mouth was” and risked his career, his financial future, and his comfort to do fight for that cause.
It was no doubt in that context that Brown was asked for his thoughts on the recent election on ESPN’s Sportscenter earlier this week. Brown probably surprised more than a few people by expressing his hope for the success of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
I think that things are being shaken up. I think that people are being provoked to come out with their real feelings. I think that it looks negative a great degree, but I think that any time you put a person in a position of responsibility that their good side can come out. So, Donald is going to either be a great leader and shake things up the right way, or he’s going to shake things up the wrong way and that’s going to make the great people come out and resist it.
So, it’s just not going to be neutral. It’s not going to lay dead. It’s going to be very provocative and I’m hoping it will be provocative in a very positive way. So, I’m pulling for the president. He is the president, and I know that he is going to be for all the people and I hope that that bravado that he presents becomes a positive energy so that we could all get behind doing the right thing. [Emphasis added]
If only everyone could have the same spirit and reaction, our nation would be far better off for it.
