Football Legend Jim Brown on Sports Leadership (VIDEO)
It’s NFL time. With football season in full swing, all eyes are on sports superstars like New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, New England Patriots all-star Tom Brady newly-traded Jet Tim Tebow and Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning. But more than making plays on the field, these athletes have a huge responsibility to lead off the field, too, says former Cleveland Brown running back Jim Brown. Watch Brown discuss how professional athletes have a responsibility to today’s youth:
Jim Brown
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“[Sports] been a peacemaker all over the world,” Brown says. “There’s a certain integrity about it – a certain fairness.”
Brown, who never missed a game in his nine seasons for the Cleveland Browns, retired at the age of 30 at the peak of his career and left behind a legacy in the world of football. Brown was a unanimous first-team All-NFL pick eight times, 1957-1961, 1963-1965 and played in nine Pro Bowls in nine years. He ended his career with a three-touchdown streak in the 1966 Pro Bowl. He was unanimously named the Rookie of the Year in 1957 and that same season, was recognized as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player by many media organizations, among other accolades. He retired in the summer of 1966.
In 1988, Brown founded the Ameri-I-Can Program, whose aim is “to empower individuals to take charge of their lives and achieve their full potential.”
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“I don’t promote trying to be great at football; I promote trying to be a great human being,” Brown says. “And I think that through education, you give yourself the tools to follow through and have an effect upon other people in your society.”
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Category: 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival, Giving Back, Mentoring, Videos
