美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Heroic, But He's No Hero': Revisiting Football Great Jim Brown

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

In the opening paragraph of his new book, Dave Zirin writes this. Football is the closest thing we have in this country to a national religion, albeit¹ a religion built on a foundation of crippled apostles and disposable martyrs². In this brutal³ church, Jim Brown is the closest thing to a warrior⁴ saint. Brown is considered by many the greatest football player ever. But as alluded⁵ to in that excerpt⁶ there, he's much more - an activist⁷, an actor, a thinker and a man with an alleged⁸ history of violence against women. Dave Zirin is The Nation's sports correspondent. And he joins us in the studio to talk about this complicated figure and his biography, "Jim Brown: Last Man Standing⁹." Thanks for being here.

DAVE ZIRIN: Oh, it's great to be here. Thanks for having me.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So why Jim Brown and why now?

ZIRIN: There's a discussion happening right now not just in the world of sports but I think nationally about masculinity and about what it means to be a man, what it means to be a real man. And I think we are assessing some of what we've been taught. And I think Jim Brown, for the last 50 years, has been this kind of icon¹⁰ of the old way of looking at manhood, somebody who defined his manhood by not showing a great deal of emotion, by playing in the National Football League and never missing a game for injury and being lauded¹¹ for that, as being somebody who stepped inside the Black Power movement and was an icon, as someone who stepped into Hollywood and was thought that he could be the black John Wayne. And all of these landscapes he did with this resolute¹² focus on teaching people of what it means to be a, quote, unquote, "real man."

And one of the things I try to argue in the book - and this connects with the discussions we're happening right now about masculinity - is whether or not that discussion about manhood is positive or negative. And so I also look in the book about Jim Brown's history with women, which is the dark side, if you will, of this discussion about masculinity, particularly the issue of violence against women.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: There's a lot there. But I want to start just so we can understand the context here, which is his beginnings, you know? All lives are lived in the context of how people grew up. So remind us briefly¹³ where and how Jim Brown grew up.

ZIRIN: Well, it's a fascinating story because Jim Brown was raised by women on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia. And St. Simons was a place that was built on self-sufficiency because the ground was so rough that when enslaved people were brought there from Africa, their communities were largely left alone. And this, I think, made a mark on Jim Brown throughout his younger years - of this idea of not being an integrationist¹⁴, not being someone who supported the goals of Dr. Martin Luther King, of being someone who more was on the side of, how do we, as black Americans, build our own institutions of power and self-sufficiency?

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Jim Brown used his celebrity¹⁵ to empower black people once he became the famous and exalted¹⁶ sports figure he became. But he wasn't, as you mentioned, of the camp of Martin Luther King. In fact...

ZIRIN: No.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...He spoke¹⁷ out against Dr. King. Explain the kind of activism he embraced.

ZIRIN: And this is - something I think we forget historically is that there was a black freedom struggle in this country. But there was a left-wing and a right-wing to that freedom struggle. It's not like everybody believed in marching, or everybody believed in the Montgomery bus boycott¹⁸ sit-ins. There was a wide variety of thinking about how black liberation could be achieved. And Jim Brown was, you could argue, on the conservative wing of that camp. And I think it connects to why Jim Brown today is a supporter of Donald Trump¹⁹ and why he supported Richard Nixon in 1968. And it was built around this idea of economic self-sufficiency.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I guess - which brings us to today and how he views the black athletes...

ZIRIN: Fascinating.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...And the protest movements of today, like Colin Kaepernick.

ZIRIN: It's fascinating to me because Jim Brown said just the other week on the NFL Network that if he was the general manager of a team, he would not sign Colin Kaepernick. Last year, he walked into the locker²⁰ room of the Cleveland Browns, the team that, of course, made Jim Brown famous. And he told players who had been kneeling that they needed to cut it out.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And what is his thinking on this?

ZIRIN: See, this is what I'm trying to argue with this book because a lot of people in the sports world were shocked when he said these things, saying, how could Jim Brown, you know, this icon of the black freedom struggle - how could he possibly bury Colin Kaepernick in this way? And part of what I'm arguing is that he's always had this strain of conservatism in his politics - that black people do not achieve advancement²¹ through the politics of protest but through the politics of earning as much money as possible and trying to get out of the capitalist system whatever they can for the purposes of building economic self-sufficiency.

And protest is an impediment to that. What I find so interesting is that his stature²² on the field blinded people to what his politics were. And I'll tell you - an example of this that I find so interesting is I scoured²³ the black press in 1968 for when Jim Brown endorsed²⁴ Richard Nixon. And there are scathing²⁵ editorials against other black celebrities²⁶ who were endorsing²⁷ Nixon. And you could not find a bad word about Jim Brown.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Wow. And I guess this leads you to another thing, which is Brown and women because some would say that he also got a pass with that, too...

ZIRIN: Yeah.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: ...That people didn't really look at some of his problematic history. This is one of the longest chapters of the book. And you talk about how he allegedly repeatedly committed acts of violence against women.

ZIRIN: Yeah. It's a series of accusations²⁸ that go from the 1960s through the 1990s and without a conviction.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Which is why we're using the word allegedly.

ZIRIN: Yes, without a conviction. And that needs to be said and resaid. But the repeated accusations and descriptions lead you to look at this as a situation where Jim Brown, at times in his life, definitely saw women as part of the problem, as something that would bring down the black family if they asserted themselves too much in the context of his life. And the accusations against Jim Brown are horrific, and they should be viewed as horrific. It's important to say that when they took place, that's not how they were viewed. They were viewed with a nudge and a wink²⁹. And so part of why I'm writing this book is getting us to reassess those times and say the time of nudging and winking³⁰ at violence against women has to end. It has to go into the graveyard³¹ of history.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: How then should we think about someone who was an icon who used his celebrity for civil rights and yet was an alleged serial³² abuser? How do we then reframe that?

ZIRIN: I mean, I think it's important that when we look at these icons³³ of the past - that we look at them not as these kinds of immortals³⁴ because if we do that, when we deify people, the problem with that is then there's nothing to learn from them or their lives. It's not a simple story. It's a story of somebody who is very flawed but somebody who also did heroic things. As Howard Bryant the great sportswriter said - he said Jim Brown is heroic, but he's no hero. And I think that's the best way to look at his life.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Dave Zirin's new book is "Last Man Standing." Thank you so much.

ZIRIN: Thank you.

1 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

2 martyrs   

n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情）

参考例句：

• the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者
• They paid their respects to the revolutionary martyrs. 他们向革命烈士致哀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

5 alluded   

提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中，你提到了某个阴谋。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

6 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

11 lauded   

v.称赞，赞美( laud的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They lauded the former president as a hero. 他们颂扬前总统为英雄。 来自辞典例句
• The nervy feats of the mountaineers were lauded. 登山者有勇气的壮举受到赞美。 来自辞典例句

12 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。

13 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

14 integrationist   

n.主张消除种族隔离的人

参考例句：

15 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

16 exalted   

adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的

参考例句：

• Their loveliness and holiness in accordance with their exalted station.他们的美丽和圣洁也与他们的崇高地位相称。
• He received respect because he was a person of exalted rank.他因为是个地位崇高的人而受到尊敬。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

19 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

20 locker   

n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人

参考例句：

• At the swimming pool I put my clothes in a locker.在游泳池我把衣服锁在小柜里。
• He moved into the locker room and began to slip out of his scrub suit.他走进更衣室把手术服脱下来。

21 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

22 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

23 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。

24 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 scathing   

adj.（言词、文章）严厉的，尖刻的；不留情的adv.严厉地，尖刻地v.伤害，损害（尤指使之枯萎）( scathe的现在分词)

参考例句：

• a scathing attack on the new management 针对新的管理层的猛烈抨击
• Her speech was a scathing indictment of the government's record on crime. 她的演讲强烈指责了政府在犯罪问题上的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

27 endorsing   

v.赞同( endorse的现在分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• Yet Communist leaders are also publicly endorsing religion in an unprecedented way. 不过，共产党领导层对宗教信仰的公开认可也是以前不曾有过的。 来自互联网
• Connecticut Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman is endorsing Republican Senator John McCain. 康涅狄格州独立派参议员约瑟夫。列波曼将会票选共和议员约翰。麦凯恩。 来自互联网

28 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

29 wink   

n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁

参考例句：

• He tipped me the wink not to buy at that price.他眨眼暗示我按那个价格就不要买。
• The satellite disappeared in a wink.瞬息之间，那颗卫星就消失了。

30 winking   

n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到，简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

32 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

33 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

34 immortals   

不朽的人物( immortal的名词复数 )； 永生不朽者

参考例句：

• Nobody believes in the myth about human beings becoming immortals. 谁也不相信人能成仙的神话。
• Shakespeare is one of the immortals. 莎士比亚是不朽的人物之一。