The Checkpoint 08.04.08: Shutting Jim Brown Up
Posted by John Curry on 08.04.2008
A Checkpoint rant against Jim Brown.
So it's Hall of Fame induction week here in my hometown of Canton, Ohio. Over 100,000 people swarm into our town every year to see their favorite former players become bronzed in the most elite group in football lore. Normally, this time of the year means absolutely nothing to me other than the fact that it means football season is just around the corner. This year was different. Just before the weekend this wonderful news came around courtesy of the Associated Press:
Posted: July 31, 2008
"NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown has filed a lawsuit in New York claiming Sony and video game maker Electronic Arts are using his name and likeness without his permission.
The former Cleveland Browns star's lawsuit said the companies sell a game featuring a character who looks like him and wears his No. 32. It doesn't specify which video game, but notes the character is part of the game's All Brown's Team.
Brown seeks unspecified damages and an injunction barring the companies from "taking a free ride on the trade value" of the former running back's name and image.
The 72-year-old played nine seasons with the Browns, before turning to Hollywood where he appeared in "The Dirty Dozen" and other movies.
Spokesmen for Sony USA Inc. and Electronics Arts Inc. did not return calls seeking comment."
What phenomenal news. For those of you who do not know who Jim Brown is allow me to fill you in on his credentials. Jim Brown is considered the Greatest Football Player EVER! This is courtesy of Wikipedia:
Brown was taken in the first round of the 1957 draft by the Cleveland Browns.[6]
Brown announced his retirement on July 14, 1966 after Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell insisted that Brown report to training camp instead of finishing his work on the movie The Dirty Dozen. He departed as the NFL record holder for both single-season (1,863 in 1963) and career rushing (12,312 yards), as well as the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns (106), total touchdowns (126), and all-purpose yards (15,549). He was the first player ever to reach the 100-rushing-touchdowns milestone, and only a few others have done so since, despite the league's expansion to a 16-game season in 1978 (Brown's first four seasons were only 12 games, and his last five were 14 games). Brown also set a record by reaching the 100-touchdown milestone in only 93 games, which stood until LaDainian Tomlinson reached it in 89 games during the 2006 season. total seasons leading the NFL in all-purpose yards (5: 1958-1961, 1964), and is the only rusher in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career. Brown was also a superb receiver out of the backfield, catching 262 passes for 2,499 yards and 20 touchdowns. Every season he played, Brown was voted into the Pro Bowl, and he left the league in style by scoring three touchdowns in his final Pro Bowl game. Perhaps the most amazing feat is that Jim Brown accomplished these records despite never playing past 29 years of age.
He told me, 'Make sure when anyone tackles you he remembers how much it hurts.' He lived by that philosophy and I always followed that advice.
—John Mackey, 1999
Brown's 1,863 rushing yards in the 1963 season remain a Cleveland franchise record. It is currently the oldest franchise record for rushing yards out of all 32 NFL teams. While others have compiled more prodigious statistics, when viewing Brown's standing in the game his style of running must be considered along with statistical measures. He was very difficult to tackle (shown by his leading 5.2 yards per carry), often requiring more than one person to bring him down.
Brown retired far ahead of the second-leading rusher and remains the league's eighth all-time leading rusher (although at the start of the 2008 NFL season, both LaDainian Tomlinson and Fred Taylor are within reach of overtaking him), and is still the Cleveland Browns all-time leading rusher.
I am so proud to call Jim Brown a Cleveland Brown. I am. However, I am also proud to call Jim Brown an egomaniacal, self centered jackass. It pains me to say this but Jim Brown is the original Terrell Owens. I can only imagine if this lawsuit of his is actually successful. While I understand the usage of his likeness to be something it is entirely plausible to sue for, anyone who is familiar with any of the Madden games knows that there is nowhere near enough detail involved in the legend players to significantly identify who a player is specifically modeled after. While many of us who play these games "know" who that player is supposed to be, the game doesn't do anything to specifically say who that player is supposed to be. I love to pick up all of the sports games and play the legends team from eras and specific teams. Never once have I thought to myself, "Man, I hope number 32 is getting residuals because that African American player with the number 32 on his back and helmet covering his face looks EXACTLY like….." No, I don't think of every number and who they represent and what part of NFL history they arrived from.
Poor Jim Brown. His finances must be so low that he is resorting to suing companies who happen to use his old number in legends mode rather than appreciating the fact that he is being included in the legends aspect of the game and most importantly he is being introduced to an entire new generation of NFL fans and gamers who really are not familiar with a guy who retired over 40 years ago. Why in the world would you make such a desperate ploy to get money from a company because you feel they are exploiting you? What's next, are you going to sue the Cleveland Browns because they use the name Brown? Are you going to sue Crayola because they have a color called Brown? Are you going to sue any game that has a guy wearing number 32? This is just ridiculous. Shut up Jim Brown. No one wants to hear your whiney ass telling us you want money and residuals because this game said everything but your name. Do you realize that your lawsuit is nothing more than the stroking of your ego? This is the twentieth anniversary of Madden games. That's twenty years, which is longer than you played, and you are the ONLY legend player to sue for such a pathetic reason. As much as I would like to say this is beneath you, it isn't. You have always been an arrogant bastard. You retired because you didn't want to give up your Hollywood lifestyle. Now, no one wants your ass around so you decide to interject yourself back in the limelight by suing just before the new Madden game. The truth is you have been included in the legends rosters for years. Only now are you bringing this up.
I am not a fan of Madden games or the monopoly on the NFL that they have now, but I would rather have them than nothing. So please to those of us who need a little football in our gaming lives, shut the hell up.
