The third contributing effect to the Michael Jordan Phenomenon (MJP) is the “Jim Brown Effect.” While the Long Term Memory Loss Effect serves to eliminate from consideration those who came before Jordan, this effect removes those who came after Jordan.
The foundation for this effect came – of course – from Jim Brown, a running back for the Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. Brown retired after only nine seasons of play, but his total of 12,312 rushing yards stood until 1984. While his total is now well down on the all-time totals list, his accomplishments are still impressive. He played in only nine seasons, but he still amassed 12,312 yards and 126 total touchdowns. Both those records have fallen, but Brown’s achievements are still respected due to the fact that he played before the 16-game season. In fact, four of his seasons were only 12 games: his career comprised 118 regular season games (he never missed a game), whereas the same length career today would consist of 144 games. Plus, Brown’s 5.2 yards per carry is still the best ever for any running back who has gained over 10,000 yards in his career.
Is Jim Brown the best ever? The predominant opinion of the sports world is that he is. I’ve seen multiple magazines listing the best running backs of all time, and each of them has put Brown at #1. Very rarely have I ever heard a so-called expert say that someone else is the best ever – and never someone older than 40. What are they basing their opinions upon? Stats? Not really, since there are others with comparable stats. Dominance in his time? Many state that, saying how much better Brown was than his contemporaries. It’s always good to remember, though, that Brown was a top notch athlete playing football in an era when the best athletes went more to baseball – and even to boxing – than then did to football. He was a 225 lb RB at a time when linebackers weighed less than 200 lb. He outweighed the majority of the defenders he faced; there were no 350 lb nose tackles clogging the line, no 250 lb linebackers with sprinter’s speed, no 220 lb safeties waiting to unload on him.
Why then is Brown held in such high esteem? It’s the effect of word-of-mouth. Those who played in that time and covered football in that time – people who are at least 60 now – believed he was the best and said so. The running backs in the next two decades really didn’t prove to be superior, although they were good (e.g., O.J. Simpson, Franco Harris, Earl Campbell, Walter Payton). As a result, the next generation just adopted the philosophy of those who actually saw Brown play. When Simpson and Harris were playing in the 1970’s, those who saw Brown play just said, “They’re good, but not as good as Jim Brown.” Into the 1980’s this continued with Campbell and Payton. During those two decades, though, people who never saw Brown play took the same stance; at first they were just agreeing with the older generation, but eventually they agreed with them even after the older guys were gone.
The effect just continued this way and continues to persist today. I remember watching an ESPN special on the Monday Night Football franchise; on this show all the “analysts” held the opinion that Brown was the best running back ever. The panel consisted of Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Michael Irvin, and Ron Jaworski. OK, Jackson and Jaworski are 57, Berman is 53, and Irvin is 42. Let’s do a little math here: Jackson and Jaworski were 14 when Brown retired, Berman was 10, and Irvin wasn’t even born yet! Translation: they have little to no memory of Jim Brown playing football. Yet they firmly stated that he was the best ever. Huh? Is Brown better than all those they actually watched? Maybe, but their opinions were just carried over from those who came before them.
It’s the old story of a son listening to his father’s opinion. You know, the boy likes, say, LaDainian Tomlinson and thinks he’s the best. Dad says to him, “Son, he’s a good running back, but he’s really nothing compared to Walter Payton.” Dad regales him with stories about Payton’s greatness, maybe shows him a few videos off of YouTube, and the son – respecting his dad – begins to think Payton is the better running back. Grandpa then chimes in, “Payton was great, but he couldn’t hold a candle to Jim Brown.” Dad, having already been indoctrinated by Grandpa, agrees. As a result, the son starts thinking Brown is the best ever – even though he never saw him play. He passes the opinion onto his son, and so forth.
Twenty years from now we’ll still hear people saying Jim Brown was the best ever, even though it will be 60 years after his retirement. The majority of the people in 2028 will never have seen Brown play, but the sports magazines will still claim Brown as #1.
So how does this apply to Michael Jordan? Well, we can already see this occurring. Right now in the NBA we have some extraordinary players: great athletes with amazing all-around games and impressive stat lines. Think LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. What happens, though, if someone tries to say that those players are just as good as Jordan – or even if someone says that he has the potential to be as good as Jordan? That person is ridiculed. “No one was a great as Jordan. No one can come close to him.” The people who say that don’t even give LeBron or Kobe the chance to finish their careers and possibly show that they are as good.
I’ve already seen this happening, and Jordan’s primary career – with the Bulls – has been over for 10 seasons. There are people in their early twenties who say Jordan is the best ever, but they have virtually no first-hand experience; they were just little kids when Jordan was in his prime. Of course, the Bill Russell Effect contributes here, because it was when the Bulls won the second threepeat that the so-called experts really began touting Jordan as unquestionably the best ever. The guys who were 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 at that time were indoctrinated that Jordan was clearly the best ever. Now those same guys are in their early to mid-twenties right now, and they are passing on their philosophy to the youth of today.
Think about it. How many people do you know who never saw Jordan play for the Bulls – or at least never saw him at least in their adolescent stages – who now say he’s the best ever? I have read it on online forums quite often. Even the 12 to 18 year olds rarely say that LeBron or Kobe or anyone else is comparable to Jordan.
Personally, I think Jordan was better than LeBron or Kobe. It’s not a landslide, though. Statistics don’t show Jordan as being dominant. Better, yes, but not dominant. Kobe has just as many 60-point games as Jordan had in his career (4), and his career best of 81 is significantly better than Jordan’s best of 69. LeBron has already shown himself to be a superior passer than Jordan. Most of all, though, both of them are still playing, and LeBron at least has room to improve. Is it really fair to say that no matter what today’s players accomplish in the future that they will never be as good as Jordan?
