Jack Johnson

When we watched the case study on Jack Johnson I was reminded a lot of OJ Simpson. He had many of the same qualities as OJ did. One of the ones that stuck out to me most was how he perceived himself, like others around him, as not a black man but as Jack Johnson the boxer. This is similar to how OJ viewed himself as the juice instead of a person of color.  I also similarities in the two in how they acted outside of their sport.  Both athletes were hungry for as much publicity as they could get. Even though they both loved the attention they got from people especially from the white community I think that OJ handled it better up until his murder trial. Throughout Johnson's career many people disliked him because he was doing things that were frowned upon, like dating prostitutes. OJ was a much more liked figure. I think it is interesting how these two great athletes who came almost 50 years apart had attitudes that almost mimicked each other. This makes me wonder who the next OJ or Jack Johnson is going to be, or if there is even going to be another person like that. We live in such an evolved world now where one it is hard to be insanely better than your peers at the sport because everyone has dedicated so much time to becoming the best in the world. Also there are not the same race barriers as there were for OJ or Johnson.