The Run of His Life summary

Orenthal James Simpson – known simply as O. J. Simpson – was born in 1947 in San Francisco. After a troubled childhood rife with school fights and shoplifting, he became involved in sports and proved to be an excellent athlete. He saw sports as the perfect path to success.

He accepted a football scholarship to attend the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. He chose USC and its media-magnet football team specifically for its celebrity status, and his athleticism and charm soon gained him admiration as well.

Even though O. J. was a black athlete at a wealthy, predominantly white school, his celebrity as a football star erased any issues of race. The city of Los Angeles – a place where celebrities are cherished and respected – was a perfect fit for his aspirations.

Yet this was the 1960s, and racial tensions ran high in America. Many of O. J.’s contemporaries, such as Muhammed Ali and Jackie Robinson, were vocal about race issues. Simpson, on the other hand, was not an activist; he didn’t involve himself in politics or the civil rights movement at all.

O.J. – or, as many people called him, “The Juice” – wasn’t necessarily interested in issues of racial equality; instead, he craved money and fame.

In fact, O. J. had always been good at getting what he wanted and was soon drafted to play professional football for the Buffalo Bills in New York state. From this launching pad, O. J. successfully maneuvered himself into opportunities that would help him achieve his goals.

As his fame in the football world grew, O. J. built on his popularity to expand his business interests off the field, with endorsement contracts with automobile company Chevrolet and a broadcasting deal with ABC. He even starred in a few movies and popular television ads in the 1970s.

By the 1990s, O. J. had long retired from sports but still presented a clean-cut and lovable public image, continuing above all to excel at what he did best: being O. J.