[Yahoo! Sports] "Jordan’s night to remember turns petty"

Compare his speech to Stockton's, who pretty much gave credit to everyone but himself. The opposite of Jordan, who was by far the most arrogant player in the league, and now is the most arrogant NBA executive. He thought Krause was a loser, apparently, but what else has Jordan been as an exec? Fired by the Wizards, not likely to turn around the Bobcats.
It is possible to be a somewhat humble star. Duncan, Olajuwon, Julius Erving, Garnett, Stockton, Yao, Magic. I think it's pathetic that MJ used the HOF to bash long vanquished foes. He beat them all on the court. Isn't that enough?

 

No one's forgetting that he's an athlete. Moreso, it is that some people are not foregoing the fact that he is a human being...an adult...and, yes, a hero (aka role model) to MILLIONS. With great power/adulation comes great responsibility. Now, before someone spouts how it's "not his responsibility to raise your kids" or how "parents should be role models", let me nip it in the bud: I agree.

It's not his responsibility to raise our kids, and parents should be role models. At the same time, ANY person in the position of life he has been fortunate enough to be in, yeilds a great deal of influence on society, particularly the younger generations that grew up in his playing heydey and to those who watched that speech. I can appreciate his donations to the B&G clubs, etc. But what does he go back and tell those kids now? That after you've accomplished your goals, turn around and rub people's faces in it? Remind the ones you affected how great you are...as if they need a reminder?

I was in my pre-teen and teenage years when Jordan played, and I remember many within the older generation complaining about how Jordan "didn't do enough - socially and politically - with the gargantuan fame and power that he had. I'm talking about Jim Brown and his ilk of leaders, along with my own parents, etc. Truthfully, I didn't get it then. I though, "Hey why should he? He owes no one anything so why criticize his choices?". Well now I'm older and wiser and I understand things much differently. When you have an opportunity to make a difference, you do it. And when you're on a pedestal...blessed to be on that pedestal...your every move is scrutinized and often emulated. When you can show that, hey, I was this person who was motivated by pettiness, but I made a change and I see that bitterness and pettiness are negative baggage you need not carry around to succeed and humility, grace, and graciousness are what you give back to all you affect, that's a huge message. THAT, imo, would've been a better use of that stage.

Sadly, he didn't do it. Why? Probably because he showed exactly who he is and it's disappointing. If you've ever watched Goodwill Hunting, there's a line that says "Don't be so stupid as to not know when you've won.". Jordan would've been wise to heed that advice. It would've served him and everyone around him, much better.

 

Obviously the GOAT is ultracompetative. Did we really need him to tell us all about it for 20 minutes? Sure, it was a nice break from the usual pc bs that we hear, but when it comes down to it, this is a man obviously lacking in maturity, common sense, and judgment.

 

It's hilarious to watch the hand-wringing liberal media work itself up into a tizzy when its former darling gives a powerful speech about success and self-reliance. That's what this was: a great message to our youth to use setbacks as a motivation to push themselves to greater heights. Of course, the media, clinging it its mentality under which everyone must be a victim who can only succeed through handouts, finds this "mean" and "petty." They would be happy only if Jordan had graciously made nice with his detractors and those who tried to slight him over his career...because that's what it's all about, right? Good feelings and consensus, not accomplishments and success. The media/left have largely feminized and emasculated the American male, so there's always a bit of cognitive dissonance when a man actually acts manly. Yet that is the main goal of life: to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women. Jordan's main theme is something I hope every American will choose to live by: ultimately YOU, not other people, will determine whether you succeed in life. These attacks are just like the ones on Bill Cosby. The media does not like outspoken black men who preach self-reliance.

 

Dude, stop hanging off Jordan's nuts. He was terrible at the plate, as his .202/.289 on base percentage showed, because he had no chance at hitting minor league pitching, which is why he managed to strike out 114 times in 127 games. His "pretty solid rightfield" resulted in 11 errors, which is pretty awful for an outfielder

If you think that 31 year old minor leaguers in AA ball can have a lot of chances to "stick with it and improve" after showing zero ability to hit middle-minor league pitching and field - you should stick to basketball. There's a reason why this was published back then.



Gaedel's career stats are 1 plate appearance, 1 walk, he was literally unstrike-outable. He was banned from the league becuase he gave St. Louis an unfair advantage - he couldn't be pitched to without surrendering a base on balls. Now, please tell me, who was a more effective baseball player - the guy who was banned from the league because he gave his team an unfair advantage, despite not breaking any MLB rules....or the guy who suffered through one embarrassing season with the Birmingham Barons as a 31 year old dilettante and showed no ability to hit or field at the MLB level.

 

They might appear humble, but you don't get to be the best w/o little arrogance/cockiness. If Dream didn't get the ball you know he would let his teammates know.

 

dudes still bitter?


i would be if my wife got $168,000,000 form a 2006 divorce.

 

Liberal media? In sports? Outspoken black men preaching self-reliance? wow, that's stretching it pretty far.

Rather than being "manly", I thought it just made him seem sad, insecure, and kind of pathetic, honestly.

There's a difference between standing up and being a man and just being a jerk. He showed that he is basically a jerk by acting in a pretty classless manner. People generally don't like classless jerks and were disappointed that someone who is the greatest player of all time couldn't rise above his own petty insecurities for 20 minutes.

End of Story.

 

What relevance to anything does it have that he can't play? He's supposed to write, not play basketball.

As for making a mockery of players, do you propose writers go out and write nothing but positive stories? I don't know about everyone else, but that would be pretty boring for me.

 

From skimming through everything here, it seems like a great deal of people hated the speech. The last poll I saw had it at about 55% Loved it 45 % Hated it.

If you liked it though and appreciated it for it's candor then it says something about you though. You've reached an understanding that you have to be a bit of a d*ck to be beyond good, but the best. If you look through all the champions of the past, you can see that trend. The aw shucks g whiz thing doesn't work.

Who won last year? Kobe Bryant, the current undisputed king of the jerks. The year before that? Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce who promptly declared himself the best player in the world. Tim Duncan slipped through a few years this decade, but he was more Tom Brady to Poppovich's Belichick. You remember Manu walking back to the bench after he almost threw away that inbound pass in Tmac's 13 in 35 game? The man was terrified of Pop. It's that competitive nature that pushes these guys to the top and how well you channel that defines the level of success you attain.

All I know is we wouldn't be sitting here whining about T-Mac every year if he had even a tenth of the competitive fire these guys have. We'd be those Laker fans that everyone else hated while we leaned back and talked about our championships.

For the record, I absolutely loved Lebron storming off the court and not shaking anyone's hands after losing to Orlando. We're in for a real treat if this guy ever gets some actual legitimate help. The history books are written by the winners, not the gracious loser.

 

this writer is a ra-tard. The speech was funny and like someone said on the first page showed why he tries so hard...

unlike the wanna be jordan Kobe with his fake humble/calm press conference speeches.

Jordan trash talked and was competitive...and he's not fake about it off the court like a lot of the current numnut athletes (kobe, tmac,....)

 

I like the speech...you dont get to be the best player ever without having a little bit of the 'i am better than you' mentality. I thought the speech was funny and it was his HOF induction...he can do or say whatever he wants. I wonder if he got fined for cussing on live tv??? hahaha

 

There's a time and place for everything however, he's had enough time to learn to shut it off and be magnanimous in victory - other athletes had no problem doing it. He gets a pass because....why?

Jordan's retirement appears to consist of a lot of partying, womanizing, and gambling. That's fine, and I don't begrudge him for doing it, but basically he's Barkley without the DUI's and the quotes, and with seemingly a lot more anger and bitterness (which makes no sense in one regard, as Jordan's career was a lot more accomplished obviously).

Jordan was globally positioned to become a sort of transcendant global figure the way Ali did after he retired and become a sort of global goodwill ambassador but he has shied away from that role. Ali was no saint, mind you (particurly as a father, basically having tons of kids out of wedlock), but has done a lot to promote humanitarian causes over the last few decades, and in fact basically has used his own decaying body as an exhibit to raise awareness of Parkinson's.

I'm not saying Jordan owes it to the world, but he has the opportunity to help people in the way few othersin history (I'm not really talking about donating money, but donating his image/brand, which is greatest asset). However he doesn't appear to have any interest in doing so.

That is very judgmental, and maybe most of us would act precisely as Jordan has in retirement, and been foucsed on golf and motorcycles, but that's the way it seems from here.

 

Perhaps not golf and motorcycles, but with the quality of tail at his disposal, definitely the aforementioned womanizing for the 20 years I had left before the inevitable encroachment of erectile dysfunction.

 

Winner winner fish dinner!

 

Anyone remember the SNL skits where Phil Hartman played a bitter old Frank Sinatra, who just sat around and bad mouthed everyone, while his sycophant friends nervously laughed? That could be Jordan in a few years.

 

Great post. We know the "Jordan" brand given to us by the NBA, Nike and Gatorade marketing machine. We know we "want to be like Mike" and that it's "gotta be the shoes" that made him so great.

What was special about this speech is he dropped all the politically correct, calculated talk and said to us "here is really what was going on in my head. here is what motivated me to be the best player I could be." How many athletes really give us that?

 

I will tell you right now to be ready for an angry, bitter and classless Shaq O'Neal in a few years. He already snipes at every player in the league due to his insecurity about not being dominant anymore. I can only imagine what happens once he is out of the game for good.

 

Actually many of them have given us that over the years..in fact in the age of twitter, we hear pretty much every single damn thing every athlete thinks. It's actually only because Jordan was such a commercial pitchman with a crafted image that this would seem remarkable at all.

 

I disagree entirely, Shaq always seemed to genuinely enjoy having fun more than he relished competition (hence his struggles to remain in shape).