How Michael Jordan Changed Sport Forever

The Famous Jump-man

Mike Turns 50
Michael Jeffrey Jordan has just recently celebrated his 50^th birthday which was displayed all over ESPN and worldwide sportscasts during the entirety of his birthday week. Many sports fans may have been turned off by the week long discussions about his legacy, his current lifestyle, as well as the possibility of him returning at his elderly age; by basketball standards. During MJ’s birthday week Charles Barkley, who is still in the public eye daily working for NBA on TNT, also celebrated his 50^th birthday. Charles is mentioned as one of the fifty greatest players of all time and we did not hear a word about his date of birth. The reason I mention Charles is for somewhat of a comparison to Mike, which gives us an example of the magnitude he had and continues to have on people all over this earth. Michael Jordan is something more than just a great athlete and legendary basketball player, MJ is closer a mythical figure with powers greater than any other human being can understand. Michael Jordan visualized actions and moves in his mind that we had never before seen, he molded himself into a tremendous athlete and competitor in every facet of his life. While MJ will never be forgotten, his half a century birthday celebration gives us a chance to give thanks to all he has done over the course of his life.

The Rise

            Michael Jordan is one of the most popular beings on this earth for a number of reasons but most of all it is his hard work and ever relentless mindset that has allowed him to be so successful throughout his life. Mike didn’t make his high school basketball team his sophomore year and it had a profound impact on his determination and work ethic. He made up his mind to never be outworked again when he decided to devote all of his time to perfecting his game. He could be found skipping class frequently and sneaking into the gym to get up as many shots as possible. During his career he was quoted as saying, “The reason I succeeded in my life is because I’ve failed repeatedly and learned from my failures.” Michael, from an early age, took his hardships and suffering and turned them into fuel for something positive, which shows extreme wisdom for a pimple faced high school kid. Michael eventually made the team and took a scholarship at North Carolina University in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where he played for the legendary coach Dean Smith. After college he entered the 1984 NBA draft where he was selected number two overall by the Chicago Bulls. Michael signed a contract with Nike during his rookie year and he displayed the first of many popular shoes, the Air Jordan 1. This shoe was outlawed by the NBA because their color was black when only white shoes were allowed at the time. This rule didn’t prevent Jordan from modeling the shoe on the court each night, but it did cost him $5,000 every single time he touched the floor in them, and remember that there are eighty-two games in the NBA regular season. Nike used this in their Marketing campaign to elevate the status of the shoe portraying that it gave him the upper hand on other players. The Air Jordan brand would continue to rise in popularity and eventually established the “Jumpman” figure displayed on every item of his now. Mike would go on to win six NBA championships, five NBA player of the year awards, fourteen time NBA All star appearances, eleven time all NBA selection and countless other awards with the Bulls which helped cement his legacy as the greatest to ever do it.

Air Jordan

How MJ Changed Basketball and Sport Forever

            Michael changed the focus of a team from the largest player, the center, to that of the most gifted scorer and all around ball player. He brought a balanced game with his shooting ability, his slashing to the hoop, defensive prowess, and also his force down low with the bigger guys in the league. Jordan’s style of play made the NBA reconsider everything it had established before he came along. The league changed defensive rules not allowing defensive players to hand check beyond the perimeter as well as not allowing defensive players to spend more than three consecutive seconds in the lane. MJ helped so many athletic guards like him be able to operate more freely and get to the hoop easier to add to their point totals and overall productivity. These changes to the game brought more scoring and offense which in turn presented larger crowds and higher incomes to players and the NBA as a whole. When Michael first began his career the short shorts in the NBA were still a fad, which he quickly helped change when he pulled out the longer and baggier shorts style. Night in and night out Michael would play against the greatest competition in the entire world and often times the guys he is playing against would be sporting his brand by wearing his shoes if not more Jordan items. Today there are countless players who have tried to model their game after him, such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant who are considered two of the greatest in today’s game. Michael changed basketball in more ways than could be quantified, but he also changed the way an athlete can market himself entirely. Nike helped MJ pave the way with his brilliant marketing campaign making people everywhere believe they could “play like mike” if they just wore his particular brand of sneakers. It was a risk that Nike took to focus so much on one individual and that one decision changed how marketing in any business would be approached forever.   So in celebrating Michael Jordan’s 50^th birthday we get to remember his greatness on and off the court as well as show appreciation for the path he made for every single athlete that ever played sport.  

The Greatest of All Time