The only person that shared the level of stardom as Michael Jordan is Michael Jackson. However, due to increasing popularity and medical conditions, Jackson stayed out of the publics’ eye. Jordan would face a similar fate. The path to being the best comes with a price even Jordans gambling habit couldn’t afford. Here’s why idol worship and not basketball was Michael Jordan’s toughest competition

“It’s funny alot of people told me they would like to be Michael Jordan for a day or for a week..But I don’t think they quite understand it’s not fun”

Jordan on the opening scene of EPSN’s The last dance EO 6

The look in Jordan’s eyes as he speaks the quote above reveals a sense of loneliness that very few people understand.

Stars exist in outer space while humans are down here on earth. Jordan’s would later reveal that he doesn’t have a gambling problem, but a competitiveness problem.

The majority of sports media outlets are addressing the controversy surround Isaiah Thomas’s dream team snub or Jordan’s gambling issue. Yet Jordan is telling viewers it’s no fun being the best ever in basketball but this continues to be ignored. 

Jordan is as synonymous with basketball as Jesus is with the bible, no matter how much time passes. What message would the sports world send by furthering the narrative of the pitfalls of being the best and most celebrated athlete of all time?

Would ESPN’s and the Fox sports of the world lose viewership? And this is why idol worship was Jordan’s toughest competition.

It’s no secret that the media builds up superstars only to tear them down, and Jordan was no different. Jordan had accomplished everything there was in the NBA. From the time Jordan left his hotel until he returned, he was bombarded with journalists, fans, and kids. Yet, due to his fame, he was a prisoner on his couch in his hotel before games.

Smoking a cigar lying down as if he were in a therapist’s office, Jordan finally shows viewers some vulnerability. The smoothly dressed cigar smiling Jordan was getting tired of the fame. 

“This is not a lifestyle that you envy, being confined to this room. I’m ready for getting out of this life. You know when you get to that point. I’m there with no reservations at all.

The ESPN series shows that Jordan was always the most mentally most robust person on the court. It could be at practice, with USA dream team, in the NBA finals, or on the golf court, didn’t matter. If Jordan could handle the pressure of living up to being the best player ever, why was stardom difficult for him.?

In episode 5, viewers are shown “Gatorades be like mike” commercials. Jordan, at this point, almost a decade in his career, had maintained a squeaky clean image while being the best player.

The narrative is for children to become Jesus or perfect. Athletes aren’t and should never be role models. Primarily the youth can be programmed through t.v. to follow an agenda as opposed to a single parent. And this is why idol worship was Jordan’s toughest competition.

This moment became the definitive moment where athletes were more than basketball players. Black America was still suffering from the crack epidemic so athletes, along with rappers, replaced fathers in broken homes. But Jordan didn’t want this responsibility; he wanted to win in basketball and sell shoes. Remember our article “Nike wants your black dollars”?

This past Saturday in Atlanta, hundreds risked infection by coronavirus by lining up for jordans outside the mall.

If Jordan, who many analysts and fans feel is the greatest athlete of all time, is unhappy with his stardom, it proves there are no winners in sports. No matter how many championships or MVP’s you win, you have to win internally first. 

In conclusion, no amount of practice in the gym can prepare for the idol worship from the world for athletes. However, sports need superstars to elevate the competition, to maintain and increase its ratings. Superstars are generally the ones involved in controversial headlines that are used as narratives to generate ratings. And this is why idol worship was Jordan’s toughest competition.

Can sports remain popular without creating narratives to idol worship players?