Thanks ESPN, for letting the whole world know of a big secret this past week, that Michael Jordan turned 50. Yes, without you we would not have had a week long lovefest on every single one of your stations that just sucked up to him and, oh, by the way ignored the pretty obvious glaring truths that he has failed miserably at everything since 1998, is a compulsive gambler (a quality that may or may not have played a part in his father’s death) and was responsible for “Space Jam,” a film that took place on Earth, not in space.
My issue is not with that MJ had coverage from ESPN, but ESPN has become so diluted, and so living in fear of the athlete, that it now fails to cover the bad parts along with the good. Jordan was a once in a lifetime, iconic athlete who started the phase of an athlete being a marketable celebrity. Go to any country in the world, some kid on every street is wearing his shoes. Show the Air Jordan silhouette, everyone knows what it is. But Jordan had big time, glaring flaws, that ended up being detriments to himself, his teams and his family.
These days, a now half-century-old Jordan is the owner of the worst team in the league, and wondering what happened to the time when everything he touched turned into greatness, yet ESPN won’t let you know that either. The problem with the network is you hear them always say “winning cures everything.” And for some reason Jordan and his six championships are inhibiting the four letter from dispersing some necessary truth. But end the end, why should they anyways, it’s just journalism, right?
Yes, you’re right — MJ is flawed — but I wouldn’t expect those bits to start entering the conversation until looong after he’s dead. (You gotta give it, like, five years after the funeral before it’s not “too soon” for fans.) Besides, the only reason ESPN still talks about him is because of those wins. It’s not like they’re regularly discussing the worst gambling debts or worst team owner records in sports.