In a story that received little coverage in Australia, the formality of inducting Michael Jordan into the NBA Hall of Fame occurred last Friday.
Whilst the Magic-Bird era is generally considered to be the one that put basketball back on the US sporting agenda, the Jordan era made it global.
Throughout his career Jordan always managed to present himself with a swagger and charming smugness.
He knew that he was the greatest at what he did and was all too aware that we knew it, so he sparred us the humbling experience of repeatedly telling us, unlike the more polarising Ali.
MJ was forever unapologetic about his hyper competitive nature. He presented his drive to win in a manner that general public not only appreciated but outwardly desired and other athletes emulated.
His tales of forcing friends to bet tens of thousands of dollars against him on bunker shots didn’t raise eyebrows regarding the evils of gambling but instead reinforced what the public loved – Michael Jordan’s existence was based solely on winning.
When he mercilessly went on the attack against a young rookie in practice, harping on his every insecurity from his family background to the obvious gap in talent, it was regarded as the standard a champion should demand from his team mates.
After he took the podium on Friday in his induction, that veneer of charm was stripped away for all but the most ardent fans. Not even his trademark disarming smile could distract us from this reminder that a single-minded focus on anything in life comes at a cost.
Hall of Fame speeches are typically times of joyful reflection on the moments that defined a career and humble appreciation for those that helped along the way. Both David Robinson and John Stockton gave thoughtful and humorous renditions respectively.
Jordan did provide passing regards but in general his address was more a reflection on a laundry list of slights, some real, the majority perceived and a few plain fictitious. This was a glimpse into what drives the greatest player of all time.
At the moment of being officially recognised for having had an unparalleled career, he chooses not to dwell on the accolades and the victories but on moments of bitterness, which to an ordinary person would have seemed immaterial, but to him drove him on.
There was no concept of perspective, every aspect of his life had a score board hanging over it and he would do everything in his power to make sure he came out the winner.
This is not to say he came across as egotistical, although that was a side effect, it was more that the man was profoundly bitter.
The truth is this is probably what it takes to be not just great, but transcendent in any field. To beat off other talented driven individuals you need a single-minded focus that finds reasons to continue to compete. Jordan had more than the desire of his competitors, he had outright hatred of everything that may cost him victory in anything.
If victory is your only concern there can be little room for social conventions, for caring about those that aren’t immediately going to contribute and for those that helped you yesterday rather tomorrow.
When the character Gordon Gekko said, “It’s not a question of enough, pal. It’s a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses,” it was intended to alienate him as cold-hearted and obsessed. When Michael Jordan lived that quote he was cheered and idolised.
Though at the end of it I am glad he was honest and candid. It allowed us all to see the wizard behind the curtain so to speak and realise that, just like Bud Fox had to with Gekko, sometimes the price for constant victory is a steep one.
Days later I no longer feel let down or angered by Jordan’s speech, rather my feelings would best be described as pity.
Here is someone who has achieved more than I could ever hope for and is better at his chosen field than I could ever conceivably be and yet all the journey has done is seemingly make him resentful and bitter towards those he met along the way.
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