I have
recently thought about how much our country values success. One of America’s unique values is we all have
an opportunity to build a successful life.
Not every country in this world shares that value. Thus, success is often the most highly sought
after feeling for Americans. It’s
often referred to as “The American Dream.”
This sounds good in theory, but the desire for success can distort our
ability to perceive what is good in life.
Sports are a perfect example of this dichotomy.
Without
question, Michael Jordan is the most popular basketball player of all
time. It can’t be argued that he is not
one of the most revolutionary and exciting players to ever step on the court. Michael Jordan used his basketball legacy to
build a $1 billion dollar net worth, much of which was built after his
career. His Jordan clothing brand is
arguably the most popular basketball brand, and players all over the world wear
his signature shoes. It’s safe to say his
popularity and likeability increases by the day, and another basketball player
will most likely never surpass it.
LeBron
James is my generation’s Jordan. He is
the most well known, active player in the world and has followed in Jordan’s
footsteps in terms of building his own brand outside of basketball. His greatness has been promised since his
early high school days and he has certainly delivered, just like Michael
did. The similarities don’t stop there
as he even wears the same jersey number.
However, LeBron has turned into the most polarizing basketball player,
and has been voted America’s most hated athlete in the past. While the similarities are abundant between #23 and #23, the two
definitely share a multitude of differences.
Between the
two legends, one of them has dealt with a drinking and gambling problem
throughout his career. He has faced
accusations of infidelity, which ultimately contributed to his divorce. He once punched a teammate after a
disagreement. He refused to use his
platform to address social issues, in favor of not putting himself in
controversial situations. It was plainly
obvious that his opinions could hold a lot of power. He even took a hiatus from the sport to focus
on other endeavors.
The other
player has never been caught doing anything wrong off the court, continuously
steering away from potential scandals that global celebrities often find
themselves in. He lives a squeaky clean
lifestyle off the court as opposed to gambling and partying. He has built a successful foundation that
assists kids in his home state. He’s
spoken out against police brutality, the tragedies in Darfur and Paris, and
called for gun reform. He pledged to pay
for over 1100 kids’ tuition for college through his foundation. He has worked with Michelle Obama in
developing a platform for primary education. He also personally designed a pair of his
signature shoes to fit the needs of the physically disabled children who cannot
tie their own shoes.
Without
previously knowing the information displayed in the last two paragraphs, the
overwhelming majority would identify LeBron with the first paragraph and Jordan
with the second. It follows that the
most beloved basketball player of all time would be as great off the court as
he is on it. On the other side, polarization accompanies
controversy. But in actuality, the roles
are reversed. Considering all of the
above, it makes little sense why Jordan has avoided criticism. But the forgotten outlier in this equation is
level of success. Jordan went six for
six in title runs while LeBron has gone two for 6. It’s easy to elevate or demonize someone
based on their successes. Bron’s critics often cite his departure from the
Cleveland Cavaliers as their reason for disdain. It was “disloyal”. But we can’t be that sensitive to disloyalty
because Jordan quit the whole sport so he could go play baseball. We criticize Bron for leaving a bad team for a better team (as if nobody would ever dare leave their current job for a better one), while
we let Jordan off the hook for leaving the sport. If there’s one thing Jordan has done better
in life than LeBron, it’s win titles.
Ultimately, it is Michael Jordan’s
high level of success in basketball that has made him immune to the scrutiny
that he would otherwise face given his life choices. Americans love success more than
anything. Just tonight, Peyton Manning
won another Super Bowl and everyone has decided to forget about his recent
allegations of HGH use because his success is more attractive. If it were any other public figure that
shared Jordan’s off the court circumstances, minus the success, he or she would
face a lot of criticism. I am not
arguing that everyone has to love Bron and hate Jordan. I am simply pointing out that our culture values
success over everything, and for terrible reason. In Michael Jordan, we see how our lust for
success obscures our ability to accurately judge people. This isn't a contest between Jordan and Bron to see who can be the most righteous. It's about holding people accountable for their actions and how we judge the complete body of work. With all things considered, I find it reprehensible that the public continues to vilify LeBron
because he has yet to live up to Jordan’s standard for success, despite all of
the charitable things he has done and continues to do with his life.
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