Jordan the nobody? | Metafilter: "Three minutes before opening MetaFilter I briefly ruminated on my feelings about Jordan after I read that Kobe Bryant had severly sprained an ankle. I don't really follow basketball anymore, but I admit that I read that little news blurb with relish. I can't help myself, I dislike Bryant intensely and am convinced that he is a rapist that bought his way out of a conviction and back into his marriage. Then I thought of Jordan and how I used to idolize him when I was a younger man, about 15-16 years ago when he was in his prime. When Michael Jordan was on the court, he was very nearly perfect. Very nearly perfect, it's worth repeating. Unfortunately for his perfect image, we both grew older; I stopped taking sports seriously and Jordan stopped playing nearly perfect basketball. His retirement took away the rose-colored aura that surrounded the superstar. Let's be honest, off the court Jordan, like Bryant, is an egomaniac and a creep. His intense competitiveness, far more extreme than any normal person can even understand, is actually a sympton of mental illness that outside of professional sports is truly a horrible character trait. Almost all the evidence seems to point to him having a Tony Soprano like disregard for the feelings and well being of others, even his wife and family.
The amazing thing is that while he was playing he was so good that few people cared about all that other stuff. Now that he's not playing, few people care about him, period."
The amazing thing is that while he was playing he was so good that few people cared about all that other stuff. Now that he's not playing, few people care about him, period."
