During the 1990's the most popular athlete was Michael Jordan, hands down. He was the most recognizable athlete at the time and the most famous athlete. Michael Jordan won 6 NBA championships, 6 times NBA Finals MVP, 5 times NBA MVP, an Olympic Gold Medal, and accomplished so many other things while playing that time. Not only was Michael Jordan successful on the court but he was successful off the court as well, Michael Jordan had many endorsements during his career such as McDonald's, Gatorade, etc. He starred in a movie called Space Jam alongside the Looney Tunes and it turned out to be a very successful movie and they even made a Michael Jordan Space Jam toy based off of it, I know because I had the toy. Michael Jordan also has his very own signature line entitled Air Jordan which has been incredibly successful and the reason why it has been so successful is because of the tennis shoes, arguably Michael Jordan has the greatest shoe line next to Nike. Everytime a pair of Air Jordan's come out they sell out within minutes. The Jordan Effect is worth about an estimated $10 billion and that includes everything movies, endorsements, the whole nine yards; I say all of that to say this there hasn't been an athlete since Michael Jordan who has had an effect like the one he has had and there probably never will be another. The athletes of today such as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Tiger Woods haven't had an impact like Michael Jordan has had nor are Lebron James and Kobe Bryant the same caliber athlete Michael Jordan was but I will admit they are up there with him. You can't compare Lebron's and Kobe's effect to Michael's because its not the same, Lebron and Kobe's apparel aren't anywhere near as popular as Michael Jordan's apparel, their brands aren't as strongly recognized as Michael's is. Michael Jordan was a one of a kind basketball player, the greatest basketball player the game has ever seen and he accomplished so many things throughout his career, he even retired for a while and played baseball, he may not have been very good at it but he was loved by so many people and had so many fans they overlooked that. It will be very hard trying to compare or even find another player that is close to Jordan's caliber.
Being from Chicago this may be bias, but I completely agree that it is going to be hard, if not impossible, to find another athlete of Jordan's caliber/meaning to the game. To be able to win all those titles and awards is truly special, but I will admit he did get a little lucky when it comes to endorsements and changing that aspect of the sport industry. The saying "being in the right place at the right time" fits perfectly, but to say he didn't earn it would be utterly false.
ReplyDelete-Michael Discipio
I am also from Chicago so again I may be biased, but I think it is almost impossible for another athlete to ever be able to stand up to what he did for the sporting industry. He was an all around ideal athlete, with only minor off the court issues that he hardly let effect him. Despite these issues, he kept focused and kept his private life private. Growing up in Chicago and watching him win all of those championships and to see how beloved he was was an incredible privilege. Granted, there are several good players now, this is a totally different era, the industry is totally different then what it was when Michael played. Even factoring these differences, I still think it would be really hard to stand up to an athlete like him.
ReplyDeleteJenn Zoellick
I am not from Chicago, but I do agree with everything you said and that Michael Jordan's impact on and off the court will never be repeated from another athlete. The awards and achievements that Michael Jordan has won will be very hard for another athlete to achieve. Jordan was a very dedicated and hard-working athlete that put his heart into everything he did, and that is why he was loved and why he meant so much to his fans. Not only did he win 6 Championships, but the way he won them was legendary (two three peats). His energetic and dominating playing style was unique and that is why so many people enjoyed watching him play. I think Jordan and endorsements were meant to have a business relationship together. Jordan helped them out by getting their products in the eyes of millions, and they helped Jordan become even more famous and loved. No other athlete at that time was being seen through endorsements like Jordan was, and no other athlete was as electric as Jordan. He was a very skilled player and this effect couldn't have happened at a better time to a greater person and player. All in all, I think the NBA should give a big thanks to Jordan for making the sport as famous as what it is today.
ReplyDelete-Kody Burlingame
To continue the trend, I am not from Chicago, or a Bulls fan. However while growing up, I had a Jordan jersey (Bulls & Space Jam), just as did many other kids in the 90's. As far as there being another athlete that can duplicate the success that Jordan had throughout his career; on court achievements or endorsements that came with his stardom, that will never be replicated. Neither Kobe or Lebron; as great as they are, will be able to match the one who is MJ. As mentioned in the article, both Kobe and Lebron have their own respective brands, but if you went out on the street and asked 10 random people to identify the logo of Kobe, Lebron, or MJ, I would bet that 10 of 10 would know the sprawled out dunker.
ReplyDelete-Derek Zyski
I also am not from Chicago, actually I live close to Detroit so I have never been a Chicago fan (Sorry), but I am a Jordan fan and definitely agree with your thoughts on the Jordan effect. First of all Space Jam is a great movie which I think really just shows how powerful Jordan is. If Lebron or Kobe came out with a similar movie it wouldn't be able to top Jordan's. However, I do think Lebron may have the power to possibly match Jordan's stature IN TIME. The Jordan effect has had many years to become what it is today and I think with time Lebron might be able to do that, maybe. I think it depends on if Lebron continues to have success like he did this past year. I guess only time will tell.
ReplyDeleteJoey D'Agostino
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteJordan was definitely in the right place at the right time, which doesn't take anything away from the skills that he possessed on the court. The way he played was nothing like anybody had seen before and he changed an overall aspect of the game, much like Tiger did for golf. That charisma and enigmatic character had people from all over the world drawn to him. He was a good type of different that left people wanting more at the end of the day. Lebron and Kobe are the popular faces of the NBA right now, but what they're doing is just following in the footsteps of what Jordan laid out for them. They aren't doing anything different that makes them stand out like Jordan did nearly two decades ago. Will we have an athlete that had such an impact like Jordan did? Probably not, but here's hoping.
Nate Dudzik
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteYou made many good points about the impact Jordan has made. I personally think there will never be another athlete like him. Jordan to me came up in a perfect time. The media was not like how it is now a days covering every aspect of an athletes life. Jordan was actually protected by the media or at least the rumor goes. Today I feel that someone would have to live a prefect lifestyle while still being the best at their sport. Some may say Tebow is as close to perfect as it gets but on the field he is nowhere near the top in talent. LeBron may also be another measuring stick but his past decisions cost him big time. That is why I personally believe there will never be another Michael Jordan.
Josiah Blevins
Hi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome blog. Jordan is one of the most successful athletes of all time on and of the court. Before Jordan, there were advertisements and brands of other sort, but nothing to the extent of what Jordan created. I think the reason Jordan's brands were so successful was because all of the kids(including myself) wanted to truly be "like Mike". We all wanted his shoes, or any of his Air Jordan material. If the item had the jump man logo on it, it became a must buy. The Jordan effect will never be duplicated in my mind. Kobe, Tiger, and now LeBron are the biggest three in my mind, and yet they are still so far behind of what Jordan accomplished.
-Brett Creamer
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteJordan was one of the most successful athletes in basketball and with business outside of basketball. Jordan made advertisement and indorsements big for athletes to have while making a career in the sport they play. Jordan's brand was successful because he did not just focus on one audience or one set of people but a whole different audience ranging from athletes, kids, adults, and so on and so on. The Jordan effect was by far the biggest step for an athlete to have and I do not think anyone will come close to what Jordan achieved.
Jenny Kelley
Agreed! There is no and will never be another Michael Jordan. He grew up in a perfect time frame to be as successful as he did. He grew the sport of basketball and shaped it to the style of play that crowds love to see today. Jordan is who every kid dreamed about being while they were growing up. Not only do sports fans adore him but from his career in basketball with the Bulls he has become a business man as well. He endorses products very well and businesses take advantage of this as much as they can. His shoe line has emerged as one of the best selling shoes in the country. Jordan even tried his hand at baseball which I think is incredible for an athlete to switch sports and still be competitive at it. I met Joe Hall a couple summers ago who played with Michael that one year on the baseball team and he told me he has never seen any athlete become so dedicated to practice and getting better than Michael was. Joe said he would get Michael to come out for one of the town baseball games I coached but he said that he doesn’t do much unless his expenses are paid and that would cost us a couple grand so we had to pass. It’s cool he would have come out to some 15 year old nobody’s to watch them play baseball just to be there though. That really made me think very highly of Jordan and what he is about and I would like to meet him someday.
ReplyDeleteBY: RJ Hefflinger
As you stated, Jordan is a brand known worldwide now. He wasn't just a basketball player he created a brand. To me Jordan is to some and will probably always be recognized as the best to ever play the game. His brand will also always be relevant. Jordan shoes are so popular and have been for the past 20 years. The funny thing is that the Jordan brand comes out with the same shoe that came out 20 years ago and still sales millions and millions of that pair worldwide. In my opinion, that's how you know your brand is successful. I mean what other company could come out with the same product that they made 20 years ago, barely make any changes and still make millions. No one can do it to the extent that the Jordan brand has. Jordan had an effect on basketball, the economy, and the world.
ReplyDelete- Tim Love
I also am from Chicago, so I also may be biased on this topic. I want to go back to something that Josiah had previously mentioned. He stated that Jordan came up in the perfect time and was a superstar in just the right area because of the media scrutiny (or lack thereof) that he received. If Jordan came up with today's media, he would be way more scrutinized for things such as his gambling problems and his marital infidelities. Maybe he wouldn't be the revered, iconic figure he is today if he played and came up with today's media.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that Michael is the best and most influential athlete ever. He has accomplished so much and had an effect on our society that no one ever will. I think Lebron and Kobe are up there with Jordan but thats only because Jordan paved the way that allowed them to be recognized throughout society. He was the first athlete that was marketed like he was and now athletes across all sports are being advertised and endorsed, and its all because of Michael Jordan.
ReplyDeleteBy: Jacob Beverly
I am not from Chicago, but I am one of big fan. Michael Jordan is super hero in the world. In my country, most of people love him, and we paied money for watching his game on the TV becasue when I young, if we want to watch American TV channels, we should pay money to broadcasting. Also, when we watched his play, we play basketball a lot with people. My country seems to be in the grip of basketball fever from Jordan.
ReplyDelete-Junho Song.