Why Is Michael Jordan Popular Culture

Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports is a biography about Michael Jordan. It was written by Matt Christopher. This book talks about Michael Jordan’s basketball career. It also includes the time where he joined minor league baseball. This taught me about Michael Jordan and I recommend it to others. It shows how much hard work is needed to succeed in life. The achievements and awards he won are a testament to all the hard work he put in.

“Given the turmoil in the media industry, i have more job security now that I work for a dozen media companies at any given time than I did when I was a full time staff member at one” The best example of personal branding is Micheal Jordan and his Jordan shoe line. MJ is one of, if not, the greatest basketball players of all time. In the 1980s, due to MJ’s success on the basketball court, Nike shoes jumped on the chance to brand MJ with his own shoe and clothing line series. In 1985 the Jordan shoe series was created and in 2014 brought in 2.25 billion dollars in retail basketball sales.

Michael Jordan is arguable the best basketball player who ever played the game. A phenomenal athlete with the unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power, artistry, and an unquenchable competitive desire, Jordan single-handedly redefined the NBA superstar. The thing that separated Jordan from the rest of the all-time greats was his compulsive need to win. Jordan was and is still known for his intense competitiveness and will to win, but that has not translated to his ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Jordan really targeted an audience of adults and teenagers who have a biased mindset, with the goal of having them rethink their morals about equality in the U.S. Nike was able to use Jordan as a spokesperson so that he can urge audience members to believe in what the company stands for, which is equality and build trust and in their customers to promote their business and products. This was also a source of ethos displayed. The Declaration of Independence is also used as a prime source of persuasion that make people question their humanity, due to the amble amount of inequality in the world. If equality does exist in the U.S, then there must be boundaries that are set. Nike tries to connect to that idea by including sports with the goal of building more credibility or trust, also known as ethos.

Stemming away from Jordan personally, it also touches on how the expansion of Nike created issues with regard to race by way of cultural and value-based analysis of black culture and effect that the Air Jordan shoe had on its people. One example of which is shown from the black on black crime that ensued as a result of the marketing of the Air Jordan in the 1990s. Significance in the arena black business is also evident. Obvious significance is shown from the growth of the business of Michael Jordan himself. It shows how a single man can amass wealth starting one-dimensionally as a person with extraordinary athletic talent and transitioning into one who takes the reigns as the leader of his own division of a transnational corporation while still working to his own and his brand's marketability. It's also subtly important to show how the Nike product also spiked the dollar seen by inner city ‘mom and pop' athletic apparel stores, mostly black owned. Chapter 4 touches on the effect of the Air Jordan on inner cities, both good and bad, and even though there was crime and drug money involved with the sales of Air Jordans, it is still hard to ignore the increase of money that resulted as well. Lastly, LaFeber's book provides informational significance of the expansion of global capitalism in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It not only shows how Nike became the worlds largest company in sports apparel but also how the Chicago Bulls organization increased

Many people believe Michael Jordan did his part of fighting racial battles for equality just like the great Civil Rights activist era.

In 1999, when this essay was published, something as simple as a cellphone was a revolution to the American people. Conversations anywhere with no wires involved! Wow! Looking back now, American seemed pretty simple in 1999. This is the same for Michael Jordan – once upon a time, Jordan was JUST a basketball player. LaFeber’s essay illustrates for us the rise of the young Jordan from his middle-class family in racist North Carolina through his college years and eventually into the NBA where he became an international sports icon. LaFeber tells the story of how Jordan caught the eye of Nike CEO Phil Knight and goes on to explain how Knight transformed Jordan into the face of a multi-billion dollar international corporation. LaFeber also fills us in on race and sports issues surrounding Jordan and how that played a part in Nike’s growth. LaFeber shows us how race effected middle-class Michael Jordan at a young age and how he was able to overcome this and grow into the star he is today.

Now the reasoning behind him influencing people all over America, was that he was the best, his shoes, and just him in general. He completely changed every aspect of the game. He was a Man amongst boys, No matter how any team attacked him he found flaws and ate them alive right there. He had no sympathy for his opponents at all. He was cold-blooded on the court. His most monumental shot was against the Utah Jazz in game 7 of the conference semifinals, with only 1.7 seconds left Michael stepped back and took the shot, as it swished the crowd went crazy. That put Michael onto his 5th championship ring. Michael had made his mark in playoff history, when he set the record for most points scored ever by a player in playoff history. He had his alterations with the NBA though. Michael’s dad had a dream to play Major league baseball, Michael would attempt to follow his dad’s dream, he attempted it but would never make it professionally in baseball, he played minor league baseball but was never good at it. He came back to the NBA where he got traded to the Washington Wizards and became known as the Villain, where he would just still completely dominate the game of basketball. He kept his old team from making the playoffs 2 years in a row, Michael never won a championship with the Wizards though. But this was an alternate event for him, America didn’t know what to think anymore due to the fact he had to face his old team a lot here and there, and when they continuously won, that is where they started calling him a traitor and all Chicago Bulls resented him, even though Michael had nothing but love for Chicago, he said it was just a business and he couldn’t help it that he was traded but nobody cared to hear what he had to say, except for all Washington Wizards fans, and why not he had came to their city where he just gave the fans something to cheer for, they were winning

Michael Jordan had a passion for Basketball. It was not something he did to fill up his spare time; it was a goal that he knew would be his channel to influence the world. When we follow our passion, we would paint the world in very bright colors. It is important to know that our passion is our DNA, which would be the channel through which we make a mark in our world. Michael Jordan’s passion still speaks because he has influenced many generations of young people in the game of Basketball.

Central Idea: To inform my audience about the history of Michael Jordan in his years of playing basketball and rising to becoming the player he is today.

Michael Jordan helped bring basketball to the international audiences, the 1992 USA Olympic basketballs team went undefeated and swept the Olympics and became the dream team.

Jordan’s journey started his freshman year of high school during basketball season. “He (Michael Jordan) did not make the basketball team at Laney High School his freshman year.” (Jhonson 1) The first tryout of his high school career, he didn’t make it. That would absolutely demoralize a person and break down their self esteem. But Jordan kept at it and kept training to be the best player he could be. “Jordan was only 5’11 his freshman… He grew 3 inches his junior and senior year , making him a final height of 6’6.” (Jhonson 1). With his final height, Jordan would be able to excel at many levels of his game. Making him a national force at the high school level. Jordan would go on to play college basketball at the division one level at the North Carolina University, and then get drafted by the Chicago Bulls. “Jordan is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of the twentieth century” (Jhonson 1). With Jordan getting a mega deal with Nike to manufacture shoes and many other products, Jordan would go on to make a fortune. Jordan won 6 NBA championships and a 5 time NBA MVP award recipient. Jordan started from not making the freshman basketball team to being named on of the best basketball players of all

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is known by many people as the best basketball player ever to play the game. Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls, helping them obtained six championship titles in eight years. Now remembered for being the best and the most popular athlete in the sports world. He had a great influence on the people. "Jordan was just another great legend" (Stein 2). Being a role model on and off the court Jordan showed his abilities to play the game and his kindness towards other people, especially those who admired him the most. "His widespread appeal to fans has helped keep basketball one of the world's most popular spectator sports" (Stein 1).

Purpose: to inform the audience about basketball such as the basketball rules and history and development of basketball.

The use of specific athletes in marketing campaigns really began to show promise when athletes like Jordan began wearing their own brands of shoes. The idea to consumers or fans of the NBA that they could wear the same shoes as Michael Jordan, and somehow play like him was an easy sell by Nike. Today it is now common for marketable athletes in almost all sports to wear their own style of shoes, spikes, or skates. An interesting point to make is that through Nike Michael Jordan eventually launched his own clothing line called Jumpman23 that makes everything from socks and underwear to winter coats. Even though Jordan has been retired since 1999 the Jumpman23 company has continued to release a new shoe every single year that are simply called “Jordan 24”, an increasing corresponding number to the number of years the shoes have been produced. The new Jordan shoes still retails at over $150 a pair even though Mike hasn’t stepped on the court in 11 years! After retirement and becoming the CEO of the Jumpman brand Michael Jordan has been able to court other famous athletes from a variety of sports to wear his brand. A few examples of the athletes include Derek Jeter (baseball), Dwayne Wade (basketball), Jason Taylor (football), and April Holmes (track and field). The wide range of athletes in all different sports who now market a brand for arguably the greatest athlete of all time truly shows the money, power, and influence an athlete can experience