The making of the G.O.A.T: The Michael Jordan Myth and the power of branding

The power of branding and market potential
special thanks to @ForeignManinaForeignLand for Voiceover support

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Sources:
1. https://goheels.com/news/2020/7/20/general-supporting-the-tar-heels-nike-jordan
2. https://www.tarheeltimes.com/article140324.aspx
3. https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2022/11/02/louisville-ncaa-violations
4. https://www.espn.com/nba/news/2002/1119/1463094.html
5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1993/08/01/jordans-gambling-undergoes-intense-scrutiny-again/a4f909e6-f01f-41ab-9428-b25831441424/
6. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39115851/ex-nba-star-dwight-howard-says-man-assault-allegations-frivolous
7. https://nbacrimelibrary.com/category/5-reason-for-arrest/assault-andor-battery/page/2/
8. https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/5/11/division-i-finances.aspx
9. MAHIRI, J., & VAN RHEENEN, D. (2010). Chapter 3: SLAVES OF SPORT. Counterpoints, 363, 51–85. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42980655
10. Chadwick, H. (2014). High-Priced Sports: Parents, Sports, and the South. Counterpoints, 434, 348–355. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45177520
11. Smith, D. R. (2015). It Pays to Bend the Rules: The Consequences of NCAA Athletic Sanctions. Sociological Perspectives, 58(1), 97–119. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44014694
12. Rosen, S., & Sanderson, A. (2001). Labour Markets in Professional Sports. The Economic Journal, 111(469), F47–F68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2667957
13. Kahn, L. M. (2007). Markets: Cartel Behavior and Amateurism in College Sports. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1), 209–226. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30033708
14. Sports-Related Injuries Among High School Athletes — United States, 2005–06 School Year. (2009). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 55(38), 1037–1040. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23317443
15. Thapar-Björkert, S., Samelius, L., & Sanghera, G. S. (2016). exploring symbolic violence in the everyday: misrecognition, condescension, consent and complicity. Feminist Review, 112, 144–162. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44987257
16. Careers stats – https://www.nba.com/stats
17. https://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting/how-to-get-recruited/good-enough-to-play
18. Dunkman 827-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngAGkccj_3M
19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LumT6PiHq2k – stock video b-ball
20. https://youtu.be/yPNGERU6qHg?si=KNFS95gY7WHEgwfO Homemade TechZ ( jordan bullying teammates)
21. Bad boys walk off- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNJI-OyOTGw

Wake up 5:30 we M run bell rings 8m class starts first whistle 4: p.m. start practice second whistle 7:30 p.m. end practice eat dinner mom gently Taps on door wh was good night 11:30 p.m. wash your R repeat for the next four years durbo Rings Scout scholarship offered to play Ball every stering calls your name selected by the Chicago Bulls you helped lead the Bulls to the 91 92 and 1993 championships before abruptly leaving the team oh you thought I was talk about Michael Jordan didn’t you nope I’m talking about Horus Grant 610 350 lbs four-time NBA

Champion coming in 10th overall in 1987 draft just one pick before League Legend Reggie Miller hold up though the common narrative implies Michael Jordan was the king Supreme from the moment he joined the Bulls he didn’t get his first ring until Scotty pipp in 1987 fifth overall and Horus Grant at the previously

Mentioned t spot got drafted by the Bulls is it history or his story what defines the truth in the air of water wall celebrity biop picks and sports documentaries on an accolate to some of our greatest athletes how can we be sure that the truth has been muddled I believe the narrative shapes

Reality and it’s only with independent research and exposure can certain truths come to light all right before we get started let me give Michael Jordan His due credit MJ entered North Carolina University in 1982 and immediately his impact was felt here in the Atlantic Coast Conference freshman of the Year

Trophy and he let off the game-winning shot in that year’s championship game against Georgetown led by Future Hall of Famer Patrick Ying let’s play out a scenario you love basketball you’ve been handling Rockin before you lost your first baby tooth you hear a league calling but you know

It won’t be an easy Ro to get there most of the grades get their started the same place freshman JV Basketball grinding tells daily workouts on top of your regular practice multiple trips around the tri skate area playing different schools and your parents are going start footing a bill for new shoes

Jerseys and hotel trips because they believe in your potential in fact they may happily spend a little extra to provide additional trainings and Equipment because they share your dream of playing at the pro level this is where the risk starts even with the health benefits high school athletes risk long-term sports related

Injuries a study in 2006 found that high school athletes make up 2 million injuries a year then one day you make the Varsity squad soon after you earn a starting spot school is one of the big ones right now nationally so the opponents you face are all over the

Country all you need to do now is impress the scouts the college scouting process is considered one of the most stressful times for upcoming athletes you’ve proved to yourself and your coaches that you’re worth a spot in a lineup but how will you impress the Scouts in this hypothetical scenario you

Have League aspiration so let’s say you’re a five-star athlete star ratings are a quick and easy way to convey a recruits level of talent to college coaches in men’s basketball five star athletes are the best recruits in the country and have outstanding athleticism far beyond their peers prospects who are

Considered the best player on their club or high school team are typically considered four-star athletes student athletes who show dominance on the court but have a few areas to improve on are usually labeled as three star athletes lastly one and two star recruits have potential to compete at the college

Level after some training and development could be reliable Stars now you have to campaign for yourself you need recordings of your training sessions offensive and defensive drills and you better have some decent highlights you end up lucky enough to get the attention of multiple Scouts who be coming out to see your

Games let’s say let’s say you want to play for the University of Kansas some top athletes are come out of there but this one Scout from UNCC has been tempting you to commit there it sounds nice but you decline the j-hawks have produced a lot of pros and you believe

In your chances of making a leag of better there the UNC scouts at the door talking to your parents he runs through S pitch great program good teachers FL ride yada y yada none of you are that impressed all the basketball Scouts offer the same

Thing but then he says he can sweeten a deal if you commit to UNC he promises your parents $50,000 that’s a lot of money but he doesn’t know the Kansas Scout made the same same offer so what brand do you pick check this out what I didn’t realize before researching this is that

Brands have schools what I mean is that top schools have contracts with various athletic Weare Brands to provide uniforms for their students in exchange for those athletes wearing the brands and televis games Nike is one of the largest sponsor of College athletics Nike in his Jordan brand subsidiary were provided student

Athletes and coaches at the University of North Carolina with the best shoes uniforms and gears since the early 1990s the University of Kansas is sponsored by Adidas what if the brands impacted were the top players end up playing college ball they sponsor the schools and there’s a lot of incentive in having the

Top tier athletes wearing your gear on ESPN this is of course all hypothetical I’m in no way making claims against sponsor brands or the schools they sponsor luckily I don’t have to right Bowen senior the father of then top rated College Prospect ran Bowens Jr testified Thursday that his son was

Offered thousands of dollars on a slot to play at major programs before a corruption Scandal derailed the promising players collegate career at a federal trial over allegations of unethical scouting in college basketball Ryan Bowen Senor said that an inspiring agent Christian Dawkins told the father that he could pocket $50,000 if his son

Played at University Arizona 150,000 out of Oklahoma State and 100,000 at Katon the son Brian Bowen Jr eventually landed at Louisville in Adida school after the defendant engineered a promise of $100,000 for his family Louisville dodged the postseason ban and only faced a $5,000 fine both former coaches

Avoided punishment entirely so the pendy for the school is $5,000 in a recruiting ban but bones almost lost everything bow was rude and eligible due to the Scandal so he transferred to South Carolina but the NCAA would have been eligible again and he never got to play a college game

So none of the benefits of Collegiate training and none of the education either it’s not like the quality of Education matters that much coaches boosters and brand sponsors have too much on the line to risk a filling grade keeping an athlete off the court they’ll do anything from telling

The players which classes they should take to get an EA or which classes to take if they knew to instructor Bowen ended up playing a year Broad in Australia before signing a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers in June of 2019 there been some leeway on athletes getting paid but so far it

Appears only at the college level it seems like the correct stri for me Athletics programs generate a lot of revenue for colleges they draw national attention Drive student engagement and lead to a lot of money being pocketed by the schools UNC raked in $30 million off their basketball program alone in

2022 andc ablea annually generates a little under $1.2 billion leave a comment if I should follow the dollar in another video what it basically breaks down is 940 million for television and marketing rights and 198 million for Championship tournaments a study I found suggests that rational Choice Theory which basically just

Focuses on risk and reward suggests that when penalties to institutions are so small it can actually be more beneficial to break the rules 50k there 100K there not that bad a deal when the schools can make so much money and the penalty is only a tenth of what the athlete received in a

Scandal thankfully you don’t get caught a scandal is no issues congratulations you just made it to the NBA all right let’s get back to his aoness real quick Michael Jordan was the first rookie player ever to Ink a Sho de with Nike and for good reason he was

Primed and presented as the best basketball player ever and pretty early on in his career because of this the Nike and the Jordan brand was everywhere uh before he was a champ he got his butt whipped for several years by the Detroit Pistons and a star guard Isaiah

Thomas at the University of Indiana Isaiah Thomas led the hooers to a championship during the sophomore year before leaving for the NBA a coming number two in the 1981 draft Isaiah Thomas was one of the best small guards to ever play the game and during his

Error one of the best ball players on the court he was shaking Defenders out of their shoes a decade before Iris ever graced the court he led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back championships over Michael Jordan which isn’t easy Jordan’s not a slouch they were called Bad Boys for a

Reason every time Mike had the ball the Jordan rule was inck a MJ is considered the goat for a reason coming close and missing out twice Jordan was not going to be denied a third time in fact Michael Jordan’s versatility led the Bulls to three consecutive championships along with

Those Jordan earned finals MVP all three years led the league in the steals twice and earned three scoring titles and all these accolades are just in slightly over threeyear span the Jordan brand was huge and his polished squeaky clean image meant he was the perfect choice for the NBA to

Help Market the Jordan brand truly blew up with his selection to the 92 Olympics Dream Team after for mentioned Isaiah Thomas was left off the roster with Magic Johnson being one of the guards selected above him the dream team was the first Olympic basketball team to call up active NBA

Players MJ was part of the core starting lineup along with other future Harmon Famers Magic Johnson Patrick Ying Charles Barkley and Carl Malone dominating competition and truly becoming Global s celebrities probably leaving a bunch of babies in Barcelona but maybe I’ll do a redeem team video one day after five scoring titles three

Championships and an Olympic gold medal and three months after the tragic death of his father in 1993 Michael Jordan abruptly retired there’s been speculation that his retirement was a suspension for gambling and some of the speculators think the death of his father was connected but that specific doesn’t feel

Good good to talk about so I won’t be touching on it it was just a matter of waiting until this time when basketball was near to see if my heart would change and I went through the all the different stages of going of getting myself prepared for the

Next year and uh the desire was not there and it wasn’t his retirement Jordan had one of the cleanest brands in the business and league rules changing for Less contact to increase scoring the bruising bad boy days were over but what if you could build your brand on

Bad shortly after MJ joined the Bulls in 1995 they picked up my all-time favorite athlete at the time Dennis Robin was a four-time rebounding champion two time defensive player the year named NBA Allstar twice and had two championship rings he earned as part of the bad boys

That laid a whooping on MJ in the late 80s being part of the core lineup for the often spurned Bad Boys prepared Dennis robman for the booze and jeers he never really seemed to care but after an aging Pistons team was blown out of the playoffs and after a short marriage

Ended in divorce Rodman attempted to un alive himself thankfully he had an epiphany and instead decided to stop living a life that was making him miserable so he forced the trade to the Spurs where he debuted his now signatur die hair look but the hair wasn’t the only change offc Court Antics increased

Went to wild parties and even had a brief diance with Madonna yes that mad play style changed too while before the defense first forward would agitate through aggressive contact in a paint his new style involved constant pestering either trash talking tripping players or baiting other players into

Following him what didn’t change was his ferocious play style and unrelenting pace nobody was willing to put their body on a line like Rodman going for every rebound or loose ball you never knew we was going to be landing players hated going against them some of his teammates hated playing with

Him like during a game against Utah where he got ejected but refused to leave the floor did I mention how much I love Dennis Rodman the Antics themselves aren withd drew me to him but his care Fury attitude and his ability to be tough while having dyed hair and painted nails

Proved to a little soft boy like me that I didn’t have to be one thing as long as I came in and did my job to the best of my ability my word could speak for itself and I could live the life I wanted that’s what the bad as I want to

Be brand meant to me old enough to follow the game and understand a bit of the social politics I noticed even how the men who really were uncomfortable with Robin’s behavior and flamboyant had no choice but to acknowledge how great a player he was his defensive and rebounding ability was missing piece the

Bulls needed to win the NBA championship three more consecutive times it’s a tricky balance but robman was one of their first early players to adopt the bad boy image and successfully make it part of his marketing players like retired NBA champ rashed Wallace carried a bad brand early

In the 2000s and any current NBA fan will know the Encore antics of players like Draymond Green and Patrick Beverly thr bag can be great for player image it can help set the tone for fans and competitors but if you’re going to be tied to Major endorsements it can be

Beneficial for all parties if when consumers could ass apprciate you with a product you were clean as a whistle or have achieved Godlike status even if that status hasn’t been completely earned even during the first three Pat run there were Rumblings on how bad a teammate Michael Jordan could be how he

Would belittle any in everyone and how his addictive need to compete and be seen as the best LED to some hanky decision making you know what I got you all day hey try not to be dog tonight dog for one time come out raise the play I mentioned earlier that Pistons guard

Isaiah Thomas who left off the 92 Dream Team what I didn’t say was that it was Michael Jordan’s idea he hated Isaiah from the Jordan rule days and expressly refused to play if he was added to the team I Playas every member of the Dream Team earned additional accolades and fame

From joining it pushed the Jordan brand and could have pushed the Isaiah brand in NBA supply and demand philosophies are about more than just physical skills there’s a loss of marketability when a player is sidelined but there was no way the NBA was going to allow Jordan to quit the

Team if it meant they had to keep someone else off he was the NBA’s Golden Boy that was partially because of marketing as I previously mentioned Isaiah Thomas had similar stats and fan appeal and Dream Team guard Magic Johnson had the largest potential brand out of everyone which is

Only hampered by his HIV diagnosis out of which we might be referring to Magic every time we say MJ in fact the only reason that Jordan was the first rookie to sign a Sho with Nike was because magic turned it down first 5 years beforehand at the time there were off

Offering shares of Nike stock but Converse was offering codart cash his decision magic has gone on record as regretting but he’s a billionaire so I don’t exactly feel bad for him and yeah MJ got three rings in a row but only after the Pistons were broken up in

Expansion draft Rick Mahorn and a core member of the bad boys lineup was sent to the newly formed Minnesota timber rolles which means Jordan won his first Rings after his toughest competition was hampered by age and trades this all culminates in one of the most dominant defenses in NBA history being called Bad

Boys and Bullies but this was the NBA in the 80s the best defenses in the league were leaving opponent kissing hardwood okay the Pistons did walk away like sore losers at one time and refus to shake hands which yeah some punk stuff but they were really called the

Bad boys for stomping and postage out of the NBA as he and the brand were becoming more entwined Jordan was an outstanding player but you would have thought he scored every point in defending every basket but he wasn’t even scoring leader during the Olympics that was Charles Barkley and career-long teammates like

Scotti Pippen have opened up about the amount of attention Jordan receives and how he’s tired of having his talents undermined you come out swinging in this book and right off the top you have you you have a lot of criticism about the Last Dance I thought it was a great

Documentary I felt like the documentary only told a story that sort of glorified him as a player and not glorified us as a team you call Michael Jordan selfish in the first chapter why is that I mean uh he was a great scorer but a lot of

Things that he did uh was based on uh him as individual and I think basketball is a team game the Utah Jazz just like the Pistons have two players on the top 10 dirtiest players in league history list therefore car Malone cracked piston guard Isaiah

Thomas so hard that he ended up with 40 stitches and got off with a one game suspension and some folks thought that was going too far but for flagrant follows with that caliber perone was if not a bad boy at least a dirty one but branding a gold medal and a Little Help

From the league and all your darkest Secrets will get buried for a while yo if you can dribble score or block well enough the NBA will move Heaven and Earth to cover for your transgressions Jordan has never been as squeaky clean as the Last Dance will lead you to believe and his gambling

Habit consistently placed him in trouble with the league besides his history of bullying and gambling he’s also been at the center of a couple fraternity suits it take a completely separate video to go through all the Jordan dirty laundry but here are a few key points December 1991 Federal investigator seized a

$57,000 check from a cocaine dealer who gambled and play golf with Jordan March 92 after Revelations Jordan lost more than $100,000 betting on golfing cards in the fall of 91 the National Basketball Association began its investigation March 31st 1992 NBA Commissioners David Stern announced completion of Investigation Jordan is

Warned against associating with felons no actions taken against Jordan he has quoted as telling reporters I’m glad to put this behind me and I hope I’ve learned my lesson this comes from an article I dug up from 2002 the woman accused of extortion by Michael Jordan responded

With her own lawsuit Tuesday saying he offered her $5 million to keep quiet about their relationship Carla NAFA asked the court to force Jordan to pay her money because he was in breach of contract Jordan filed a lawsuit in October contending that he had a relationship with NAFA more than 10

Years ago and paid her $250,000 under threat of exposing of relationship this counter lawsuit was in relation to a 1991 hush payment that Jordan allegedly reeg and that’s just a 9192 season for His Airness while he was in the middle of a three Championship run a couple of hush payments a couple

Of lamaris and back to the casino in Telly okay so the next section is going to come with a Content warning the league has a troubling history with bearing assault allegations after mentioned car Malone impregnant a 14-year-old during his run Scotty Pippen got charged in 1995 Rashid Wallace

Charged in 1996 Jason kid charged in 2001 miles Bridges just came back from a third game suspension 2023 and KJ Porter joury just got charged and they just traded his punk ass future NBA Hall of Fame Center Dwight Howard was accused of sa in July 2022 too then coincidentally couldn’t

Get picked up by another team it’s my firm belief that the only reason Dwight Howard isn’t being a pest in the NBA right now is that his ESS allegations came from a man NBA butting star Josh giddy was just caught with a 17-year-old and the news is getting buried

Dead these are just the names of casual NBA fans were recognize I could feel 10 hours with the amount of dirt I found a sports highlight here a stat review on ESPN there and poof no more Scandal victim silenced and Witnesses paid off so what can we

Do for starters we need to Center the stories of victims because too often our powerful men let off to hook it wasn’t that hard to find a DAT I needed for this video in fact once I started digging it became harder to decide which parts to keep or cut

But there was an annoying amount of fluff and filler I needed to get through before fing the truth on some of these athletes type a famous name in a Google and you’ll probably find a High School playing stats before you come across something Shifty they’re accused of the year

Before the next time because unfortunately there’s always a next time try to view things from the victim’s perspective first how many siset men lead with statements that imply these people connected to athletes are looking for attention and a payout but being ostracized and crucified in the public eye just to be known

Nationally as an assault victim is not how many would want to get paid or become famous we need to acknowledge that the powerful men at the center and those who control the per strings are driven towards undermining victims some feminist researchers have noted the importance of broadening the definitions of abuse and power

Imbalances so as not only the extreme cases that get our attention on court accomplishments should never cover for off- courtt Trend transgressions and you’re not a bad person for loving the league despite its flaws you can still enjoy your favorite team and I’m not telling anyone to boycott basketball I’m not even asking

You to start a Tik Tock campaign against anyone but you can help by holding these players accountable when God forbid the next case pops up don’t let it get buried in your public perception of them it can be hard to reconcile that your favorite person may not be the best

Person I try to remember it’s not really the person that you get with their brand image polished shined and forced down our throats how long are we going to choke down An Inconvenient Truth we love celebrity the Glamour the status the accolades we get to enjoy art

And imagine ourselves in the lives of these artists thanks to social media and celebrity documentaries we can get an inside look on a narrative for the celeb’s life but a narrative is a story and there are always multiple sides to a story That’s all I’ve got for today Kimo go the YouTube things if you want to see more and until next time you’re loved and you’re want it Peace