Michael Jordans Competitive Edge Helped Make Him a Living Legend, but Hed Give Up His Addiction If He Could: Then I Could Breathe – Sportscasting

In the world of sports, its tough to get any bigger than Michael Jordan. During his time on the NBA hardwood, His Airness established himself as one of the greatest talents to ever play professional basketball. He dominated the competition, became a global superstar, and, at the end of the day, built up a massive net worth.

While that may make MJs life seem pretty perfect, things arent always as they appear. In an ESPN story ahead of his 50th birthday, Jordan made a rare and strikingly human admission: His famous competitive edge can also be an unimaginable burden.

If you take UCLA football coach Red Sanders at his word, Winning isnt everything; its the only thing. While that statement might not resonate with everyone, Michael Jordan would surely agree with the sentiment.

As a boy, His Airness honed his competitive fire by batting against his brother, Larry. While there were some early setbacks Michael famously failed to make his high schools varsity basketball team at the first attempt hed go on to dominate at just about every level. He became a McDonalds All-American, earned a scholarship to the University of North Carolina, and won an NCAA title as a freshman.

At the professional level, the wins just kept on coming. Although the Bulls had some initial problems getting past the Detroit Pistons, they eventually broke the seal and started flexing their metaphorical muscles. MJ won six championships, claimed five NBA MVP titles, and did just about everything else imaginable. Theres a reason why His Airness is widely considered the GOAT.

Those winning ways didnt stop at the edge of the hardwood, though. Over the years, plenty of stories have emerged about Jordans competitive ways. Hes apparently cheated at Yahtzee, pushed the boundaries of golf etiquette to win a bet, and done just about everything else imaginable to claim victory.

While that legendary will to the win has made Jordan an icon in addition to helping him dominate the NBA competition, its also become a part of his overarching mythos theres also a downside to always needing to be the best.

Ahead of MJs 50th birthday, which took place in 2013, ESPNs Wright Thompson spent some time with the living legend. While there were plenty of unique anecdotes that emerged, things got a bit heavier when they touched on the topic of competitiveness.

Theres no way to measure these things, but theres a strong case to be made that Jordan is the most intense competitor on the planet, Tompson explained before detailing how Jordan mastered Bejeweled on his iPad, conquered Sodouku, and raced through books of word searches. If you think that activity list sounds exhausting, you arent alone.

I cant help myself, MJ said, according to Thompson.Its an addiction. You ask for this special power to achieve these heights, and now you got it and you want to give it back, but you cant. If I could, then I could breathe.

Thats a pretty striking admission from anyone, let alone the seemingly invincible Jordan.

Given his legendary status and, if nothing else, $1.6 billion net worth, its easy to assume that His Airness is living on Easy Street. The quotes about his competitive nature, however, serve as a reminder that every human, no matter how famous they are, still experiences some struggles.

Jordan may be a striking example, but hes not the only athlete to underscore that reality. In August 2019, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck suddenly retired from pro football; no amount of fame and fortune could undo the toll that game was taking on his body. More recently, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, citing concerns over her mental health. At the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles stepped away from the team gymnastics final and several other events, due to mental health concerns and the twisties. Shes since revealed that her aunt died unexpectedly during the games.

While the latter two withdrawals have been met with plenty of criticism the idea that athletes have to power through issues remains ingrained in the world of sports it is worth noting that Jordan took a famous break from basketball to try his hand at minor league baseball. Even if he didnt leave the Bulls in the middle of the season, he had no problem stepping away from the hardwood for personal reasons.

When were watching sports and see millionaires performing superhuman feats of athleticism, it can be easy to forget the reality that underpins every competition. At the end of the day, everyone competing is a human being; they should be treated as such.

RELATED: Michael Jordan Reportedly Regrets Leaving Luc Longley out of The Last Dance: Thats Probably What I Would Have Changed

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Michael Jordans Competitive Edge Helped Make Him a Living Legend, but Hed Give Up His Addiction If He Could: Then I Could Breathe - Sportscasting