Michael Jordan Vs The Social Media Era

We will forever hear comparisons of someone and Michael Jordan. Now we are really starting to hear Michael Jordan vs something. The latest mention of His Airness is, how would he have held up if he was around in his prime right now in regards to it being the “social media era?” Back in his prime he was already looked at during every moment and every turn. The difference is it was only the media that could pour comments and opinions out to the masses about what he’s said or done. If anything was mentioned by the public, it would have to be word of mouth to just a handful of people you and your neighbors knew. Now with social media, public figures of every kind can be seen and heard in a matter of seconds. Access to them and their private lives is an easy find no matter who it is. The masses can be outraged by them and have them “canceled” in a matter of hours. No explanation needed. Back then, the media and people that held the power could also hide the bad stuff to help uphold an image in exchange for continued access. I’m one of the biggest Jordan fans there ever was. So, how would a prime Jordan handle being in the “social media era?”

In terms of the actual game of basketball, he would probably be even better on the court itself. Sometimes he would get so bored trying to find a reason, because he was being so dominate year in and year out. In today’s world when every human with a phone and direct access can mouth off, and with the rabbit ears Michael had, he would’ve caught a ton of ya’ll and dropped 50, 60, 70 many times over to show you up and your teams. Another part to the game we’d probably see from his are things like; he would have gotten shit on like Bron does for being swept and losing in the first round multiple times, they would’ve compared him to Kevin Durant for asking for Dennis Rodman and asking them to draft a good point guard because he needed help, and more comparison to LeBron because Steve Kerr and John Paxson saved his ass a couple times like Ray Allen did for James. The Jordan era fans aren’t smart enough to take their emotion out of it and see it for what it really is.

I think his off the court stuff would have been the hardest for him to handle. That stupid cancel culture crowd would have eaten him alive on who he was off the court and even on the practice part of the game. We all saw how attacked Draymond Green got for his fight with his teammate in practice. Imagine what social media would have done when they saw and could react to the masses on him and Will Perdue or punching Steve Kerr. Imagine how much more the asshole fan on Twitter would have attacked on the death of his father and the rumors of his gambling problem being the issue. That would have gotten pressed by millions of people instead of a few in the media. Would he have been a good enough father for the public, or not there enough? The other thing is he cheated on his wife for 6 years until anyone ever knew, but by then the marketing people in-charge of his image made sure he was teflon and buried it as fast as it came out. He was an amazing basketball player and competitor, but if you really take your fanboy out of it and do actual research on who he was as a person, it wasn’t great. The social media era doesn’t let that stuff stay hidden and he would have been erased mentally if not more from having that come to light and stay there with millions and millions to talk about it to millions of others. LeBron James has rebuilt his hometown and done so much for so many. He kept is core group and made them successful businessmen in his empire. We see him on social constantly with his kids or about his kids. He has next to nothing of bad to his real name other than weirdos who belittle him as human because he has different social opinions or leaves to go to different teams and people eat him alive for it. Your boy MJ would have gotten DESTROYED…you know, the GOAT, the degenerate gambler, the adulterer, the guy you punched teammates more than once, and this could keep going. So, as great as I think he’d be on the court, maybe even greater than he was with more voices to prove wrong, I also think he’d have gotten ridden into retirement once and quicker with how the social media world can shred a personal life that isn’t great.