Journey of the Modern Superstar

When did athletes stop being known as athletes and start being known as stars? And then as superstars? We had the 27 Yankees, also known as Murderer’s Row, with plenty of legends, but it’s hard to imagine any current superstars traveling by trains. We have had many, many athletes over the years who have had phenomenal careers. When you list names like Willie Mickey and the Duke, Gordie Howe, Joe Louis, Ali, Jim Brown, Reggie Jackson, and many others, they are more accurately described as legends, not superstars. The journey of the modern superstar began 25 years ago, April 20, 1986 to be exact.

Michael Jordan had just come back from injury at the end of the ‘85-‘86 season, his 2^nd campaign in the NBA. He had just pushed the Chicago Bulls into the last playoff spot in the east with a poor 30-52 record. Their award was the Boston Celtics, the team that finished the regular season with a 40-1 mark at home, a record still unmatched and unbeaten. Jordan exploded for 49 points in game 1 of the best of 5 series, in a losing effort. His start to game 2, very ordinary, a goal tend from Robert Parish to give Michael his first 2 points. But then he went on a run with 2 running jumpers, going through his legs before shooting over Bird for 2 more, and then a baseline move past McHale for an “And 1.”  Three more jumpers, one of which was over defensive specialist Dennis Johnson, and Jordan was on his way. Next, a rebound over Danny Ainge that turned into a three point play, and suddenly he had 26. Another “And 1” to follow with help from Bill Walton. You see where this is going by now. In all, he finished shooting 22-41 from the field. Add in 19 free throws, for a total of 63 points. You don’t even see scores like that in video games. However, the Bulls went on to lose game 2 in double OT. Michael gets a pass with that one though. In case you need a little more proof, read on.

Let’s look back at those names listed earlier: Bird, McHale, Parish, Dennis Johnson, Ainge, and Bill Walton. Walton won the 6^th man award that year for the Celtics. The others were the starting 5 for the eventual champions that season. In fact, Bird called that ‘86 team the best he ever played on. Bird, McHale, Parish, DJ and Walton are all Hall of Famers. Despite this, the young Jordan dropped 63 on them and with his effort bested Elgin Baylor for most points in a playoff game in NBA history, a record that still stands and probably will not be broken. Even if it is broken, say by LeBron or Kobe or Dwight Howard, I find it incomprehensible that they could do it in an environment like the old Boston Garden, or against one of the all-time great teams like the ‘86 Celtics.

It would be 5 more years before Jordan would win his 1^st championship. But it was his journey to that moment that made him so popular. We know about the dunk contests and his personal highlight reels. But think about how tough it was for him and his Bulls to get past the “Bad Boys,” the Detroit Pistons, in the East. They were the one team who reminded him that he wasn’t that great. They pounded him, created the Jordan Rules and made him pay for every trip down the lane. They did that for 3 straight years until 1991, when the Bulls swept the Pistons in 4 straight. Michael’s next challenge was Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the finals. And instead of the passing of the torch, Michael turned it into the grabbing of the torch and his championship dream was finally realized.

It wasn’t just his work on the court, Jordan also became the face of television. Sure, athletes had shown their faces in commercials, even Bird and Magic. But no one had their finger on the pulse of the American consumer like Michael Jordan. You didn’t buy Nike shoes in 1990, you bought Air Jordans. You drank Gatorade, not because it tasted good, but because you wanted to Be Like Mike. Everyone in their 30’s can still hum or sing that jingle. Even the younger crowd liked Michael, not because of his smooth jumper, but because he played with Bugs Bunny. He started the trends of shaved heads and baggy shorts. Everything he seemed to say or do became popular. He showed that an athlete can be a business man. And in the process, he became the 1^st superstar in American sports, and in many eyes, the best.

He won 6 rings, 2 three-peats to be exact. He has a string of scoring titles, a 72-win season after taking time off to play professional baseball, and 2 gold medals. His journey to the top was one that we may never see again. He went from being Michael Jordan to “Air Jordan” to just plain Michael. Think about how common that name is, Michael. And yet whenever you say the name Michael when referencing the sports world, only one comes to mind.