Originally Posted by
kingjammy24
seems i'm one of the few who liked it. during his prime, jordan was often derided for wasting his immense global influence on little more than selling big macs and nikes. "you better eat your wheaties" was his most profound soundbite. most felt that he intentionally kept his thoughts to himself to avoid possibly making waves that might affect his lucrative sponsorships. during his glory years, basketball's greatest player came across as little more than a carefully-controlled marketing image crafted by mcdonalds, nike, etc. a man who kept his mouth shut at all times, except to utter marketing slogans.
his HOF speech was a 180 from the reserved jordan known by the public during his playing days. he finally came out and spoke from the heart and i suppose that's the reason i enjoyed it. negative or not, it certainly wasn't the usual canned bullshit filled with insipid cliches that characterize most speeches. i have more respect for a man who speaks his mind, even if it isn't all lollipops and butterflies, than a man so concerned about possibly offending others that he filters everything he says until it's little more than watered-down, politically correct cack. these sorts of speeches would be a lot more interesting if more people had the guts to speak their mind instead of rattling off another boilerplate speech that could be delivered by anyone. "i'd like to thank my family and the team and the good Lord above for making my dreams come true. it just goes to show that hard work pays off and blah blah blah blah". i guess i see more point in watching a charles barkley interview than a cal ripken interview because at least with barkley i don't know how the whole thing is going to go before it even starts.
most of the negative things he said about others was in the context of explaining what motivated him.
rudy.
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