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Will Michael Jordan be back? Do we need him back?

© Roy Pickering

Americans love a hero. Perfect prototypes come along only so often. Therefore, we are reluctant to let them go when their time in the limelight comes to an end, knowing that it may be some time before the next one emerges on to the scene.

When Michael Jordan retired from basketball for the first time, he didn't exactly fade from public view. He simply changed athletic uniforms because he needed a challenge, having mastered his first profession. Due to his extraordinarily competitive nature, he found himself bored with the situation of being without peer. Basketball was too easy for him. So he headed to the baseball diamond, but we were not truly alarmed by this. Common sense told us that it was only a matter of time and a steady diet of curveballs before Michael would toss away his cap and glove and don baggy shorts once again. As expected, his vacation from the hardwood rejuvenated his passion for hoop life. And so he returned, collecting another three NBA championships for his efforts.

Retirement number two was a Hollywood ending, practically a cliche. In hitting the winning shot of the deciding game of the NBA Finals, Jordan's legacy was completed with a giant exclamation mark. Then his Chicago Bulls were dismantled, leaving him little choice but to ride off into the sunset as we mere mortals watched in awe and wonderment. The league he left behind promptly fell apart, or came pretty close. The next season was abbreviated by a group of multi-millionaires who went on strike because they felt they were being treated unfairly by their employers. This matter was eventually settled and games resumed, but without a clear cut favorite to emerge on top of the heap, as had been the case for the last six years that Jordan suited up. Clearly, a new era in basketball history had begun. To many, it was not a welcomed one.

In order for the league to thrive as it had done prior to the strike season, Michael Jordan's shoes needed to be filled pronto. And so, a massive search party was sent out to locate his successor. To date, the search is still in progress. It isn't as if there isn't a deep pool of talent to select from. But as each new candidate is appraised, shortcomings are found that knock him from contention. The qualifications to be met for this gig are quite numerous and lofty. Nothing less than perfection on all fronts will suffice.