Today is the 10th anniversary of Michael Jordan’s final retirement (from the Bulls — his stint with the Wizards doesn’t count) and ESPN’s J.A. Adande was there.
There were more than 800 reporters in the United Center that day. I was part of a two-man team from the Los Angeles Times. Can you imagine more than 800 reporters from around the country converging to cover a retirement news conference today, with a bank of 25 cameras focused on one individual and a fleet of satellite trucks parked outside to beam his words to the world?
There’ll never be another Jordan the way there’ll never be another Johnny Carson or another Walter Cronkite. Individuals don’t hold our interest that regularly and that long anymore.
Adande goes on to discuss how the current economy and the age of YouTube will keep the Jordan mystique secure. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James both can capture the public’s attention, though not in the same way as MJ did. Kobe is seen as a prima donna who can’t win a title without Shaq (pending 2009 season). Oh, and the incident in Colorado doesn’t help either. LeBron is criticized for not being focused enough on his game and there are more than a few that wonder if he has the kind of killer instinct required to rack up multiple championships.
Jordan retired in 1999, when the economy was booming and the newspapers were doing just fine. Publications had the resources to send a reporter or two to Chicago to cover MJ’s retirement. I don’t think we could say the same today.
