FULL ARTICLE: The Best in Sports: Michael Jordan Ep. 5-6 by Rob Mason, Pro Sports Outlook
MOST VALUABLE INTEL: Michael Jordan’s gambling, relationship with Kobe Bryant, the Dream Team, and a challenging finish to a 3-peat all get covered in this week’s episodes of the “Last Dance” and broken down in the Best in Sports: Michael Jordan edition by PSO’s Rob Mason. Yet, the most valuable takeaway to know was how much influence the media had on MJ’s career. While gambling problems, his father’s death, and Jerry Krause all get the blame for MJ retiring early, the media is really the main contributor responsible. The media’s overbearing ways, intrusiveness, and continuous exploitation of his off-court decisions eventually became too much for Jordan on not one, but two occasions in the prime of his career. It even got to the point where Jordan said himself, “this isn’t one of those lifestyles you envy because you’re tired of being in the spotlight.” Maybe, it’s the media that should receive more of the spotlight for pressuring MJ into retirement.