Passage41<br/>It’snotthatweareafraidofseeinghimstumble,ofscribblingamustacheoverhiscareer.Sure,thenicepartofuswantsMiketoknowweappreciatehim,thathestillreigns,atleastinourmemory.Thetruth,though,isthatwedon’twanthimtocomebackbecauseevenforMichaelJordan,thiswouldbeanactofhubrissomonumentalastomakehistrademarkconfidencetwistintoconceit.Wedon’twanthimbackonthecourtbecausenoonelikesashow-off.Thestumbling?Thatwillbefun.<br/><alone></alone>Butwearenicepeople,weAmericans,with225yearsofoptimismatourbacks.DaysagowhenM.J.saidhehadmadeadecisionaboutreturningtotheNBAinSeptember,wegotexcited.Hehadsaidthedaybefore,“Ilookforwardtoplaying,andhopefullyIcangettothatpointwhereIcanmakethatdecision.It’sO.K.,tohavesomedoubt,andit’sO.K.tohavesomenervousness.”ATime/CNNpolllastweekhasAmericans,2to1,sayingtheywouldlikehimonthecourtASAP.Andonly21percentthoughtthatifhecamebackandjustcompletelybombed,itwoulddamagehislegend.Infactonly28percentthinkathletesshouldretireattheirpeak.<br/><alone></alone>SourcesclosetohimtellTimethatwhenJordanfirsttalkedaboutacomebackwiththeWashingtonWizards,theteamJordanco-ownsandwouldplayfor,someofhistrustedadvisersprivatelytriedtodiscouragehim.“Buttheysayiftheytrytostophim,itwillonlyfirmuphisresolve,”saysanNBAsource.<br/><alone></alone>TheproblemwithJordan’sreturnisnotonlythathecan’tpossiblyliveuptothestorybookendinghegaveupin1998—earninghissixthringwithalast-secondchampionship-winningshot.Theproblemisthatthemotivesforcomingback—needingtheattention,needingtoplayevenwhenhis38-year-oldbodydoesnot—violatetheverymythofJordan,themythofabsolutecontrol.BabeRuth,the20thcentury’sfirststar,wasagustoffatbravadoanddrunkentalent,whileJordanendedthecenturybyprovingtheeleganceofresolve;Babe’spointingtothebleachersreplacedbythecharmofabackpedalingshouldershrug.Jordansymbolizedsuccessbynotsullyinghisbrandwithhispolitics,hisopinionorsuperstarpersonality.TobeaJordanfanwastobeafanofclassinessandconfidence.<br/><alone></alone>TocomebackwhenheknowsthatplayingforWizardswon’tgethimanywherenearthesecondroundoftheplay-offs,whenheknowsthathewon’tbetheleaguescoringleader,that’salossofcontrol.<br/><alone></alone>Jordandoesnotcarewhatwethink.Friendssaythathetakesarticlesthattellhimnottocomebackandtacksthemallonhisrefrigeratorasinspiration.Sowhybotherwritingsomethingtellinghimnottocomeback?HeisstillMichaelJordan.
Passage41<br/>It’snotthatweareafraidofseeinghimstumble,ofscribblingamustacheoverhiscareer.Sure,thenicepartofuswantsMiketoknowweappreciatehim,thathestillreigns,atleastinourmemory.Thetruth,though,isthatwedon’twanthimtocomebackbecauseevenforMichaelJordan,thiswouldbeanactofhubrissomonumentalastomakehistrademarkconfidencetwistintoconceit.Wedon’twanthimbackonthecourtbecausenoonelikesashow-off.Thestumbling?Thatwillbefun.<br/><alone></alone>Butwearenicepeople,weAmericans,with225yearsofoptimismatourbacks.DaysagowhenM.J.saidhehadmadeadecisionaboutreturningtotheNBAinSeptember,wegotexcited.Hehadsaidthedaybefore,“Ilookforwardtoplaying,andhopefullyIcangettothatpointwhereIcanmakethatdecision.It’sO.K.,tohavesomedoubt,andit’sO.K.tohavesomenervousness.”ATime/CNNpolllastweekhasAmericans,2to1,sayingtheywouldlikehimonthecourtASAP.Andonly21percentthoughtthatifhecamebackandjustcompletelybombed,itwoulddamagehislegend.Infactonly28percentthinkathletesshouldretireattheirpeak.<br/><alone></alone>SourcesclosetohimtellTimethatwhenJordanfirsttalkedaboutacomebackwiththeWashingtonWizards,theteamJordanco-ownsandwouldplayfor,someofhistrustedadvisersprivatelytriedtodiscouragehim.“Buttheysayiftheytrytostophim,itwillonlyfirmuphisresolve,”saysanNBAsource.<br/><alone></alone>TheproblemwithJordan’sreturnisnotonlythathecan’tpossiblyliveuptothestorybookendinghegaveupin1998—earninghissixthringwithalast-secondchampionship-winningshot.Theproblemisthatthemotivesforcomingback—needingtheattention,needingtoplayevenwhenhis38-year-oldbodydoesnot—violatetheverymythofJordan,themythofabsolutecontrol.BabeRuth,the20thcentury’sfirststar,wasagustoffatbravadoanddrunkentalent,whileJordanendedthecenturybyprovingtheeleganceofresolve;Babe’spointingtothebleachersreplacedbythecharmofabackpedalingshouldershrug.Jordansymbolizedsuccessbynotsullyinghisbrandwithhispolitics,hisopinionorsuperstarpersonality.TobeaJordanfanwastobeafanofclassinessandconfidence.<br/><alone></alone>TocomebackwhenheknowsthatplayingforWizardswon’tgethimanywherenearthesecondroundoftheplay-offs,whenheknowsthathewon’tbetheleaguescoringleader,that’salossofcontrol.<br/><alone></alone>Jordandoesnotcarewhatwethink.Friendssaythathetakesarticlesthattellhimnottocomebackandtacksthemallonhisrefrigeratorasinspiration.Sowhybotherwritingsomethingtellinghimnottocomeback?HeisstillMichaelJordan.