Alvin’s Blog

First man to fly without wings

A few weeks back, I asked my mate Ryan who he thought the most well-known athlete is of recent time. Immediate in his reply, with a response most confident in tone and with his chin held up high, he said that Muhammed Ali is easily the most well-known character is recent sports history. He was wrong (and still is wrong, because he continues to believe in his initial knee-jerk answer).

Who’s the most well-known athlete then, you ask? Who has inspired millions worldwide? Who has become ‘bigger’ than just another name in hall of great achievers in sport? That person Michael Jordan.

Muhammed Ali floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. My man Mike flew through the air like an eagle and jammed hoops like a sledgehammer.

During his career in the basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan singlehandedly brought six championships in the NBA. With the US Olympic team, he helped bring North America two sets of gold medals as part of a group of players dubbed “The Dream Team.”

He is a record-breaker in basketball (he holds the NBA record for highest career regular season scoring average with 30.12 points per game), but the reason why I say that he is greater than Muhammed Ali is because he has a ‘reach’ far greater than the traditional American sport.

Michael Jordan is also business man, a film-star (who remembers Space Jam?) and, most importantly, a brand. Naomi Klein mentions it in her famous book, No Logo: and I take it further by saying that Michael Jordan is, by far, the most well-known, greatest sportsperson of recent history.

Millions of people have bought Air Jordans (the trainers named after the one-man show) and many others still do today. My mate Adham recently bought a cap with his insignia, one item in a massive range of clothing. Trading cards, T-Shirts, tattoos… You name it, Michael Jordan has his name or logo stamped all over it. Muhammed Ali might have people writing books about him, and he may have a big mouth and spoke powerful words, but has he got his own trainers?

I admire Muhammed Ali a great deal. His performances in the ring encouraged me to put on the red gloves and box in my local gym when I was a teen. His charisma and “I-don’t-give-a-fuck” attitude also helped me to realise that there’s nothing wrong with a little chutzpah in a similar way to Malcolm X. But despite his wit and wise words, and his intriguing maturation as a man, he was not able to make a kid believe he could fly.

One of the first books I bought when I were a kid was called How to be Like Mike. Looking back, it was clear that Mike’s never-quit attitude, hard-work, grit and determination was what made me believe in endless possibilities. I’m sure that his high-flying feats (now displayed on YouTube [one video featuring MJ has nearly 6,000,000 views, while Muhammed Ali's most viewed video has 2,ooo,ooo]) continue to stretch the imaginations of millions of kids today too.

Maybe the basis of my argument is more about the power of capitalist powerhouses like Nike, who arguably made Michael Jordan who he is today, but that’s another question. Muhammed Ali’s influence is undeniable, but put next to Michael Jordan it is clear who is the real heavyweight when it comes to sporting achievement and X-factor combined. The fact that both ESPN and Sport name him the greatest athlete of recent time helps me prove, too, that my mate Ryan was wrong (HA HA! – in Nelson’s, from The Simpsons, voice).

Who do you think is the greater athlete? Michael Jordan or Muhammed Ali, or someone else even? Comments welcomed.