Growing up watching basketball in the Bad Boys era, being a Pistons fan went hand in hand with hating Michael Jordan and the Bulls. There was no ambiguity and no exceptions. Open and shut case.
But what I didn’t realize was that there were Bulls fans out there that also hated Jordan. Not many, I’m sure, but apparently some, and at least one of those fans created a web site documenting why: The Anti-Jordan Page — Reasons NOT to worship MJ
I stumbled across this site a few days ago, and I’m glad I did — it’s like stepping into a time machine. It’s one of those free Geocities sites and hasn’t been updated since 1999, complete with gloriously bad web design and graphics and an annoying javascript alert box that pops up before the page finishes loading. Better yet, though, are the delightfully venomous arguments, many of which are so illogical that only an emotionally-frustrated fan could say them with a straight face.
2) MJ has a HUGE EGO and shows off!
*Against the Lakers in the Finals, Jordan switched hands during a layup UNNECESSARILY!
*He’s taken foul shots with his eyes closed to rub it in to the other team that the Bulls were winning.
*Even though he’s the greatest DOESN’T mean he can show off. Pippen, Walt Williams, Stockton for example, don’t show off!
*Jordan is an athlete before an entertainer
Who can’t get behind this reason? I can’t count the number of times I watched Jordan play and thought, “Why can’t he be more like Walt Williams?”
5) Each game MJ wears a new pair of sneakers, & if he played a bad 1st half, he’ll put on a brand new pair during halftime!
* How corny! It’s not his shoes having a bad game!
He feels that he should get away with fouling. Proof: He always has a “Do u know who I am look?” when he’s called for a foul. Allegedly, he actually said it to a ref.
*MJ’s the best, but he’s not to be excluded from the rules–great players should play by the rules, right?
Right on! Pistons fans have no respect for any player who complains to the refs about calls — er, nevermind . . .
16) After his “retirement,” a statue was built in front of the United Center. Meaning: When Jordan came back, his statue still stands tall (inflating his ego more) & disrespecting the other current players of the Bulls.
(That isn’t his fault, but it’s still another reason)
18) Jordan returned to the NBA after failing at baseball. He can’t stick with something that’s too hard for him!
He’s a complete and utter failure!
19) He has his very own HUGE restaurant in Chicago. Other celebrities work with others. (Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Cafe, All Star Cafe & those who have their OWN, Larry Bird, Dan Marjerle…are not as close to being as big).
So not only does he have his own restaurant, but he has his own big restaurant! What a jerk.
21) His sneakers just keep getting uglier & uglier but people will buy them cuz “it’s Michael’s”.
Actually, I think he’s really on to something with this one . . .
What would drive someone to put together such a ridiculous awesome list of reasons not to like Jordan? From the “Editor’s Statement:”
I wrote this because I wanted to show “the other” side to Jordan. Everybody already knows he’s the best & he’s a great role model. I just want everybody to know that he’s HUMAN & “Air” Jordan has his faults, too. I could just leave his reputation alone–but why should I? EVERY celeb, EVERY athelete, every politcian gets slandered & picked apart! Why shouldn’t Jordan? Why should he be untouched? Just because he’s the best? Well, the best in every field gets criticized–MJ’s no different!
You have to love the rationale — everyone gets slandered, so why shouldn’t Jordan? I really feel for this guy, growing up a Bulls fan but not drinking the No. 23 Kool-Aid. I just hope he’s still OK — part of me wonders if the reason it hasn’t been updated since 1999 is because he jumped off the John Hancock building after Jordan returned to the Wizards.
What about you guys? Tell us your reasons why we shouldn’t like Michael Jordan — the more awesomely bad twisted logic the better!
Reasons NOT to worship MJ [Anti-Jordan Page]
It’s easy not to like Jordan. He was never a Piston fan or player. All the other reasons are just hyperbole. The same can be said of many of the bad people in life. Charles Manson, not a Piston. Jeffrey Dahmer was a huge Timberwolves fan. Adolf Hitler did not even like basketball. I could go on and on. Maybe you need a few good examples; Mother Teresa had a cross made out of the Pistons colors, Abe Lincoln would have been a fan, heck I have heard tell that Noah wanted to make up a basketball league and only put Piston players on board…but I can’t really back that up with documentation.
Jordan’s post-playing career gives plenty of reasons for a Bulls fan not to like him.
By the way, an excellent Dr. Evil reference served up by Mr. Allred.
He is BALD on PURPOSE meaning that he has some irrational hatred of hair.
He is indecisive. He has like FOUR houses and TWELVE cars and SEVEN sets of golf clubs. What, can’t make up your mind, MJ??
He’s MEAN. He totally humiliated HUNDREDS of people on national television.
(can you please put some blinky basketballs in between these to spice them up a bit??)
Jordan and Nike teamed up to make tennis shoes that are crazy expensive and worth hurting other people to get a hold of. What’s not to love about that?
Jordan created the myth that only black men looked good with bald heads, leaving us very un-black bald men out in the cold awaiting another game-changing performance, like Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys.
Going off of Julie’s idea: Michael Jordan and Nike teamed up to make shoes that were crazy expensive and manufactured by sweat shops (probably).
MJ hates the rim! He just hates it!
MJ and Gatorade had a campaign telling kids to “Be Like Mike,” even though only a fraction of 1% of those kids had the talent to someday go to the NBA, thus setting them up for failure and ruining their self-esteems.
When I was living in Chicago, I did some work for a product that was endorsed by Jordan (similar to the device currently being shilled by Shaq and Mia Hamm on tv).
I had the opportunity to meet/hang out with Jordan many times, both professionally and socially. I don’t want to get anyone sued, but while Jordan was nice enough to me, he was a total c*ck to most. And while I never saw him indulge, coke was ALWAYS around.
Anyone who lived in Chicago during that time has their own stories about seeing Jordan out with women other than his wife, or seeing his car parked overnight at houses that weren’t his — but I saw him pull some stuff that makes Kobe look like a boy scout.
Other than that, I always hated the way he never parlayed his enormous influence over black and white youth into something positive — politically or socially (like Muhammad Ali, for example). It was all about selling Michael Jordan.
Don’t even get me started on the shady circumstances behind the death of his father…
There was a story written in one of the local DC papers (not the post or the times; this was an indy article) a few years back that I’ve been forever trying to track down. It basically combined the tale of Jordan’s frequent clubbing and womanizing in DC with an individual’s tale of losing his female acquaintance to Jordan, including details of Jordan and bodyguards’ attempts to prevent him from speaking with her.
Yours sounds just as interesting, and corroborates as well.
I heard he leaves the toilet seat up after #1. Not after Chauncey Billups (#1) but after, well you know.
Ian the story you are talking about is mentioned in one of these two books cant remember which but I have both “One Last Shot” and When Nothing Else Matters” both very detailed about his time in Washington. LA Mike, I’d like to hear more MJ stories from when you were in Chicago!