While watching the crazy ending of last week's NCAA Men's National Championship Game, I couldn't think but think that a Michael Jordan crying meme will appear on my Twitter feed in the next few minutes. I even heard an ESPN analyst say to expect seeing lots of Michael Jordan crying memes all over Twitter and Instagram that night. That part was true. I went to my Twitter feed a few minutes after that, and lo and behold, there it was:
I will admit, some of the memes were pretty funny, and others were very absurd. But while this next tweet doesn't feature Michael Jordan's crying face, it basically sums up what Jordan has been known for over the last couple of years:
It's actually kind of sad to think of Michael Jordan this way, but this tweet is so true. Every time a college team loses a bowl game or a tournament, a Michael Jordan crying meme appears. Every time a professional team loses the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series or the Stanley Cup, a Michael Jordan crying meme appears. When people think of Michael Jordan these days, they think more about his meme and less on his actual achievements in the sports world. I'm here to say that Michael Jordan is worth so much more than that.
This is the same man that won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls in the '90s. He has a wildly successful shoe brand that has and continues to be one of the most top-selling shoe brands of all time. The Nike Air Jordan brand is endorsed by 21 active NBA players, from Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to Ray Allen and Carmelo Anthony. Even New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter was a Jordan-sponsored athlete during his baseball tenure. He appeared in "Space Jam," which is one of my (and hopefully your) all-time favorite childhood movies. Jordan's jumpman poses are so cool that there are even motivational posters with his picture in the background.
Heck, there is even a popular song by Drake and Future based on Jordan's jumpman pose. You pretty much know how it goes.
So for the groups of people who think more of Michael Jordan as the "crying face guy," this guy is a lot more influential and successful throughout the sports world that what you actually think.