You're just fucking stupid.
I finally got around to reading the responses to my posts in this thread, and this will be my last written communication on this subject. I really don’t have the time, but I somehow feel as though I owe MJ to put this self-righteous puke Lefty in his place. So allow me to momentarily step in the sewer.
Here’s a quick review. You, Lefty, bitched about MJ, called him an “asswipe” because you didn't like his gambling, his HOF speech, etc. I countered with a more moderate assessment of MJ. No one has tried to paint MJ as perfect...obviously, no one is. But I offered positive actions of MJ to counter your argument portraying him as a massive prick, and you ignored them. You’ve chosen to focus only on the negatives, and form an opinion despite never meeting the man. It’s a free country, and you’re free to do so. But I'm free to call you the human turd in the punch bowl. There is good and bad in everyone, & for you to focus only on the negatives while refusing to acknowledge the positives says a lot more about you than any of your critiques say about Michael.
When judging a person to be an “asswipe”, I’d start by analyzing how he or she affected your personal life, in a negative or positive way. I'm not going to get into a discussion of microeconomics with you, because you're obviously too fucking stupid to understand, but it's no coincidence that the city was a toilet in the early 80's, and over the time frame that coincided with MJ playing in Chicago, it became one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities in the country. Daley’s beautification projects were largely funded by some of the highest hotel taxes in the country. During the 90’s, Chicago actually became a tourist destination from November to March, something it never was before, all because people throughout the world were coming to our city to witness the greatest basketball player in history play at the old Chicago Stadium and the UC. The financial impact was massive, and much of the revenue was used to improve the city aesthetics, and we still reap these benefits today. Was MJ the sole reason for city’s improvements? Of course not, but I’d argue he was the most underrated one, and his enormous positive economic impact on Chicago will always be underestimated and in some circles ignored. A French news agency in 1998 reported that Michael Jordan had an impact valued at more than 10 billion dollars on the US economy since he joined the National Basketball Association in 1984. I’d argue that Chicago reaped the benefits more than any other American city. If you reside in Chicago, there is no doubt we’re all better off because MJ played here. We owe him some benefit of the doubt when it comes to labeling him an asswipe. But you’ve chosen to TMZ him because of his personal failings. So let’s address those.
Here are some of your specific critiques:
“He swore on live television”
People swear, especially athletes. I noticed you did throughout the thread when you were beaten in argument after argument.
"and went out of his way to bash people as far back as some jamoke of a coach that cut him in high school?"
He was making a point that he used slights as motivation to get better. A lot of great people turn negatives into a positive. Hopefully you'll use my critiques as motivation to get a life.
"The one where he then went on to bash people from every level of basketball he played since then, during his, you know, Hall of Fame induction speech, essentially making a mockery of the whole night and even lambasting some of the people that were in the audience to honor him?"
I would agree that he could have given a less memorable, boring version that people won't talk about for years to come. Again, the purpose was to show what he used as motivation to become the best ever. Was it a great speech? No, but it didn’t come close to providing enough incentive for me to disrespect him by calling him an asswipe.
"I was laughing my ass off. But that's because I knew there were hundreds of people in attendance (and many more watching at home) that absolutely loved basketball and loved MJ but didn't know he was that much of an absolute prick, and it was funny to think about how and when their brains finally clicked to the fact that the dude is an asswipe."
Actually, trying to diminish a legend like Michael, and making snide comments about those who support him….that's the true definition of an asswipe. Why you get off on trying to bash him is quite pathetic, but not surprising, from an obvious self-loathing **** who has very little to do with his time.
“ For punching Steve Kerr and Will Perdue during practices”
Anyone who has spent time playing competitive basketball knows that these things sometimes happen during the course of competitive practices or games. Michael called Steve immediately afterward and apologized. Then they moved on. This is the kind of thing you would know if you didn’t spend the majority of your life in a hobbit costume. But you used it as another example of how MJ is an “asswipe”.
You criticize MJ for being a womanizer. It’s a failing of great men throughout history, including true heroes like JFK and Martin Luther King. That doesn’t make them “asswipes”. Degenerate gambler? Why is it any of your business what Michael does with his money? It has never effected his perfomanc in games, and his family is obviously still financially secure. Why do you give a shit what MJ does with the money the HE has earned?
He’s been a winner as a father, and he’s failed as a husband. It’s obvious his kids love him, and I think that’s worth something on the grand scale. Overall, he’s behaved quite well under the microscope that is his life. I think it would be naïve to think that anyone could achieve his iconic status without having some redeeming qualities.
I’d could offer several other positive examples of stories from a good friend in the Bulls organization who actually worked with Michael while he was a Bull. I know that he has donated considerable amounts of time and money for the Charitabulls organization, the Boys and Girls Club and the Make A Wish Foundation. A good friend actually spent 4 ½ hours on a golf course caddying for him in 88; MJ was extremely cool and generous with his time and money. These are people I know and trust, and these people have benefited from his generosity and time. I know these accounts are credible, and I value them more than those of a writer with an axe to grind or some jealous NBA teammate.
I understand and respect people’s right to dislike MJ. I respect and acknowledge Hou’s opinion, although I strongly disagree with it. But I find your invective particularly irritating. For all I know, you may have a solid foundation in basketball, someone who dedicated himself to the sport and truly understands the game. Or you could be a talentless, jealous **** who likes to spend hours on Mt. Pious, which ironically is probably located somewhere in your parent's basement. I know you find gambling objectionable, but I’d like to bet on the latter. So allow me to offer the following wager: Thonus, Kush, and several of the guys on this forum like to meet up and play some hoops. We’ll both take 50 3-pointers, college or pro, your choice. I’m sure someone like you, so dedicated to the game of basketball, can teach me, an aging old man well past his prime, a thing or 2 about the important fundamentals of shooting. If you make more than me, I’ll give you 100 bucks and apologize for the insults I have hurled your way in this post. If I make more than you, from that day forward, you'll promise to keep your fucking negative pathetic thoughts on MJ to yourself, and never write another fucking negative word in this or any other Forum about MJ. And I promise not to laugh if you shoot underhand. I doubt you’ll take the bait though…just more writing from a kid with no credibility. If you’re game, email me at
chicagobullseye@gmail.com. Otherwise, Good luck in your life. In the future, I encourage you to look for inspiration in achievers instead of trying to tear them down.
It's really funny that you have yet to grasp how insanely stupid it is to use arbitrary sets of games as the make-or-break of a player's career. I don't understand how people actually can do that stupid shit still. Like, really? Your brain doesn't tell you "gee, it appears that there are only a small number of games off which we are extrapolating meaning and making wide-spread conclusions, perhaps this small sub-set of games is not the best to use"?
