As human beings, we have the capacity and desire to strive for excellence in our lives. We are able to discern what we want out of our short, irretrievable time on this earth and figure out how me might achieve those goals. Then, we take action. Sometimes, it seems as if we can do anything we set our mind to. Other times, we fall short, no matter how hard we try. Despite our best efforts and true love for any aspiration, we are powerless. Every person has failed that big test after studying for five hours, or has been cut from that varsity team in senior year. Nevertheless, it is within these moments that we are able to find joy in others’ strengths where we are weak. Our appreciation and awe for greatness increases a hundred fold. I, for one, have never been and never will be much of a basketball player. That’s why watching Michael Jordan play the game of basketball was like playing the game yourself. Jordan was the boy that would drive the neighbors crazy because he was shooting hoops outside at 10 o’clock at night in December. He was the guy that shrugged his shoulders and pumped his fists like the rest of us do in pickup games. He was the highschool kid who was cut from that varsity team and worked his tail off just to prove his doubters wrong. He was everything we dreamed to be. He was the only player for whom you could say, “If that were my life, I wouldn’t change a thing.” If words existed to effectively express the excitement exuberated when Michael performed, they would be here. Yet, just like visiting New York or finding true love, one ought to be able to watch Michael Jordan play basketball once during one’s time. For, whether you are a sports fan or not, we, as humans, appreciate excellence. Just as the struggling instrumentalist would admire the concertmaster, or the frustrated math student would marvel at the mathematician, so can we to this athlete, and no one was better than Michael Jordan. Michael Jeffery Jordan played his final game of professional basketball on Wednesday in Philadelphia. He ended his career on a floundering, non-playoff team as he watched much of the game from the bench while Philadelphia pulled away. Yet, though his high-flying, championship banner days are gone, he retires as the greatest player to ever play the game. Hey, maybe he’ll come back… We can dream, but somehow it seems as though we’ve been through this before. Enjoy your long and happy ride into the sunset. Thanks for everything, MJ.
