It is no easy task to be a prominent athlete during the Twitter era in professional sports. Privacy is a thing of the past, while constant criticism and direct interaction with fans have become the norm.
NBA legend Michael Jordan never had to deal with this kind of constant bombardment from the Twittersphere during his playing days and admitted in an interview with Marvin R. Shanken of Cigar Aficionado that it might’ve gotten the best of him.
“But for someone like myself — and this is what Tiger [Woods] deals with — I don’t know if I could’ve survived in this Twitter [era], where you don’t have the privacy that you’d want and what seems to be very innocent can always be misinterpreted,” said Jordan.
This is an interesting admission from Jordan as he’s famously known for using criticism to fuel his motivation on the basketball floor. That was made abundantly clear in “The Last Dance” documentary about his NBA career and final season with the Chicago Bulls.
With the G.O.A.T. debate in full force once again following Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James winning his fourth NBA title, Jordan’s comments will almost certainly cause a bit of a stir on social media.
James has put constant pressure on Jordan over the last few years while breaking records, winning titles, and playing at an elite level at 35 years old.
It’ll be interesting to see how his recent comments impact the G.O.A.T. debate and if it results in James taking another step forward, considering his success in the social media era.
