When the name of Michael Jordan is mentioned, the first thing to cross everybody’s mind is, of course, basketball. However, it would be unforgivably primitive to describe him simply as a basketball player. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Michael Jordan represents in himself some unique or almost unique phenomenon that broadens his importance far beyond the scope of basketball and sport in general and makes him one of the most picturesque examples of the American Dream.
His difficult childhood, full of all kinds of hardships and misfortunes (he was almost miscarried by his mother, was almost killed by accident many times, his nose bled till he was five, he lost his girlfriend in a flood when at college, one of his friends drowned when he himself barely escaped the same fate, his father was savagely murdered and so on, and so forth). People gave up or committed suicide for much minute reasons, but Jordan not only managed to enjoy his time at school and find his vocation as a professional basketball player, but also managed to bring his dreams into being in a fashion that may serve as an example for everyone who doubts his or her possibilities.
Due to his participation, the Chicago Bulls turned into a club that is known to everybody, even to the people who have never watched a basketball game in their lives. He was and is among the most successful sportsmen in known history, expanding his activities from playing to using his name for endorsement of sportswear and other goods (is there anybody who hasn’t heard of Nike shoes? It is his work as well).
Even though Michael Jordan’s sport career has come to an end, he is and will be one of the best examples of what can be done with the help of determination and belief in one’s own powers.