Michael Jordan is one of the most identifiable faces in the world.
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MJ and his famed Jordan Brand products are part of the cultural fabric of sports fandom. The former NBA Champion with the Bulls and his Air Jordans burst into the scene in 1984.
Jordan instantly became one of the faces of the NBA and was a huge factor in the growing global popularity of the NBA in the 90s. His Airness truly established himself amongst the pantheon of all-time greats during the 90s.
With Jordan’s rising popularity came the money and the responsibilities associated with it too. Jordan became the first NBA Billionaire, largely thanks to Jordan brand, and got accustomed to a regal life.
MJ’s mansion in Chicago is estimated to be worth around $29 million and the most expensive car in his very expensive collection is considered worth around $3 million. Talk about living it large.
This lifestyle and his apolitical nature have often been linked. Michael Jordan has met with considerable criticism for not making a political stance and making use of his influence in society.
When did Michael Jordan finally buck the trend of being apolitical?
However, more recently, circumstances have demanded that even Michael Jordan be political. In 2020, George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. The event sent shockwaves across the world and triggered the Black Lives Matter movement.
The incident also marked a point of change in MJs life.
In MJ’s words, this was a “tipping point”. Such instances could not be allowed to repeat. In the aftermath of this incident, MJ pledged $100 million vide Jordan Brand to improving “racial equality, social justice, and greater access to education”.
While it took an incident of this magnitude, MJ’s generous contribution is noteworthy. How the money shall be distributed however is unknown.
Michael Jordan called his action an important start. MJ emphasized on the importance of effort to make such a social movement successful too.
In Jordan’s words, education is 110% part of the solution. This could see a considerable chunk of the donation be moved to the education system.
However critical one may be of Michael Jordan’s apolitical nature, this act of generosity could spark a change. Someone of Jordan’s influence can impact the scenario in multiple ways.
One can only hope that this marks a breath of fresh air in the political scenario concerning racism in America.