KostComp1Genre6+-+Magazine

Actually Genre 5

__**Models**__ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1167653/index.htm =New Adventures Of The Old Mj= SELENA ROBERTS || Ruthlessness was never so rewarded with adoration. MJ felt love everywhere he traveled (or pushed off) because of one remarkable trick in his swoosh-marked duffel: He had the ability to package the dark side of his competitiveness on the court with the lighter side of Mike off it. He was engaging in postgame interviews, embraceable with sidekick Mars Blackmon and accessible in his Be Like Mike glory. He was the warmest of cold-blooded players as a Bull. But after Chicago ... just cold. Over the last decade Jordan's transition to icon afterlife has been mottled by a succession of crabby get-off-my-lawn moments. In Washington, as an executive in a jersey, Jordan failed to gain closure with one last lap around the league, failed to find a player in his own likeness on the team he put together. He played with urgency, as if a dungeon awaited the loser. His teammates played for the final buzzer as if it signaled an escape from their keeper. Wizards owner Abe Pollin put a jarring end to the Jordan experiment, firing him on May 7, 2003. For several years Jordan went Garbo, spotted only from afar on the links with a cigar that sent out a clear smoke signal: Leave me alone. Even in his ubiquitous Hanes commercial, Jordan is shot driving away from a fawning Charlie Sheen. Even when Bobcats owner Bob Johnson coaxed him into a minority ownership in 2006, Jordan remained aloof. He surfaced briefly last September with a graceless Hall of Fame speech, bent on settling scores with old foils like Jeff Van Gundy, Bryon Russell and Bulls architect Jerry Krause. "Jerry said organizations win championships," Jordan recounted. "I said, 'I don't see an organization playing with the flu in Utah.'" Why so bitter? Maybe Jordan has been simply lousy at living off the radar—he's not a bench player—while aching to call his own iso once again. He did it last week. He grabbed control of the basketball when he was approved as Charlotte's majority owner, the first retired player to buy an NBA team. The floor is all his again. And you know what? In his first press conference as owner, he looked as happy as he used to. "This gives him an outlet for his competitive drive," said Jordan's longtime friend Buzz Peterson, a former North Carolina teammate. "Competing fulfills him." Jordan stood at a podium, polished in a suit and tie, and had joy in his voice. These were the new adventures of the old MJ, now the willing face of the franchise. As Jordan said, he won't be "a show pony" but will work to connect with the "public to provide an entertainment value they can feel good about." Will he shake hands with ticket holders? Check. Will he finally buy a home in Charlotte? Check. Will he be a successful owner? This is a complicated one, but I'll check this box because the same man who created a player we had never seen before is skilled enough to become an owner like no other. "He's learned from his mistakes," Peterson said. He seems determined not to repeat the sins of his Wizards stint. "I've got to live vicariously through the players I put on the basketball court," Jordan told reporters. "[But] I don't expect Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson to be Michael Jordan." Both played with a lot of energy last Friday in Atlanta, where the Bobcats lost in overtime. In a black sport coat and dark jeans, Jordan sat a row behind the bench. Also at the game were friends Charles Oakley and Dominique Wilkins, who dismissed fears that Jordan would be too demanding for players to tolerate. "Ask this question: Is it wrong to establish high expectations?" Wilkins said. Oakley went even further, saying, "There are great players in this league, but a lot of them are anointed this or that or whatever when they're in high school. All Michael asks is that you earn everything you get. We should want more of that." Jordan didn't arrive in the NBA as a Chosen One. And when he took off as a rookie, he endured the legendary freeze-out in the All-Star Game by veterans. It fueled him. But as an owner, Jordan has to be careful with hazing. He has been spare in complimenting LeBron James. No matter how often LeBron seeks Jordan's validation—retire number 23, James has campaigned—he barely receives a nod from MJ. In Jordan's world it's title first, props second. But Jordan the owner has to make room in his heart for the work in progress. One day he'll have to pay a superstar and trust him to become the winner of his design. Already, it's heartening to see Jordan enjoying his band of Bobcats—a collection of hardworking misfits and upstarts under Larry Brown's professorial guidance—put themselves in position for the playoffs. Jordan is in their ears, and their response isn't that anthem of youthful alienation: //Yeah, whatever.// "He wants to make you better," Jackson says. Jordan knows how to communicate, build a brand and engage the audience. For an entire playing career he was as charismatic as he was merciless. That's the Mike we're starting to see again. That's the Mike to be like.
 * March 29, 2010
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 * The isolation** play always brought Michael Jordan closer to us. Waving his arm as if parting tall weeds—the signal for his teammates to clear out or, in truth, get lost—Jordan was at his most awe-inspiring to the masses when seen all alone. In this spot shadow he controlled the next move, a diabolical voodoo artist with an opponent to prick. Would he torture his defender with a crossover or a fadeaway or a spin move?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3243645 "DON'T TRY TO DUPLICATE"
 * Wednesday, February 13, 2008**
 * Updated: February 15, 12:14 PM ET**

By Michael Jordan (as told to Ric Bucher)

The NBA doesn't have an image problem. It has young guys who have young ideas. Maturity comes later, and sometimes too late to realize you should've done this or you should've done that. Kids shouldn't come out of school as early as they do. A year in college isn't enough. They shouldn't be allowed to come out until they are adults—21 years old. Now, why shouldn't a black kid who isn't wealthy have a chance to provide for his family? That is an issue; I'm not walking away from that. The problem is some kids are mature and ready to deal with the whole NBA atmosphere, but many more kids are not. I was a mature guy coming out of North Carolina, so when a negative thing happened—someone misinterprets what gambling means to me—it didn't stick. I stepped forward and said, "This is what I did, this is not jeopardizing anything, this is not an addiction," and the public listened. But I was a lot more mature when it happened. If I'd been in that position and had been asked that question at 18 or 19, I may have had a very different way of handling it. When I turned pro, the league was looking for a change. I had the personality and the game and a style of play, and all that came together at the same time. All the stars lined up and catapulted everything that came after—23 different shoes, Jordan Brand, everything. It's a phenomenon. How do you explain a phenomenon? You can't. The only advice I can give to someone in the league now is to be original. The consumer isn't dumb. He or she can sense things being knocked off. Originality is what lasts. David Stern hates when I say this, but in some ways he created his own problem. Look at the way the league markets its players. When I came in, they marketed the athletes themselves, how they performed, what they accomplished. To reinvent someone is very difficult. When you say a player is today's Michael Jordan or today's Magic Johnson, the first thing the public will do is compare him to the real Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. When the public doesn't see the same degree of success, you've just dug yourself a deeper hole.WOULD MJ HAVE MEANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO YOU WITH THE CORNROWS HE WORE AS A KID? You have to show the consumers something they haven't seen before, someone about whom they can say, "Hey, that guy is pretty cool." Magic, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, myself—we didn't start out as the league's partners. We evolved, then the league made us its partners. That's what the league has to do now—find guys who can grow up to be partners. Don't take guys and force them into our mold. One thing to learn from me is that everything I've ever done has been me, not something that someone calculated me to be. It goes to my upbringing, my parents. I didn't grow up in the inner city. I grew up in a rural area, where values were magnified. You were taught how to operate in society, to be articulate, honest. Kids growing up in the city, they're more materialistic. My kids are going through that now. I can wear a suit today and jeans with holes tomorrow, and yet people know they are seeing the real me in either outfit. I had cornrows when I was a kid, but it was before anyone knew who I was; would the public or corporate America accept me if I had them today? If I was willing to say, "This is who I am, I'm not trying to be so-and-so," maybe, but even then I'm not sure. When you see Michael Jordan today, you see Michael Jordan as a totally honest person, and when I say honest I mean real, genuine. I am who I am, and that's comprehensible to the masses and in many languages. It's a tough task for the league to create a similar image for itself. It has to find the right mix between corporate and street, believe in what it's doing and live with whatever the response may be. Too many of the league's decisions are made based on the bottom line. People pick up on that. You can't be afraid to fail. The stars you have now might not live up to the icon of a Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, but maybe they will create an image that delivers an impact for you 10, 15 years from now. All I know is—for the league and its players—don't try to duplicate something that has been done before. Do it your own way, and see where it goes. It might not hit the way you want it to. You may not make as much money as you want to. But there's value in remaining true to yourself.
 * || [[image:http://sports.espn.go.com/i/mag/2008issues/022508/nbaimage_jordan.jpg width="200" height="220" caption="Michael Jordan"]] ||

http://www.sports-central.org/sports/2011/03/23/the_real_ncaa_tournament.php Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Real NCAA Tournament
By Corrie Trouw Past the stroke of midnight, with Sunday melting into a puddle of Monday, the CBS/Turner studio crew looked tired. As they wrapped their fourth consecutive day of March Madness coverage, they tried to make sense of a 48-game blur like a hung-over college junior auditing the wad of bar receipts in the previous night's jeans. And like our fictional bar hero, Greg Gumbel, Charles Barkley, and the rest were unable to make much out of a weekend full of shots, Boilermakers, and Cougars. To a mistaken many, the chaos of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is its most charming hour. By repeating David vs. Goliath in enough trials, the early rounds of the tournament almost always give college basketball populists some nourishment for their underdog-loving hearts. But if the tournament exists to tell a champion's story, these supposedly great moments are merely prologue to more important chapters. Do not confuse close with quality. Butler and Pitt served a perfect example Saturday night in their Third (think second) Round tilt. In the game's final two seconds, the Bulldogs and Panthers traded inexplicable game-surrendering fouls a middle school coach would have lost sleep over. Exciting? Of course. Grade A hoops? Only by the most generous curve. Still think the early tournament matters? Consider some of more mystical species that inhabit that part of the bracket. Gonzaga, for all of its hype, has never returned to the Elite Eight after its run in 1999. And Butler, the mid-major usurpers from last year, traded in their Cinderella slippers when they tried on a five-seed. That is why the real NCAA tournament will tip off this weekend. The 16 teams still playing have a few days to realize the weight of what they are about to attempt. In the first rounds, they were one of several dozen teams trying to plan itineraries, schedule practice time, and adjust to the tournament's bizarre schedule and obscure opponents. They survived their abbreviated spring breaks; now the rest is a business trip. By the second weekend, the field has been boiled down to a concentration. For most of the teams playing from here on, a four-win run over tournament-caliber competition is conceivable. We could not have said the same a week ago for six consecutive Texas-San Antonio or Boston University wins. At this point in the tournament, the nonsense of Selection Sunday is well forgotten. A week ago, VCU had to ford a river of Dick Vitale's tears just to get into the tournament. But when the Rams take the floor Friday, they will do so with the credibility of three eye-popping beatings of power conference teams under their belts. Keep your early round seeds; real respect is measured in wins. Are Florida State and Richmond two of the best 16 teams in the country? Probably not. But that kind of matchup is the exception, not the rule, at this stage. After a coma-worthy onslaught of mismatches last weekend, the Sweet 16 finally brings us tradition-rich bouts like Ohio State/Kentucky and Duke/Arizona, as well as compelling matchups of gatekeepers versus newcomers like Connecticut/San Diego State and Florida/BYU. At this point in the tournament, there is no more bluffing, no more growing left to do. These are good teams playing good teams, and there is no more time to get better. Shouldn't we hope to see this instead of good teams stumbling to lesser ones on a cold shooting night? Isn't this much more fun than seeing a team capable of more playing listlessly against a frenzied underdog in the early afternoon? The appetizer plates have been cleared. Now it's time to enjoy the tournament's main courses. Contents copyright © Sports Central 1998-2009

Title Date Author
 * __Characteristics__**

Tends to hold a single view on a specific topic Light and airy atmosphere - Professional, but not exactly formal
 * __Criteria__**

Michael Jordan: All-star to Owner March 23, 2010 Korey Kost The crossover. The step-back. The hangtime that seemed to go on forever. The swish of the net as the jumper drops through at the buzzer. These are what Michael Jordan is known for. He was constantly in the spotlight, the center of the attention. However, that all changed in an instant or what seemed like one. After Chicago, Jordan seemed to go into remission; he did not take the move from center of attention to an afterthought well. His last run in Washington ended in bitter disappointment: He was fired in early May of 2003. Whenever Jordan was seen, it tended to be behind a puff of cigar smoke out on the golf courses. Last September when Jordan gave his Hall of Fame induction speech, there was the happiness and joking that was Michael, and not that elusive Michael. He joked with the players who taunted him and the coaches who insulted his abilities. Jordan said after the first time he retired, Byron Russell came up to him and asked why he quit. Byron said he could defend Jordan and shut him down. In 1996, when Jordan and the Bulls went up against the Utah Jazz, Michael said to Byron, “Remember the conversation you made in 1994? ‘I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, I would love to play against you.’ Well you about to get your chance” (Michael Jordan – Hall of Fame). He was in the spotlight once again, and he did it all with a smile on his face. Many argue that after the Bulls and the Wizards, Jordan seemed to be brimming with emotions. He longed and ached for the spotlight once again. He got his wish – He became the first NBA player to buy an entire NBA team, the Charlotte Bobcats. In the press conference after being announced as the new owner, Jordan looked like his old self, bright, cheery, and full of enthusiasm. On Jordan’s becoming the owner, former UNC teammate Buzz Peterson said, “ ‘This gives him an outlet for his competitive drive. Competing fulfills him’ ” (New Adventures). Jordan is very enthusiastic about his new position saying, “He won’t be ‘a show pony’ but will work to connect with the ‘public to provide an entertainment value they can feel good about’ ” (New Adventures). Jordan knows that his players aren’t going to be the next him. All he wants of his team is to give everything that they have, and leave it all out there on the court. When asked if Jordan would be too much to tolerate, friends and former competitors Charles Oakley and Dominique Wilkins had this to say: Wilkins: “ ‘Ask this question: Is it wrong to establish high expectations?’ ” (New Adventures) Oakley: “ ‘There are great players in this league, but a lot of them are anointed this or that or whatever when they’re in high school. All Michael asks is that you earn everything you get. We should want more of that’ ” (New Adventures). Who knows what is in store for Michael, but I bet we will be seeing him more and more in the media.