Word: jordaning
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...basketball player who lives an unreal life as an athletic icon, North Carolina remains much more to Michael Jordan than just his home state or alma mater. In Chicago he is unable to attend his local Methodist church because of the commotion his presence creates. "But in Carolina I feel at ease. My real friends keep me straight -- they don't praise me or ask favors." With characteristic modesty, he adds, "I would probably be unreasonable without my friends and family to keep me in balance...
...Jordan went through a six-week initiation period to join a national black fraternity, Omega Psi Phi. Omega is the third oldest black fraternity in the country and has 700 chapters nationwide that coordinate social, political and business activities. Among its 80,000 initiates, Omega counts such notables as Jesse Jackson, N.A.A.C.P. director Benjamin Hooks and Philadelphia's Mayor Wilson Goode. "It is another sort of community for me," says Jordan. "It is an organization made up of men who want to give something back to society." An omega tattoo on the left side of Jordan's chest symbolizes...
...Jordan does not see his support for Omega Psi Phi as detracting from his goal to be a role model for youngsters of all races. "I try to be seen as Michael Jordan the person, not as black or white," he says. "I guess I am a pioneer, and at some time I may come up against a racial barrier, but at least I have cleared...
Throughout his athletic career, Jordan has rarely failed to overcome obstacles and reach his potential, but there is one major gap in his resume: he has not been part of an NBA championship team. Jordan is painfully aware that the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson and the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird have eight crowns between them. He has become increasingly outspoken on the Bulls' need to attract a competitive core of players. For the first time in his basketball career, frustration has led him this season to criticize his teammates' play publicly. Ironically, the premium that the Bulls...
...impressive as those numbers are, basketball is only the launching pad for Jordan's accelerating financial rocket ship. Thanks largely to his agents at ProServ, a Washington-based sports marketing firm, Jordan will earn an estimated $5 million off the court this year. His list of corporate endorsements keeps growing: Chevrolet, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Johnson Products (personal-care items produced by one of the largest black-owned businesses in the U.S.), Nike. And last fall Jordan became the first basketball player ever to appear on a box of Wheaties...