| Michael Jordan is one of the most recognized sports figures in the world. |
| To understand the breadth of his fame, it’s probably best to think of Jordan in two senses: |
| as a person and an athlete with incredible athletic prowess and skill, |
| and as a cultural and media icon. |
| The second way of thinking about Jordan is probably equal to the first. |
| After all, it was his endorsement of dozens of commercial products, spots in movies, |
| and in general his commercially and market-produced image that made Jordan so famous worldwide. |
| Jordan was born in 1963, one of three sons of a corporate executive. |
| He attended North Carolina University from 1981 to 84, |
| and was then drafted to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Chicago Bulls. |
| During the same year, |
| he co-captained the U.S.A. basketball team to gold in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. |
| Jordan’s fame was quickly accelerated with the help of his agent and a marketing firm. |
| After winning the NBA’s Rookie of the Year distinction, |
| Jordan quickly began signing a series of marketing contracts |
| that would eventually create the iconic image known throughout the world. |
| The most notable marketing endorsement contract came with Nike Corporation. |
| Nike built much of its marketing and commercial strategy around Jordan in the 1980s and early 1990s. |
| With his own line of Nike-produced basketball shoes and clothing, |
| Jordan established himself as a marketable commodity. |
| The relationship between Nike and Jordan would be a mutually beneficial one. |
| It elevated Jordan to international prominence, |
| while helping push Nike to number one status as world sports merchandiser. |
| Jordan’s athletic status was also aided by the fact |
| that his was a career with relatively little controversy, unlike many other superstar athletes. |
| Social and political controversies surrounding Jordan were rare, |
| and when they did occur these were minor. |
| In 1992, he got himself into a bit of trouble |
| when he did not allow his image to be used by the NBA |
| for the licensing of leisure wear and memorabilia in the run-up to the Summer Olympic Games. |
| In addition, once at the Games, Jordan, being contractually committed to Nike, |
| refused to wear the official sponsor Reebok’s warm-up suits. |
| The issue was resolved when Jordan and his teammates wore the U.S. flag |
| and extra long lapels to cover the Reebok logo. |
| In 1993, Jordan made a surprise announcement of his retirement from the NBA at the age of thirty. |
| He signed as a free agent to play Major League Baseball with the Chicago White Sox, |
| and played unsuccessfully, as it turned out, with the White Sox minor league affiliate. |
| Jordan then made a brief comeback in the NBA, only to retire soon after. |
| History will recognize Jordan not only for his athletic prowess, |
| arguably the best the sport of basketball has ever seen, |
| and for his iconic status in the later-twentieth century world of sport’s marketing and image production. |
