Last week, I set out to pick my greatest player in sports history.
Everyone’s going to have a different take depending on what you value – winning, statistics, legacy, and several others. This conversation is more heated than the 2020 election.
But when I think of the greatest of all time, my brain – though young – jumps to Tom Brady and Michael Jordan. I mean, you’re going to get mad at me for that?
Toward the tail end of last week’s column, I said give me a week to think about it. Funny thing is, it wasn’t theatrics. I had no idea who I was going to pick.
Well, now I know.
Before I begin, this really is stupid. Here you have two legends probably playing golf in the sun right now, all while people like you and me debate who’s better – despite them playing completely different sports.
But in the end, comparisons can be made. Winning is winning, numbers are numbers, and legacies, well, they last forever.
First, skill. One of these guys can fly through the air. Just listen to Magic Johnson’s comment about a dunk Jordan performed in a USA team practice, one where he executed a double-pump reverse on David Robinson’s head.
Then, you’ve got Tom, a gunslinger who threads needles and makes the most average receivers look like Hall of Famers. Remember the snow game against Tennessee when Brady threw five touchdowns in the second quarter?
That said, my Massachusetts-made heart even has to admit, Jordan’s skill level is what changed the culture.
Though Brady played the game at a more elite level, we’d seen people like Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Bart Starr make magic through the air, also.
But with Jordan, you never saw those plays before him. Bird, Magic, Russell, Oscar, and even ridiculously-athletic Dr. J couldn’t do what Jordan did.
From his shoes to the red jersey still seen at playgrounds everywhere, he made more of a culture pop than Brady. Even Ben Affleck’s new movie “Air” came out 25 years after Jordan’s retirement.
Michael Jordan changed his sport – and the culture – more than Tom Brady did. Plain and simple.
Ask anyone who knows me, even my old friends at the lunch table. I love clutch moments. I mean, who wouldn’t? Great players play well in the regular season, but legends come alive in the playoffs.
That said, if I gave skill level to Jordan, Brady ties it up with all of his clutch moments. Let’s see: game-winning touchdown against Seattle, 28-3 comeback against Atlanta, several drives to set up Adam Vinatieri, a drop-of-the-bucket pass to Brandon LaFell against Baltimore, and an overtime victory in the AFC championship against Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
Yeah, Jordan’s got his too, but not that many, not under that pressure, not in the social-media era, and not of that magnitude.
I guess this comes down to legacy.
Brady has seven rings, a plethora of passing records, I think he’s the unanimous GOAT of his sport, and he never has to buy a drink in New England the rest of his life.
But Jordan was 6-0 in the finals with six MVPs, has won both regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, and was so good, he never had a rival – unlike Brady who had to edge out Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and even Mahomes toward the end.
It’s math: 23 is greater than 12.
Anyway…
Congratulations to Peabody track coach Fernando Braz on being named Track Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year in Massachusetts.
I watched “Field of Dreams” for the first time last weekend. Does anyone want to build something? Play catch?
I watched a few St. John’s Prep lacrosse games with assistant athletic director Tara Sartori last week. She’s as funny as she is passionate, and a great watching partner.
Shoutout to coaches Terrell Patterson and Sharell Sanders for a great first year of flag football at St. Mary’s. The future is bright, and a whole lot of fun.
I saw “The Flash” in theaters last week and it made me think: who are some of the fastest athletes in the area? I’d narrow things down to St. Mary’s Brady Bullock (hockey), English’s Warren Keel Jr. (basketball), and Fenwick’s Rayne Millett (field hockey).
Is it college football season yet? My favorite sporting event to watch is a 3:30 p.m. SEC game after watching College Football Gameday starring Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. Deep breaths, just a few more months.
