Written by: Arthur, Founder & CEO of ISFM
This is not any typical article
This is the first article of a series: What If?
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In this article, we’ll be talking about what yesterday, today and tomorrow would be like if Michael Jordan chose to lead a full career of baseball, not playing basketball whatsoever.
Introduction
Michael Jordan is known for being one of the best basketball players of all time. (Of course, now he’s retired) He did do some baseball after his NBA career ended, which he was good at, but he was still a bigger star in basketball.
The Big Question: What if Michael never picked up basketball, and started baseball from the very beginning?
The Past
If Michael Jordan had chosen baseball from the start, the entire 1990s sports world would look completely different.
First off, the NBA would have lost its biggest icon without knowing he ever existed. Without Jordan leading the Chicago Bulls, those six championships they won likely would never have happened. The Bulls might still have been competitive, but they wouldn’t have become a global dynasty. Players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and later stars like Hakeem Olajuwon would have dominated the era even more than they already did, as MJ wouldn’t have been there to compete among them.
Meanwhile, over in baseball, Jordan’s story would have been completely different. Instead of being a short experiment, baseball would probably have been his main focus from childhood. With his work ethic and athleticism, there’s a real chance he would have developed into a strong MLB player, maybe even a star. Teams would have marketed him heavily, possibly making baseball more popular globally during the 90s. Who knows, maybe baseball would have been all the rage all over the world if Michael Jordan played baseball.
The Present
Even today, the effects would still be huge:
The NBA might not be as global as it is now. Maybe Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic wouldn’t have been inspired to follow a path towards professional basketball. Jordan wasn’t just a basketball player, he was one of the reasons why millions of people around the world started watching basketball. Without him, the league might still grow, but slower. Players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James might still become stars, but they wouldn’t be following the same path Jordan created. Again, they wouldn’t have had Jordan as a role model, so maybe their play-styles would have been different, if not, worse.
Even sneaker culture would look different. The entire “signature shoe” movement, especially Air Jordans, might never explode the way it did. Nike might still be another small shoe company, never getting big.
On the other hand, baseball could be in a stronger position today. If Jordan had become a star in MLB, he might have helped keep baseball more popular with younger audiences, especially during times when the sport struggled to stay relevant. For example, think of a friend/family member that follows or plays basketball. Maybe they would be a baseball addict instead. Think about how that could completely change things just because one person never played basketball.
The Future
Looking ahead, the biggest difference would be how we define greatness.
Without Jordan having played basketball, the “GOAT debate” in the NBA would be completely open. Maybe present players like LeBron James or Victor Wembanyama will be seen thirty years as the clear greatest ever, all without as much competition from the past.
All these things are crucially important in how the present and future will develop.
Imagine if you were a big basketball fan. If Michael Jordan played baseball, you would most likely be a baseball fan, not knowing that things would have been very different if Jordan played basketball.
Final Reflection
One decision: choosing baseball over basketball, wouldn’t just change one career. It would reshape two entire sports, shift global popularity, and completely rewrite how we talk about greatness today. It might also have changed lives for future generations of athletes.
Thank you for reading!
Written by: Arthur, Founder and CEO of ISFM
This is the end of the first article of our series: What If?
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