Like Mike

Michael Jordan has always been my favorite professional athlete.  When he played basketball, it was an art form. Jordan worked hard his entire life.  He became the greatest basketball player that ever lived and an icon around the world.  Needless to say, he is a very rich human and a very recognizable figure.

Today, I read the following article in the Chicago Tribune:  

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-michael-jordan-dominicks-lawsuit-20130614,0,3036539.story

If you read this article and believe that Jordan is being greedy, you are flat wrong.  What you are actually experiencing is jealousy toward someone that can legitimately make millions of dollars for the use of his name and brand image. 

Maybe you should ask Hanes or Gatorade if Jordan ever allowed them to use his name or image out of the goodness of his heart.  Of course not.  That would be stupid.

(Side Note:  It is probably not surprising that Judge Milton Shadur was appointed to the Federal Bench in 1980 by the waffler in chief himself, Jimmy Carter.  From what I can tell, he currently brings in approximately $185,000 a year with full benefits and all the perks of a Federal lifetime appointment.  I imagine his 23rd floor office is nothing to scoff at.)    

Jordan has created a brand and an image that can flat out sell products.  Gatorade had a full blown marketing campaign that stated "I wanna be like Mike."  If Michael Jordan wore it, consumed it, or did it, the public wanted it.

If you ever need confirmation of the stupidity epidemic sweeping our nation, you can be sure to find the proof in the comment sections of online news articles.  The underlying premise in many of these comments is "He is rich, he does not need more money."  The logic is flawed.

Just because he worked hard his entire life and has created an image that is worth millions of dollars, it is irrelevant how much money he has in the bank.  It is Jordan's image and likeness.  If you want to use it to sell your products, pay the man his money.  If you don't want to pay, don't use the image.  It is simple.

So, I personally hope Jordan is awarded his five million.  I hope he asked for punitive damages.  I still hope to some day "be like Mike," but I would certainly wouldn't mind Judge Shadur's gig along the way.