UA-59049186-1 The Hot Seat: Michael Jordan the scapeGOAT? Part.Two - Good if it Goes

The Hot Seat: Michael Jordan the scapeGOAT? Part.Two

Photo for featured image credited to: http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/athletes/nba/michael-jordan-net-worth/

As last reported in Part. One of “The Hot Seat”, Michael Jordan’s mystique as one of the Worlds greatest players has come into question concerning his social action (or lack thereof) concerning issues related to race and social injustice. One of Michael Jordan’s sponsored athletes, Carmelo Anthony, had candid remarks regarding Michael Jordan’s recent comments effecting the United States.

Michael Jordan has been retired for over a decade, and now that he is know as an owner of a NBA franchise (Charlotte Hornets), it can be argued that some of his “off the court” contributions are not emphasized in the media. So lets check the facts, what are some of the contributions that Michael Jordan has given to the community? He has been involved in several charity organizations such as: the Boys and Girls Club of America, Special Olympics, UNCF/College Fund, the CharitaBulls, and the James R Jordan Foundation. Jordan has also used his role as President and majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets to create opportunities for African Americans in roles that have not been a norm in the National Basketball Association.

Out of the thirteen Executive Staff positions (Including Michael Jordan) available on the Hornets, eight are held by minorities with seven of the eight being African American. Even within his Jordan Brand, Michael Jordan has made a conscious effort to empower minorities and give opportunities that most have not. As stated by Larry Miller, President of the Jordan Brand, “He has always been focused on creating successful and sustainable businesses and has empowered minority leaders, including myself, with the opportunity to grow and advance those businesses”. So it seems that the “cerebral assassin” known as MJ has used his extreme intellect and forward thinking not only on the court but off the court to propel African Americans and other minority Americans in a way that “doesn’t show up on the stat sheet”.

As of Jordan being on the Hot seat, the better questions are why is he the only one? Michael Jordan is the only NBA owner of thirty NBA teams and yet he has by far the most diverse group of executive staff in the league? For this article I looked at four NBA teams at random to see the diversity in Staff. Out of the four NBA teams and about 50 open positions, not one African American was on staff. In total, the NBA has one African-American president, two African-American GMs and one native African GM in the Toronto Raptors’ Masai Ujiri, who is Nigerian. Why isn’t Commissioner Silver on the Seat? How about the 29 other NBA owners? Or even the current presidents who have the opportunity to hire minority each and every off season?

This hot seat may need to be swapped out for a couch.

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