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Did his reluctance to act deserve an attack?
“The Last Dance,” a sports documentary miniseries highlighting the Chicago Bulls’ 1997–98 championship run, aired Episodes 5 and 6 on Sunday, May 3rd, once again captivating several sports enthusiasts eager for entertainment during the current coronavirus pandemic. These two episodes, much like the others prior, discussed aspects of basketball icon Michael Jordan unknown to many, such as the origin of his Jordan brand, his relationship with gambling, and Jordan’s attitude toward being a cultural icon during the height of his NBA career. Despite these new revelations, however, one topic sparked mixed reactions: Jordan’s stance on community activism.
In Episode 5 audiences were made aware of the 1990 North Carolina Senate race between Harvey Gantt and Jesse Helms and the basketball icon’s reluctance to get involved with politics. A major point raised was that if elected Gantt would become the first Black American to hold a Senate seat for North Carolina. Moreover, Helms was a blatant racist, evidenced by his opposition to making Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday and an allegation that he once whistled “Dixie,” a song used during minstrel shows, to purposefully upset a Black senator who occupied the same elevator as him. Jordan’s involvement in this Senate race became a focal point since he grew…
