Everyone has a hero. Every kid has a dream, and if you ask 10 kids what their
dreams are and who their hero is, more than half of them would say Michael
Jordan. He is a true role model not just for little kids, but for everyone
around the world. I have read Michael Jordan’s latest biography called For the
Love of the Game, and it was the best autobiography or any book period about an
athlete I have ever read. In the book Jordan describes what it is like being a
true champion. He tells what it was like to go through the hard times, and the
glory days as well. He is known as one if not the best, basketball players to
ever walk the face of the earth. I like the part in the book where Jordan was
telling how he got cut from the J.V. basketball team, and then he worked hard
and now he is known as the greatest of all-time. He worked hard shooting in his
driveway, in the cold, and at the play ground. Reading this book has made me
realize that if you do hard, in the long run it will pay off. I have watched
basketball games, and every time I watch Jordan, I watch in amazement. Now I
know why and how he is such a great player. People look at sports and don’t
realize how much of the game is mental. Jordan not only is a great athlete and
basketball player, but he is one if not the smartest player in the game too. He
knows how to get in player’s heads, and distract them for their game plan. One
of the saddest parts in the book was when he was telling about how Jordan lost
one of his best friends, best teacher, and biggest fans, his father. James
Jordan. Michael and his father were very close. James Jordan was shot and killed
by some punks, and didn’t deserve to die. Michael and the whole family was
devastated, and after Michael won the championship that same year his father
died, he cried cause all that he went through ,and still won, and thought about
his father. All the emotions just got to him. One of my favorite parts in the
book was when Jordan tells bout what it is like to go out in public, and have
everyone mob you and ask for autographs every where he goes. He doesn’t mind
giving autograph’s but fans need to respect his privacy and give him some
space too. It was also interesting to hear about when he played on the Olympic
teams in ‘84 and ’92, and how fun it was to play with his friends and people
who he has played against his whole career. In 1992 the U.S.A team dominated the
world and even before they began to play games, he said that they had so much
fun, everyone there was there to bring back a gold medal, but they had fun too.
In the book it also talks about how Michael was fined $5,000 a game for every
game he wore his own basketball shoes, when they first came out. Well Nike paid
for the fines, and they thought I t was worth it because it was great
advertisement, to have the best basketball player wearing your shoe, when
everyone is doing what he does. Now Jordan makes about 20 million dollars in
advertising and shoe deals, so now that he is retired, he is still making more
than half the players in the league. People say athletes are paid way too much,
but if we keep going to see them perform and like to see them perform, we keep
giving them all that money. They are the ones that fill the stands day in and
day out. So if they keep getting what they want, why should they stop getting
all that money. People are happy when they go to games and when the team wins,
so owners need to pay that money to keep the team winning, so people will go to
games. Michael Jordan brings people to the games in Chicago, but everywhere he
went people would fill the stands. The book was written before he was retired,
but he kept dropping hints that he was over with his lustrous career. He was
great to watch and I admire him a lot for all he has done for everyone, and
after reading this book, it make me like and respect him that much more. I would
recommend this book to anyone because it is interesting, and Michael Jordan
deserves everything he gets.