Superman, suddenly vulnerable

June 29th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

jordan_face.jpgIt’s a visual thing. I know that. It only has so much relation to reality - such is the nature of sight. It’s a rudimentary observational tool.

But damnit, age makes me sad as hell sometimes.

There he was, Michael Jordan, towering over Rachel Nichols on draft night like he towers over so many other average humans. Trademark bald head, thick, trimmed mustache. All there. The MJ we remember. The Air Jordan we love.

But last night, in the midst of highlights full of 20-year-olds with sinewy features and limitless athletic ability, stood a guy that looked, for all intents and purposes, every bit the middle-aged man. He’s gained weight. His face is slightly wrinkled, his demeanor meek. He just seems…old. MJ seems old, and man, does that hurt.

He defined my childhood. Seriously. Knowing I’m not alone in throwing this out there, often, when talking about sports or life or anything else, Jordan was the only thing my father and I agreed on. Father and son, in unison: Greatest player of all time. Yep. I know, Dad. We watching the Bulls game tonight? Sounds good.

The he retired, and that was OK. I didn’t understand the nature of the business then, but I figured if MJ wanted to play still, he could. He just didn’t want to, and who were we to tell him what to do?

Unlike many others, I was even OK when he decided to come back, knowing he would never be the same, but wanting a little bit more video, a few more Jordan moments to pack away. He was old then, too, but not like this. And I was still in high school, still impressed by the lessened frequency of mind-blowing moments. He still felt larger than life, then, like he was a gym teacher messing around with the younger kids for fun, occasionally holding the ball up with one arm while the boys jumped up and down around his legs, unable to reach where he held the game. He could turn it on whenever. He was Michael. He was not bound by age or physical limitation.

Now he just seems human. Mortal. Like most middle-aged fathers, whose sons have come of age, suddenly vulnerable. Imperfect. Possibly just, well, wrong sometimes (Wizards, anyone?).

It’s probably only half true. MJ is still probably better at basketball, even at his age, than 98% of the 6 billion human beings left on the planet. He’s probably just as intimidating as ever with sneakers on, in the gym, shooting hoop after hoop after hoop. And he probably sees the game better than most people alive, sees players’ faults and their strengths like few else can.

But it sure doesn’t look that way. I guess that’s the unfortunate side effect of sight. It makes things harder to see sometimes.

For now, at least, I’m hoping that’s the case.

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7 Responses to “ Superman, suddenly vulnerable”


  1. Tim
    June 29, 200610:59 pm

    I totally agree with you. While I am only nineteen, one of my first memories of my father is him bringing home a championship shirt for me after the ‘91 season.

    But the moment that I felt MJ lost the air about him was when he was on the Wizards and he stole the ball on defense and ran down court uncontested and missed the dunk. Everyone in the arena was on their feet waiting for the finish and then there was just a collective deflation once he missed.

  2. boobs
    June 30, 200611:53 am

    Thanks for the update on our plight as humans, Sylvia Platt. On a related note, I poured a glass of month-old milk today and it tasted like deer piss. What happened to May when that milk tasted like sweet creamy goodness? Damn it, fate, you dangerous pair of salad tongs… you give me sustenance yet you take away my eyesight.

  3. Jason
    June 30, 20062:32 pm

    Boobs, why do you refuse to update your site?

  4. PostmanE
    June 30, 20063:23 pm

    Boobs - My point wasn’t: ‘Hey, guess what? People get old!’ It was wow, this person I used to see as immortal and untouchable is a lot less so in my eyes now, and even though I don’t know this person, I have an emotional reaction to that.

    Sorry to hear about the milk, though. Heads up for the next time, I guess.

  5. boobs
    June 30, 20066:59 pm

    E, keep your emotions off our “Wearethepostmen” site. Us readers come for mindless banter fused with funny pop culture references, not your man love of Michael Jordan and Michael Barrett.
    And I don’t update my site because I’m too lazy. Instead I let others do the work so I can take cheap shots at them. Kind of like Michael Barrett. Only I’m not a bitchface.

  6. GK
    July 1, 20069:15 am

    E, you are the postman because that was the most spot-on and well written post I’ve ever seen on this site. Well done. By the way that R kid sucks.

  7. artboy
    July 6, 200610:07 pm

    All of which makes his big hoop earring even more silly. Or sad. Your call… Funny shit about the milk, Boobs.

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