Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Chapter 1: A Century of Preparation

In the the beginning of the first chapter, the author, Walter LaFeber quickly dove into Michael Jordan's beginnings/background, in order to show and create an understanding for how he was able to initiate this "New Global Capitalism", as the title of the book states. LaFeber wrote about Jordan’s childhood, how he was only an average basketball player until he was an upperclassman in high school, where the combination of hard work, a growth spurt and newly acquired athleticism began molding him into the player we all know. LaFeber then focused on Jordan’s freshman year at the University of North Carolina, in which Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the NCAA tournament final and helped UNC win the national title. After the game, UNC Assistant Coach Eddie Fogler was quoted as saying that “people will remember that shot 25 years from now”. Although Jordan’s career would include dozens of moments like these, in which he came through in the “clutch” and won games/titles for his team, it is true that the shot he hit as a freshman at UNC is still fondly remembered by all almost 30 years later, as it is considered by many (and by Jordan himself) to have been the start of the legend of Michael Jordan.

The second half of the chapter delved into the origins and beginnings of basketball. It was amazing to read this and hard to believe, but James Naismith really did invent the game simply for his physical education class, and to keep kids occupied and “out of trouble” between football and baseball seasons. The game immediately spread like wildfire and attracted both men and women – in fact, the first tournament was a women’s tournament that was held only a few months after Naismith came up with the basics of the game. Unfortunately, there were soon many controversies started around women playing basketball, as it was not considered “lady-like”, especially with the way they dressed for the games (shorts and uniforms).

Not surprisingly, the issue of race and segregation came into play soon as well. As the game of basketball spread across the nation, people soon discovered that a lot of money could be made by making this game into a spectator sport and creating professional teams and leagues. For a long time, however, black basketball players and teams were excluded from these leagues, so they had to create their own teams and play independently. This was how teams such as the Harlem Renaissance and Globetrotters came to be, and they often attracted even more people than the main leagues, as many of their players were better than the players in the leagues (before the NBA, there was the NBL and BAA). Even the great UCLA Coach John Wooden, who coached some of the best college basketball teams of all time, once said that the Harlem Renaissance was the greatest team he ever saw. Eventually, these players were invited into the professional leagues, and many were able to bring the game to a whole new level. They also paved the way for players like Jordan to have such a great impact and influence on sports and society.