My Monthly Sports Minute: Am I Still Trying to “Be Like Mike?” #6
My Monthly Sports Minute: Am I Still Trying to “Be Like Mike?” #6
Am I still trying to “be like Mike?” That’s a great question!
I can remember watching the Chicago Bulls play the Charlotte Hornets, when I just was 6 years old. My mother was cutting my hair. We were living in South Carolina. The guy in the red jersey, sporting #23, immediately and fully captured my attention. His game was graceful. He was scoring on whomever. He was scoring at will. I couldn’t get over it.
Watching #23 for the Bulls — Michael Jordan — play was like watching a mythical character. I simply wanted to know how he was THAT GOOD!
I thought it must have been his bald head — which made him so good! I turned to my mother and said, “I want to be like Mike, I want my head bald!” As she tried to talk me out of it, I persisted by asking her to PLEASE DO IT. She finally gave in to my pleading and cut my hair completely bald. At the time, I thought maybe, just maybe a bald head would help me have MJ’s basketball talents. Maybe it would help me surpass his skill level in some way or fashion. Maybe it would give me his competitive drive. MAYBE, JUST MAYBE?!?
I never reached MJ’s level of basketball talent. But, watching ESPN’s “The Last Dance” has shown me I’ve been “like Mike” in many other ways. For example,
- Having passion to be the best version of myself
- Creating challenges to help me compete within the game of life
- Striving to become the best husband, father, friend, and colleague
I’ve learned that once you reach a plateau, in a sport like basketball, life quickly reminds you that there is another level of greatness you can still achieve.
“Being like Mike,” was impossible in bball. But, I can still stare him “eye to eye” when competing for “this championship called life.”
— Jeremiah Applin
