Good morning, and Happy 4/19 everyone! Today is the day that the 10 part Michael Jordan Documentary “The Last Dance” premiers. This is great for a variety of reasons. I am a basketball fan, Michael Jordan is the GOAT, I was under the impression that this documentary may never be released, and yet here we are. Today’s the day. So what better day to compare the incomparable Michael Jordan, to wrestlings Jordan Burroughs. There are just too many similarities to ignore. Let’s dive right in.

So let’s just get this out of the way. Jordan. Clearly each super awesome, world champion, athletic freak, has that name. Is that a coincidence? Maybe, but I also think that there is something to the name. When you grow up named Jordan, and you see Jordan do things that are as amazing as Michael did, it has to be a little bit encouraging. I touched on this second piece moments ago, but clearly both are athletes on a whole different level than humans can reach. I’d think that both were Aliens, but I’ve seen Michael Jordan defeat Aliens in a game of basketball to save the Looney Tunes from slavery. I haven’t seen Jordan Burroughs do that, but I think it’s safe to say that if aliens challenged us to a wrestling match, Jordan Burroughs would likely be our representative (http://www.bloodround.com/blog/2019/9/7/wrestling-space-jam).

Another weird similarity. Both competed in Red, White, and Black. The Bulls of Chicago certainly sport those colors, as does Nebraska, which has done a pretty tremendous job of maximizing their use of those colors in their singlets. Speaking of college, each of them won college national championships. That also happened. These similarities are getting out of hand. As tough as it is to win a championship in college, the world level seems like something each would struggle to replicate… and yet… Both Jordan and Jordan won Olympic titles as well. Jordan’s in 92 and Jordan’s 20 years later in 2012.

You know what else they’ve done? They each have a library of incredible shots. Jordan with his shot to beat Cleveland in the playoffs to begin their reign of terror in the NBA, and Jordan with his shot to clinch the world championship in 2017. Jordan with his game winner in college to clinch the National Championship, and Jordan with his last second shot to beat David Taylor to qualify for the World Team. Jordan with his flu game, and Jordan with is winning of a World Title with a broken ankle. What I’m saying, is that these guys are capable of creating history that sounds like fiction. Routinely. I routinely create history as well, but in a much more pedestrian way. They create legendary stories and truths habitually.

Honestly, this could go on and on, but the point of this is simply to highlight how blessed we are to watch these two warriors in their quest for greatness. They’ve each had a series of domestic challenges to get through (The Cavs vs Howe, The Pistons vs Taylor, the Pacers vs Dake, the Knicks vs IMar), and they’ve routinely risen to the occasion to eliminate others from their chance at world titles. At least with wrestling, some of those others got to bump to other weight classes to win their titles.

The last point to consider, is that each athlete has a signature shoe. In Michael’s case, he has his own brand, and has grown that into its own empire. In Burroughs case, he has just released version 4 of his signature shoe, and his skill and personality will certainly keep him in the spotlight long enough for this to be far from the final release of his shoe. He’s the only wrestler, in my opinion, who has complete control of the future of his brand, and the longevity of it as well. This exercise could go on for a very long time. Very very very long. But I’ll leave some time for you all to think of your own comparisons. Just remember as you watch either Jordan today, or in the future, that you are lucky enough to enjoy these athletes in their prime, and beyond. Not everyone gets the chance to do that. Watch the Doc, and watch Jordan Burroughs Highlights, and be merry. Rock on.