If there was one thing we learned from 'The Last Dance' it was that the lack of social media through the 1990's hardly impacted Michael Jordan's status as an absolute megastar on the world stage.
Whether it was in Chicago, on the road across the US or on trips to Paris, MJ would be met by rabid crowds every step he took, often times left stuck in his hotel room to avoid the hysteria.
Give the impact the 10-part documentary had on the world of social media this year, it was easy to wonder what life would have been like for Jordan under the Twitter microscope that today's stars face.
"For someone like myself and this is what Tiger [Woods] deals with, is that I don't know if I could've survived in this Twitter time, where you don't have the privacy that you would want, and what seems to be very innocent can always be misinterpreted," Jordan revealed in a recenet interview with Cigar Aficianado.
Jordan was referencing Woods' golf career which began to surge right around the time Jordan retired from the NBA after the 1998 season.
"Tiger played at his peak somewhere toward the end of my career. Then, what changed from that time frame to now is social media, Twitter, and all those types of things that has invaded the personalities and personal time of individuals to the point where people have been able to utilize it to their financial gains and things of that nature."
The impact of social media has taken it's toll on the superstars of today's game with MVP winners LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo each stepping away from their accounts during postseason runs to avoid the distraction and scrutiny it can often bring.
By 1998, Michael Jordan was a cultural icon and one of the most popular people on the planet.
— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2020
The Last Dance continues Sunday, May 3 at 9:00 PM ET on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jzthf8AwBC
While many wondered how Dennis Rodman's Las Vegas trips would be a possibility in today's landscape, imagining the fallout from the best player in the world leaving basketball to play another sport is a mindblowing exercise.
In an era where the most minor confrontation between teammates is examined to the nth degree, could you imagine Twitter blowing up if word got out that Jordan punched teammate Steve Kerr at practice?
Would Jordan's demonstrative leadership stance be looked at in a negative light?
"I have a different perception about things than the kids do today," Jordan said.
MJ would be an a content machine for the Twittersphere but perhaps he's right, maybe it's best his legendary career occured in the 1990's...
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