Michael Jordan suddenly retires after winning three NBA Championships, but returns a year and a half later. The King, Lebron James, returns home and unexpectedly leads his team to the NBA Finals against America's golden boy, Stephen Curry. The Chicago Cubs are making a run for the World Series that coincidentally is in the same year that the 1989 hit, "Back to the Future II," said they would win.
The situations above seem to good to be true or, in Jordan's case, irrational. Are professional athletes controlled? Are their performances a result of outside influences? Many people believe that professional athletes are controlled so that the media can make the most profit they can from the story that the athlete has to offer. Here is a deeper look in to three different situations that athletes may have been influenced to take a certain action.
In 1993, Jordan abruptly retired from basketball to pursue a baseball career. Jordan had just won his third consecutive NBA Championship along with his third title of NBA Finals MVP. It was shocking. Why would the best player in the NBA suddenly retire after such success and no physical injury preventing him from performing? Many believe his retirement was because of his father's death, while others speculate it was because of his involvement in gambling, which is illegal for athletes to participate in. According to Bleacher Report, Jordan's gambling allegations started in 1992, and the NBA launched an investigation in 1993. A few months past and the star player suddenly retires. In 1995, Jordan returned back to the basketball and he carried the Bulls to win three more NBA Championships. Was his retirement in 1993 a cover up for his suspension, or was it because he wanted to play the sport his dad loved?
Now on to more recent sports news, that seems to be crafted in to the perfect sports documentary.
A few months after losing the NBA Finals in 2014, Lebron James made his announcement that he was returning home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to NBC Bay Arena, the Cleveland community celebrated one of the largest homecomings of an athlete, and it was a headline on ESPN for several weeks. Meanwhile on the west coast, Stephen Curry, a young family man who plays for the Golden State Warriors, was capturing the hearts of America. Curry's face was present everywhere from shoe commercials to clothing ads.
In 2015, the two all-stars met in the NBA Finals. The press could not get enough of either one of the quality, money-making stories that both James and Curry offered. How did James return home to a mediocre team and carry the team to the Finals after a rocky start to the season? Why did it appear as if Curry could do nothing wrong on or off the court and have one of the most lovable celebrity families? Was it all for the media frenzy behind these two top athletes?
Lastly, let's discuss the chance that the Chicago Cubs have to win the World Series this year. If you follow sports, you have more than likely heard the stories on ESPN about how well the Chicago Cubs have started out in this years post season. According to ESPN, the screenplay writer said he wrote in "Back to the Future II" that the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series in 2015 because he thought it would be unlikely to happen. Is it because of the incredible coincidence if the Chicago Cubs win the World Series this year? Or is it because the Cubs have the best team in MLB?
These sports situation can all be called in to question, but we will never know. It is definitely possible all of these are legitimate situations that are not influenced by anyone else other than the athletes performances or own decisions. When the next major sports story breaks, keep in mind the potential for influences on the game or situation that are not made by the athletes themselves.
