The April-May 2020 ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan’s final season with Chicago Bulls that became pandemic phenomenon through perfect timing, “and I took that personally” meme, and making everyone hate Jerry Krause.

The Documentary

10-episode event (2020):

Subject: 1997-98 Bulls season (Jordan’s last with Bulls) Access: Unprecedented NBA footage Timing: COVID lockdown, no live sports Release: Sunday nights, appointment viewing

Director: Jason Hehir

The gift: Sports-starved world got Jordan.

Pandemic Timing

Perfect storm (April-May 2020):

Context:

• All sports cancelled (COVID)
• World stuck home
• Desperate for competition
• Sundays became event

The coincidence: Saved for 2020, became phenomenon.

Michael Jordan

Competitive psychopath revealed:

Portrayal:

• Greatest player ever
• Also: Petty, vindictive, bully
• “And I took that personally” (everything)
• Manufactured slights for motivation

The complexity: Hero worship complicated.

”And I Took That Personally”

Meme explosion:

Jordan’s motivation:

• Any slight = fuel
• Imagined disrespects
• Became 2020’s biggest meme
• Applied to trivial situations

The format: Jordan’s intensity applied to everything.

Jerry Krause

Villain emergence:

Bulls GM (deceased 2017):

• Broke up dynasty
• “Organizations win championships”
• Portrayed unsympathetically
• Family defended him

The backlash: Dead man couldn’t defend himself.

Scottie Pippen

Bitter retrospective:

Underpaid star:

• Bad contract revealed
• Jealousy of attention
• Delayed surgery (selfish?)
• Post-doc: Trashed Jordan (memoir)

The resentment: Simmered for 25 years.

Dennis Rodman

Vegas trip (Episode 5):

48-hour vacation mid-season:

• Jordan approved
• Partying with Carmen Electra
• Returned, played great
• Captured Rodman’s chaos

The legend: Humanized freak show.

Steve Kerr Punch

Jordan hit teammate:

1995 practice:

• Jordan punched Kerr
• Both moved on
• Kerr: Now Warriors coach
• Normalized Jordan’s intensity

The reveal: Casual violence accepted.

Isiah Thomas

Frozen out:

Dream Team snub:

• Jordan kept Isiah off 1992 team
• Bad Boys-Bulls rivalry
• Isiah’s bitterness
• Jordan’s pettiness

The grudge: Decades-long spite.

Ratings Dominance

Viewership records:

6.1 million average viewers (Episode 1):

• ESPN’s most-watched documentary
• Social media event
• Water cooler conversation (Zoom edition)

The success: Transcended sports audience.

Jordan Brand Boost

Commercial impact:

Nike:

• Jordan Brand sales spiked
• Retro shoes sold out
• New generation of fans

The profit: Billion-dollar marketing.

”Republicans Buy Sneakers Too”

Political revelation:

Jordan’s famous apoliticism:

• Refused to endorse Harvey Gantt (1990)
• “Republicans buy sneakers too” (maybe apocryphal)
• Confirmed his brand-first mentality

The criticism: Commerce over conscience.

Craig Ehlo

Victim featured:

“The Shot” recipient:

• Jordan’s playoff winner (1989)
• Ehlo interviewed, relived trauma
• Sympathetic villain

The humanity: Loser’s perspective shown.

Family Appearances

Personal Jordan:

James Jordan Sr.:

• Father’s 1993 murder
• Jordan’s first retirement
• Emotional core

Juanita Jordan:

• Ex-wife appeared
• Rare personal access

The intimacy: Beyond basketball.

Legacy

The Last Dance demonstrated sports documentary’s cultural event potential and how perfect pandemic timing could create phenomenon through Michael Jordan’s competitive psychosis revealed in all its glory and pettiness.

Sources:

• ESPN viewership data (April-May 2020)
• The New York Times: “The Last Dance Phenomenon” (2020)
• Nielsen ratings (2020)
• The Atlantic: “Jordan’s Complicated Legacy” (2020)