What Was Michael Jordan?

Why the other sports documentaries won't measure up

bomani @bomani_jones

my industry somehow thinks that the fact something worked with MICHAEL JORDAN will work with...not michael jordan.

Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing

Peacock released a trailer for their six-part Joe Montana docuseries, premiering next week https://t.co/ze5EPBOG6O

The Last Dance, a documentary detailing the final Bulls season of Michael Jordan’s career, was a massive hit for ESPN in April-May of 2020. It’s difficult for a doc to draw big numbers on TV, and yet this one drew more viewership than any NBA game on cable that year. 

So now, we’re seeing multipart docs about all the great winners in sports. We’ve already got a multiparter on Tom Brady, another on Tiger Woods, plus upcoming projects on Joe Montana and Derek Jeter. I’m calling it now: None will connect like The Last Dance did, not even close. 

Some smart people have theorized that The Last Dance resonated so widely because sports were grounded due to the pandemic. I think that’s bullshit.