Sport needs mega stars like Michael Jordan again | Matt Mohan-Hickson

It doesn’t come after a terrorist attack, a gruesome murder or the death of a prominent figure.

No, the reason the city of Chicago was brought to tears in the autumn of 1993 was because of Michael Jordan’s sudden announcement that he would be retiring from basketball.

I was only a week old when Mike quit the Chicago Bulls, yet as I watched this scene nearly 27 years later I was hit by an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

Going into the Netflix documentary I expected to learn plenty about one of the greatest sporting teams of the 90s, but I soon realised I knew more of the story than I had realised. Jordan quitting before returning to win three more titles in a row. The Flu Game. Pippen and Rodman. The 1992 Olympics. Air Jordans. Be Like Mike.

How did I already know so much about a team I had never watched?

I think it is because not only were Jordan, Pippen and Rodman superstars, they were huge personalities.

They left an imprint in our culture that has reverberated through the years.

These were swaggering characters who openly made their grudges known and left a trail of controversy in their wake.

It made me think about another sporting documentary on Netflix – Sunderland Til I Die. While it’s brimming with schadenfreude, the players themselves come across as non-entities.

Sure they seem like nice people and are pleasant enough but they don’t exactly scream huge characters.

I’ve been trying to put my finger on why sport doesn’t seem the way it was as I was growing up in the 90s and I think it is because of this. Modern sports people are so managed and media trained they often come across as robotic and bland.

Contrast your bog standard Match of the Day post-game interviews filled with cliches like ‘the lads put in a good shift’ with the clips of MJ holding court in his post-game press scrums. Modern sports are easier to watch but the brash personalities are missing – like a favourite meal without any seasoning.

How far would you go to be the very best in the world?

If you possessed the ability to be the best player in any sport, how far would you push yourself?

Would you coast on your natural abilities? Would you carry your team on your back?

The Last Dance gives you a glimpse into the price sports people have to pay for greatness.

Michael Jordan demanded so very much from his teammates and he wasn’t afraid to let them know that.

Insults and trash talk were thrown around regularly in training as Number 23 pushed those around him.

It’s safe to say I’m not sure I would have been able to handle that.

Sure, winning is great. But if that is the cost I’m not sure it is worth it.

Would stars from the football world make it in Space Jam?

If you are a millennial like me, you probably have very fond memories of Space Jam.

The 1996 film was a bizarre crossover between Loony Tunes and basketball.

It starred Michael Jordan opposite Bugs Bunny and the gang and I think it holds up.

Watching The Last Dance got me thinking about whether you could make a football version of the film.

Do we have a superstar with the personality to lead a Hollywood blockbuster?

Would Messi or Ronaldo have the screen presence of Jordan in 1996?

What about Premier League stars? Could you see Kevin DeBruyne or Mo Salah lining up with Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes?

I highly doubt it.