WEBVTT - Flashback: Episode 4 "The Jordan Effect" (Sneak Peek)

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<v Speaker 1>It's the best of times, it's the worst of times.

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<v Speaker 1>As I record this, both the National Basketball Association and

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<v Speaker 1>Major League Baseball are sidelined because of the coronavirus, but

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<v Speaker 1>the two professional sports leagues are hardly in the same position.

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<v Speaker 1>On the one hand, you've got basketball. NBA salaries have

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<v Speaker 1>skyrocketed in the past five years. The average player makes

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<v Speaker 1>above seven million dollars per season, which makes the NBA

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<v Speaker 1>the highest paid sports league in the world. And basketball

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<v Speaker 1>is also now the most popular sport in the largest

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<v Speaker 1>country in the world at one point, for a billion

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<v Speaker 1>basketball crazed people in a country and economy that's growing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's unbelievable passion that people have for the sport and

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<v Speaker 1>for the NBA in China. And on the other hand,

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<v Speaker 1>you've got baseball. People just don't seem to be as

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<v Speaker 1>interested in the sport as they used to be. Last

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<v Speaker 1>year's World Series was the least watched in history. So

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<v Speaker 1>is this a wake up call for Major League Baseball?

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<v Speaker 1>Kind of? The World Series continue to compete effectively last year.

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<v Speaker 1>According to Forbes magazine, for the first time ever, the

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<v Speaker 1>average value of an NBA team is worth more than

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<v Speaker 1>the average value of a Major League baseball team. There

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<v Speaker 1>are lots of reasons for this reversal of fortune, from

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<v Speaker 1>marketing to a lack of star power to the mastery

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<v Speaker 1>of social media. But if you had to pick one

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<v Speaker 1>fateful moment when everything changed when baseball and basketball started

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<v Speaker 1>to go in different directions, will might well be something

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<v Speaker 1>that happened twenty five springs ago. That's the moment when

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<v Speaker 1>one of baseball's worst players decided to give up on

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<v Speaker 1>his dream rather than to be a scab during the

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<v Speaker 1>game's worst labor strike. Minor league ball players have to

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<v Speaker 1>give up on their dreams all the time, but this

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<v Speaker 1>minor league ball player was not your ordinary athlete. He

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<v Speaker 1>was also the greatest brand ambassador that the sport of

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<v Speaker 1>basketball has ever known, and baseball's loss proved to be

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<v Speaker 1>basketball's destiny making game. How Sean Braswell today on Flashback,

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<v Speaker 1>a tale of one windy city and one remarkable player

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<v Speaker 1>whose fateful decision helped alter the fate of two sports.

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<v Speaker 1>And a very special thanks to our guest today who

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<v Speaker 1>joined us via phone or provided their own local recordings

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<v Speaker 1>during the global health crisis in the shelter in place order.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's go back in time twenty nine years for a moment.

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<v Speaker 1>It's June. If you've watched The Last Dance, ESPN's documentary

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<v Speaker 1>film on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, then you've

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<v Speaker 1>probably already seen this footage. The celebration house begun and

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<v Speaker 1>the Chicago locker roll and they are celebrating your Chicago.

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<v Speaker 1>How's the Bulls? The Lakers far? Michael Jordan and the

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<v Speaker 1>Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship. Five months later,

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<v Speaker 1>just north of Chica Ago in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins

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<v Speaker 1>won their second World Series Baseball championship in dramatic fashion,

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<v Speaker 1>The Twins are gonna win the Sis the Twins, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's a it's a one nothing. Game seven of that

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<v Speaker 1>World Series between the Twins and the Atlanta Braves was

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<v Speaker 1>watched by fifty million viewers, double the number that watched

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<v Speaker 1>Game seven of last year's World Series, and thirty million

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<v Speaker 1>more than watched Michael Jordan's and the Bulls beat the

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<v Speaker 1>Lakers that year. So Jordan's first championship might have made

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<v Speaker 1>for a good story, but it was baseball that truly

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<v Speaker 1>had America's attention. But behind the scenes, trouble was brewing

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<v Speaker 1>in baseball fay Vincent, the Yale educated lawyer and the

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<v Speaker 1>former head of Columbia Pictures, was an unusual choice to

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<v Speaker 1>be the commissi Nerve Baseball. He was short, balding, and

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<v Speaker 1>were large oversized classes. He looked like he should be

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<v Speaker 1>the league's accountant, and in his first year's commissioner in nine,

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<v Speaker 1>Vincent was tested as few commissioners have ever been. For

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<v Speaker 1>the first time in twenty seven years, a World Series

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<v Speaker 1>game will be played in Candle Stick Parked. The Battle

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<v Speaker 1>of the Bay continues Game three of the nineteen eighty

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<v Speaker 1>nine A World Series, the Oakland Athletics against the San

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<v Speaker 1>Francisco Giants. I'm al Michael's less than two minutes later

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<v Speaker 1>this happening. He fails to get Dave Parker at second phase.

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<v Speaker 1>So the Oakland a's take take. I'll tell you what happened.

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<v Speaker 1>A six point nine magnitude earthquake hit the Bay Area

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<v Speaker 1>right before Game three of the World Series in October nine,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm not all right. That's what we are. That's

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<v Speaker 1>the greatest open in the history of television. The following day,

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<v Speaker 1>fay Vincent addressed reporters amid the tragedy We've made the

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<v Speaker 1>decision not to play tonight. That's the only decision we made.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a difficult time for San Francisco and indeed for

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<v Speaker 1>the whole Bay area. Um, the great tragedy is that

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<v Speaker 1>could coincides with our modest little sporting event here. Vincent

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<v Speaker 1>handled the disaster beautifully. He was reasonable, cautious, humble smart.

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<v Speaker 1>The following season in Vincent was again tested when baseball

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<v Speaker 1>owners started a lockout during spring training in an effort

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<v Speaker 1>to limit rising player salaries. This is Ryan Eckert, historian

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<v Speaker 1>at Monmouth University and author of A Game of Failure

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<v Speaker 1>Major League Baseball strike The idea of a salary cap

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<v Speaker 1>uh started to end to the conversation, and Vincent supported

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<v Speaker 1>the players and being completely against the salary cap, and

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<v Speaker 1>so very quickly he really did not ingratiate himselves to

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<v Speaker 1>his employers, that his bosses his employers. You see, in

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<v Speaker 1>Major League Baseball, the commissioner is handpicked by a very

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<v Speaker 1>select hiring committee, the owners. They thought that Stave Vincent

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<v Speaker 1>would kind of be on their side, having selected him

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<v Speaker 1>themselves the owners, and when Vincent came in, he really

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<v Speaker 1>acted much more in the best interests of baseball than

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<v Speaker 1>in the interests of his employers, really, who were no

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<v Speaker 1>one but the owners. The owners can't actually fire Vincent,

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<v Speaker 1>but they started to put enormous pressure on him to resign.

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<v Speaker 1>After months of controversy and speculation, baseball commissioner with faith,

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<v Speaker 1>Vincent has bowed to management wishes that he resigned. Although

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<v Speaker 1>the owners have not announced their plans for reorganization, it

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<v Speaker 1>seems likely that baseball may never be the same Charlie

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<v Speaker 1>Rose was. Right after Vincent's resignation in the owners made

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<v Speaker 1>a more naked power grab. They installed one of their own,

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<v Speaker 1>Milwaukee Brewers owner Bud Selig as acting commissioner in but

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<v Speaker 1>the owners were only getting warmed up. One of the

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<v Speaker 1>men behind Favencin's departure was one of Bud Sealik's best

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<v Speaker 1>friends and a fellow owner, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry

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<v Speaker 1>Ryan Storff. And if you recognize that name, it's probably

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<v Speaker 1>because Ryan Storff is also the owner of the Chicago

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<v Speaker 1>Bulls had a salary caps in four. Ryan Storff wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to apply this name principal to baseball because that was

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<v Speaker 1>working out really pretty well for hand the owners of

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<v Speaker 1>as the owner of the ball thanks to the salary

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<v Speaker 1>cap in basketball, Ryan Storff paid Michael Jordan's, an all

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<v Speaker 1>time great player at the peak of his powers, less

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<v Speaker 1>than he paid White Sox outfielder George Bell in baseball.

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<v Speaker 1>So at the same time Ryan Storff was helping Leeda

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<v Speaker 1>Coup to get a salary cap in baseball, he was

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<v Speaker 1>getting a bargain on the best player in basketball, a

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<v Speaker 1>star who would in three deliver the Bulls their third

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<v Speaker 1>championship in three years. The Bulls three p was an

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<v Speaker 1>amazing accomplishment for Jordan's but he was starting to show

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<v Speaker 1>signs of wear and tear from the immense pressure. This

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<v Speaker 1>is Roland Lason by, a basketball writer and author of

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<v Speaker 1>Michael Jordan's The Life. The process of winning a three

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<v Speaker 1>pet was absolutely completely, thoroughly exhausting, mentally, emotionally physical in

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<v Speaker 1>every way, and by the summer of Michael Jordan was

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<v Speaker 1>starting to contemplate a career change. You know, his father

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<v Speaker 1>had long hope that Michael might consider switching over and

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<v Speaker 1>playing some baseball. Just change up things. His father would

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<v Speaker 1>tell him, you know, you've accomplished everything you can in basketball. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>there was a lot up in the air, and then

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<v Speaker 1>something happened that summer that would turn Michael Jordan's world

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<v Speaker 1>upside down, and that would put Chicago owner Jerry Ryansdorff

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<v Speaker 1>in the bizarre position of watching his most valuable basketball

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<v Speaker 1>asset turned into one of his lowest performing baseball ones.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you have an interesting tale about unintended consequences from

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<v Speaker 1>history or your own life, Please share it with us

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<v Speaker 1>by emailing flashback at Aussie dot com. That's flashback at

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<v Speaker 1>o z y dot com. We all need a break

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<v Speaker 1>from the constant cycle to learn something new, to gain

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<v Speaker 1>new perspectives. The Great Courses Plus streaming service is an

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<v Speaker 1>excellent resource to expand our college on a variety of

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<v Speaker 1>subjects or pick up a new hobby. I've been enjoying

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<v Speaker 1>the Great Courses Plus while researching this season of flashback

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<v Speaker 1>lectures like Playball, the Rise of Baseball is America's Pastime,

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<v Speaker 1>History of the Supreme Court, and Battlefield Europe have helped

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<v Speaker 1>me connect the dots on several stories from history. Right now,

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<v Speaker 1>they're giving our listeners a special, limited time offer a

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<v Speaker 1>up now through our special U r L go to

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<v Speaker 1>the Great Courses Plus dot com Slash Aussie. That's The

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<v Speaker 1>Great Courses plus dot com slash o z Y The

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<v Speaker 1>Great Courses plus dot com Slash Aussie. To listen to

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<v Speaker 1>this episode in full, click the link in the show notes,

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<v Speaker 1>or search your podcast app for Flashback History's Unintended Consequences,

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<v Speaker 1>with new episodes dropping every Wednesday,