“It’s Not About The Money.” Michael Jordan Reveals Why He Is Obsessed With the Ryder Cup

Michael Jordan displayed a vested interest in sports other than basketball. One sport he prominently follows is golf. Obsessed with the game, he is extremely picky about who he plays with.

He is the owner of an exclusive golf course in Florida that has fewer than 80 members. Many of those members are high-profile celebrities like former President Barack Obama. However, he also follows professional golf like any loyal fan. Since 1997, Michael Jordan has ensured his attendance at the Ryder Cup for 12 straight events.

Why is Michael Jordan obsessed with the Ryder Cup?

Since 1997, Michael Jordan has ensured his attendance at the Ryder Cup for 12 straight events. He is currently also attending the same event while cheering for his country. He recently spoke to NBC Sports about his obsession with this event.

“It’s the true competitive nature, Jordan explained. “It’s not about money. It’s about pride and representing your country. Hearing the fans cheering. Very rarely do you get to see golfers deal with what we have to deal with where guys are yelling things from the stands that, most of the time we can’t hear it, but when it gets quiet, the players can hear it, and yet we still respond, and it gets our juices up. To me, that’s intriguing and from a competitor standpoint–I absolutely love it.”

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How important is Golf to Michael?

For Michael, Golf makes him the version of himself he loves the most. His competitive drive is clearly a primary reason for all his success in basketball. And now, having retired from basketball, in order to stay in touch with that competitive version of himself, Jordan plays golf.

Michael Jordan is well known for his trash talk and he still does it while playing golf. What’s more amazing is that MJ had no boundaries in trash-talking. He went so far as to even do so against a former President!

Michael Jordan and Bill Clinton once played an 18-hole round of golf together. MJ was reportedly constantly in the ear of the 42nd President of the United States, despite there being no information regarding a wager on the game!

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