Barry Bonds’ legacy is tarnished for several reasons. Despite being one of the best hitters MLB has ever seen, his steroid-tainted past keeps him from the Hall of Fame even today. Not to mention, his socially-averse personality. This is a day and age where personal stories make fans feel more connected to players they see on their screens. But unlike the NBA’s Magic Johnson, Barry Bonds was never like that.

His relationship with reporters soured right from the beginning of his career. Many would mistakenly, or perhaps on purpose, call him by the name Bobby. Barry’s dad, another great ballplayer, though he never quite reached his son’s level. The Bonds’ connection with the media didn’t sit right, and Barry partially blames his own lack of charisma.

Barry Bonds admits he’s no Magic Johnson

Now that he’s retired, Barry Bonds has all the time, and most importantly the brain space, to look back on his career. As a young hot-headed individual, the only matter on the San Francisco Giants player’s mind used to be baseball. He did not realize he was required to keep up social appearances.

In a talk with friend Ken Goldin in 2021, Bonds opened up on how some athletes knew how to play the camera, but he was not one of them. There was nothing wrong with that. “There’s some people that are like Magic Johnson that can smile and do all that and then there’s you know some of us aren’t capable of doing that,” Bonds says. It’s an art to handle questions being fired at one from all directions without getting flustered or frustrated.

Johnson could do it with a smile but Bonds never wanted to. He then makes an interesting point to Goldin, “You know, but we’re not bad people because of that. It’s just our character on the field. When I got on the baseball field I wanted to rip your head off, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t want to be around anyone.” Bonds just wanted to focus on his work, like most people did every day. Without cameras or microphones being shoved in their faces.

Bonds would have loved to play in the COVID era of Baseball

2020 was a different MLB season. After all, the world had turned upside down. For once, even America’s favorite pastime couldn’t save the country. But for Bonds, it meant no one could get close to a player. They could get to their locker room in peace and focus on the game. On coming back, there was no one with a camera or microphone hounding them.

READ MORE: “I’m Tired of Always Being Criticized..”: Controversial Barry Bonds’ Trust Issues With the Media Spanned 2 Decades and This Is Why

It would have been a dream for someone like Barry Bonds, who admits so himself in the interview. What a different era it would be if it had the Giants sensation once again!

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