Is Jazz Fans’ Outrage Towards Michael Jordan’s Jumpman Sales Justified?

Old wounds don’t heal easily. Fans of the Utah Jazz are proving that. After three decades, the bitter aftertaste of back-to-back losses still linger in Jazz nation. All of that energy is focused on Michael Jordan. These fans are so allergic to all things MJ, they don’t want a single symbol of him to besmirch team merchandise the way it already does the team’s history. Sure, he was the reason multiple championships slipped out of their grasp. But is this 25-year-old grudge still valid in 2023?

If you ask a Utah Jazz supporter, it does.

Michael Jordan sees a return of his biggest haters – Jazz&Co.

For all his iconic superstardom and legacy, it’s not hard to admit that Michael Jordan is not universally loved. Then again, who is? There are as many people who loathe him as much as there are those who idolize him. There are also those who love to hate him. A whole generation of NBA fans have come up who didn’t live the Michael Jordan era. Yet, Utah Jazz fans, old and new, still hang on to decades-old grudges.

Recently, Jazz fans were outraged to see the recognizable ‘Jumpman’ logo on team merch being sold in the team’s store. The massive backlash that ensued led Jazz management to pull the MJ t-shirts from the store.

That hardly earned Jazz fans any sympathy from social media. Most NBA fans called it a tone-deaf overreaction.

Team management can’t be blamed for walking back on the Jumpman merch. After all, no organization wants to deter sales. NBA Twitter though questioned if it was that big a deal.

Teams have been selling shirts and merchandise with the ‘Jumpman’ logo even though he only spent his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. The Bulls dynasty defeated many teams to win six championships. And those teams’ fans are still splurging on Air Jordans.

Then why does Utah Jazz hate him more than any other NBA team?

Michael Jordan vs Utah Jazz

The start of the animosity began in the 1997 NBA Finals. It’s also the infamous “Flu Game” that still haunts Jazz nation. As history goes, Jordan was struck with the ‘flu’ right before Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. His handlers advised him to rest it out, but he lethargically stepped on the court. Despite lacking in speed and energy, he prevented Jazz from gaining series lead with a close win.

Famously, he collapsed in Scottie Pippen’s arms at the end of the game. In the 2020 docuseries, The Last Dance, Jordan hinted at foul play by revealing it was not the flu but food poisoning from pizza he had the night before the game. This would be his most memorable game ever but to Jazz fans, it was just a reminder that Michael Jordan beat them at his worst.

Even future Bulls star, DeMar DeRozan would admit he didn’t like the Jazz during this period with how much he was rooting for Jordan.

Like deja vu, the Bulls and Jazz met in the 1998 Finals and again, Karl Malone’s squad lost in six games. Salt Lake City would once again find themselves on the wrong side of history as MJ would hit “the shot” to ice the series and secure his sixth championship. This is the history that is still spilling over into 2023.

NBA fans find it hard to understand Jazz sentiments

Utah is not the only team to fall to the Bulls. Across two 3-peats, the Lakers, Trailblazers, Suns, and Supersonics lost to the Bulls.

Nike has official NBA jerseys of these teams and others featuring the ‘Jumpman’ logo instead of the brand’s. Fans of these teams didn’t launch a campaign against Jordan. They could opt not to buy these jerseys.

Moreover, it’s hard to escape the universality of the ‘Jumpman’ logo that even features on All-Star games uniforms.

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The Jordan Brand still appeals to sports fans all over the world and even outside basketball. A strong roster of NBA pros play in Air Jordans too. Salt Lake City nearly came to a standstill to see the Black Jesus in the flesh at a Jordan Brand pop-up store. Yet, when it comes to their team, they’re unable to put the past where it belongs.

Questionable history of the Utah fanbase

This treatment reminded many of the treatment of Derek Fisher. Over a decade ago, he decided to leave Jazz and go back to the Lakers to be with his daughter while she battled a rare cancer.

To be fair, the organization was understanding of his circumstances to request the trade. Fans instead booed him and took classless jabs at his daughter. Decent fans outspokenly condemned that incident. But very few have dared to rear their heads against the Jordan naysayers in Jazz territory. This is only making their reputation unsalvageable.

Michael Jordan simply did his job in 1997 and 1998. As did every NBA player, irrespective of the result. It was nothing personal. He’s not losing sleep over a t-shirt with his silhouette getting pulled out of one store. Hating him 25 years later is not bringing Jazz back from the ashes.

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That is NBA fans’ request to Utah Jazz: it’s not a good look, time to move on.

Editorial Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of EssentiallySports.