It’s hot take Monday: If Michael Jordan played in 2018, people would hate him. He wouldn’t be seen as an icon or the G.O.A.T, rather as a bald ball hog with a gambling problem.

Honestly, it’s sad. Rather than appreciate how good he is, the people in today’s world would burn him online every single night.

I feel somewhat bad for athletes in today’s society. They are put on display week in and week out and if they do something negative, it’s over. They will get torched by anonymous users on the internet. If they do something good, they will be praised until someone posts a meme of them doing something bad…then the cycle will repeat itself.

I was inspired to write this because some of the greatest athletes of all time played last night. Tom Brady and Lebron James.  These two and their performances last night are a perfect example for this article.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots played Aaron Rodgers and the Greenbay Packers. This was one of the most hyped NFL games, as far as ratings go, of all time. The majority of Americans tuned in to see Rodgers beat Brady. Here’s how the narrative went: If Rodgers beats Brady, he’s the best, if Brady beats Rodgers, he’s a system QB with a better team.

The Patriots won, which inspired millions of responses on social media referencing how Brady is a cheater and how he makes out with his son, it’s all beautiful rhetoric. I get it, people hate the Patriots. It seems like they win almost every game they play, and people like variety.

People love Drew Brees and Rodgers. Wanna know why? They’ve only won 1 super bowl each. They are both elite QBs but they haven’t won enough to be targets for social media. It may sound simple but it’s true.

Lebron James, one of the most talented basketball players to ever walk the earth, played last night and got beat. They haven’t been doing great this year, but there are 82 games!! So I think they’ll be fine. Social media dragged him, and it didn’t help he went to a party after.

Lebron could just sit from now until February and be completely justified for doing so. The man dragged a team in Cleveland to the finals last year that had zero business being there. He’s probably kind of tired and wants a break, but nope he lost last night…not his team…him.

Why do people hate greatness? It’s not like Lebrons are just walking around everywhere. There’s only one, and when he’s done playing I promise he will be missed. Not only by his fans but by the people who threw verbal rocks at him from their couch.

No, I’m not a bandwagon fan and I don’t necessarily root for these teams, but I promise whenever they play, I make an effort to watch because when these players play, it’s entertainment at its peak.