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When people are asked, “Who is the best?” They have yet to determine who achieve the greatest success in their field, there is no definite answer. Serena Williams and Michael Jordan, two very influential athletes who changed the game forever. Two very similar and ambitious, thirsty for success, yet very different. A man and a woman, one a tennis player and another basketball player. Standing out in two very different eras. Two rule breakers who changed history and rose to the top.
Serena Williams, the 37-year-old tennis player, is called the best of all time, being compared to Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali, who are two very influential and record-breaking athletes for black history. Serena Williams has achieved a record of 23 Grand Slam titles, six U.S. Opens, seven Wimbledon titles, seven Australian Opens, three French Opens, four Olympic gold medals, 23 double titles and a career Golden Slam. It is said that she has won enough awards for several lifetimes. Her father was a sharecropper, from Louisiana, learned from tennis books and videos on how to coach his daughters Serena and her older sister Venus. The Williams sisters worked themselves to the bone on a concrete court, avoiding potholes and often practicing without nets. Growing up in Compton meant developing a sense of fight which is the same fight that would be what characterizes their game on and off the court. Williams changed tennis, a historically white and demure sport, by being herself, with solid curves, a signature Afro-style ponytail, and an energetic style of play. What makes Williams’ career so remarkable is not a spotless record, but the spirit to rise above the criticism of her age, game, race, and body and set a standard for accomplishment in sports.
Michael Jordan, a ruthless competitor, often being compared to Muhammad Ali, another great and influential athlete in history. His thirst to turn failure into success began in 1978 during his sophomore year, when he was not selected for his high school’s varsity basketball team. For the rest of his high school years, he dominated on the varsity team and received an athletic scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where later he was named national college player of the year. “Jordan is the greatest player to ever touch a basketball”. His six NBA titles in six NBA Finals appearances with six NBA Finals MVPs are among the greatest feats sports has ever seen. Five league MVPs, 10 league scoring titles, an NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, two NBA Slam Dunk contest trophies and the list goes on. The NBA told him not to wear the sneakers Nike made for him, but he still did, eventually turning Air Jordan into an entire commercial collection and billion-dollar brand. At the peak of his playing career, Jordan entered an early retirement to play Major League Baseball. When he failed this time, he did so on his own terms, announcing his return to the NBA by saying “I’m back,” before winning three more championship rings. Another retirement led to another comeback, and a 51-point game at the age of 38. When his playing days ended, Jordan turned a minority stake in an NBA franchise to the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets. “Ruthless, relentless and peerless. That’s the Jordan way.” – Aaron Dodson The similarities between these two are very evident, both are record-breaking athletes who forever changed the game. Both very competitive and ambitious players, who came back for more, stronger than ever.
Two people who revolutionized the style of play and the uniform, Serena Williams, changing the way the sport is looked at and for who it was created, creating a comfortable and affordable fashion for Tennis players. And Michael Jordan creating a billion dollar company of shoes, for teens and professional players. Both are said to be the greatest athletes of the last half-century, beside Muhammad Ali. Serena Williams and Michael Jordan have achieved a level of greatness unimaginably amazing. They were good enough to sink to the bottom and rise resiliently to the top. In conclusion, Serena Williams enters the GOAT conversation along with Michael Jordan. Both who come from different backgrounds used their resources to the fullest. Both who changed the way the sport was looked at. Serena who changed the way Tennis was idealized to be and Michael Jordan who broke racism barriers, and inspired young adults to do so as well. Serena Williams and Michael Jordan are two very different athletes yet so similar, who in the trajectory of their career became the best.
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