By Carl Hilliker

It’s not what you think!

Michael Jordan is perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time. Certainly he was the greatest player for the last 10 years, until his retirement.

What made Michael Jordan so great?

There are a lot of things. But the answer I am about to give will most likely surprise you.

Michael Jordan became a great basketball player because of government! That’s right! Government!

What do I mean? Let me explain.

In his book Mystery of the Ages, Herbert Armstrong explained this simple, yet important concept: “One might call the rules of a sports contest the ‘law of the game.’ The presence of law requires a penalty for infraction. There can be no law without a penalty for its violation” (page 48; write for a free copy of this book if you do not already own one).

The penalty for “breaking the law” during a basketball game is known as a “foul.”

The player who committed the foul can only do that so many times before he is eventually removed from the game. The player who is fouled either retains possession of the ball, or he gets to shoot one or two free throws. Either way, he is given another opportunity to score more points.

This is a simple concept, but it is the enforcement of the rules through penalties that makes it possible for the skills of players like Michael Jordan to rise to a level of excellence.

Mr. Armstrong continued: “The very fact of law presupposes government. Government is the administration and enforcement of law by one in authority. This necessitates authoritative leadership—one in command.”

Can you imagine how great Michael Jordan would have become without officials to enforce a penalty upon those who would rather foul him? What would have happened if every time he tried to take a shot or drive for the basket, the opposing players could just push him a little off balance, or pull on his arm without facing any penalty for their actions?

How quickly and easily his talent could have been neutralized without strong and adequate “law enforcement” provided by the NBA!

The integrity of basketball, and virtually every other high-level sport, demands a respect for the authority of the officials that blow the whistles to enforce the “law.”

What is the point of having laws unless they are enforced? How many times have you participated in a sport or game where the laws were not clearly understood or enforced? It is not much fun, because it can rapidly turn into chaos, with people arguing and bickering. Often the activity ends prematurely, and people leave with hard feelings.

Even with the best-trained officials, the NBA has more than its share of fights and bad feelings. Imagine how long the league could have survived as a popular sport without a strong government that was able to keep players in line with the rules and overall objectives of the sport.

Basketball has so many precise rules, so many laws that regulate every aspect of the game, that it takes highly trained officials to officiate the activities on the court, and a large staff of administrators, lawyers and agents to administer the activities of all the players, coaches, owners, reporters and fans off the court. After so many years, it is safe to say that the sport of basketball has a law which applies to just about any situation that might occur.

It is the existence of these laws and government that made Michael Jordan’s rise to greatness possible.

The word government has become a dirty word. When you think of government, what comes to mind? Corruption, politics, oppression, empty promises? These results are actually signs of the lack of a properly administered government—an indicator that the government is breaking down.

It is the proper administration of government that has made basketball one of the most popular games in the world. All the rules, and the strict enforcement of those rules, has raised the standards of the NBA to a high level of excellence. It is only through much diligent effort by a strong, active government that such standards are able to be maintained.

The standards have remained high, and now other players aspire to Michael Jordan’s greatness.

Think about it. Could Michael Jordan’s talents have ever been exploited if the NBA did not exist? If there had never been a world-class league to attract the imaginations and energies of players and fans, Michael Jordan and the great players he admired would never have developed such incredible skills.

Even if Michael had managed to develop the exact same talents while playing pick-up ball on some neighborhood court, or on a local men’s league organized by some health club, very few people would have ever realized just how great a player he had become. To develop world-class skills recognized by everyone who has ever played the game requires a high-class organization with the highest of standards. These standards must be measurable and consistent over a long period of time. That is only possible through a well-organized government.

Let’s not diminish the individual effort Michael Jordan put into developing his talents. He made the most of his opportunity to become great.

But how did he achieve that high level of skill? By submitting to the rules of the game. He did not attempt to alter the rules or seek special exemption from them. He did not moan and complain about the rules or lobby to have them changed to suit his particular skills. He didn’t dwell on the negatives of what the rules prohibited him from doing. He focused on the positives and what the game allowed him to accomplish.

In other words, he simply played the game the way it was intended to be played—better than anyone before him.

Besides being a great individual athlete, Michael Jordan was a great “team” player. He knew how to get all his teammates actively involved and contributing to the game. He had the ability to make them play better than they had ever played before.

How? By understanding that the spirit of the game is “teamwork.”

This too is an issue of government. Michael Jordan was the recognized head of the team. He was the floor leader. He not only operated under the government of the NBA, he understood government as it applied during the game itself, as it was intended to function on the court.

It is a rare man that understands the importance of a properly administered government. It is an even more rare man that makes the choice to live totally within the government, without bending the rules to serve himself. Very few really understand how to put government into action on a daily basis to help themselves and others achieve real success. Michael Jordan was able to use government to achieve the highest standards possible for man in basketball; not just for himself but for his teammates, his coaches and his fans.

Government made Michael Jordan great.

Do you want to reach your greatest potential? Become like Michael. Learn the tremendous value of government!

Where have you noticed government helping in your life?