After Michael Jordan suddenly retired from the National Basketball Association, the public has been bombarded with many theories as to why he decided to quit at the peak of his career: the death of his father, an increasing lack of privacy, a desire to spend more time with his family, etc. But the Village Voice came up with its own special slant on the situation—to wit, the most popular athlete in the world, a man who made $30 million a year in endorsements, was a victim of racism.

The article, titled "Race Man," states that "the tide turned" with Gatorade's campaign that centered on the slogan "If I could be like Mike." All of a sudden, "Little white kids in little white towns were dreaming about the bald-headed brotha in baggy hoops shorts." Not only that, but "they were dreaming about being black."

As Voice writer Scott Poulson-Bryant sees it, this caused some unnamed white authority figure or group to begin the persecution of Jordan, focusing on his gambling. "If white kids wanted to be like you, you had to show them the way, you had to come clean, you had to meet standards," said Poulson-Bryant.

The piece insinuates that another powerful white authority figure or group—or perhaps the same one—wasn't pleased that Jordan's Chicago Bulls had won three consecutive NBA titles. "White folks get nervous when you start winning too much (unless, of course, you're winning for them)," it said.

Poulson-Bryant, of course, neglects to mention that many white athletes, such as Don Drysdale and Bjorn Borg, also retired at the top of their games, and that white players have also gotten into trouble because of gambling, such as Pete Rose and Denny McClain.

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