Jordan Dominates 1993 Stories

He isn’t even playing basketball anymore, yet Michael Jordan dominated sports news in 1993 with three stories among the top nine in balloting for Associated Press Sports Story of the Year.

Jordan’s stunning decision to retire as a player for the Chicago Bulls was judged the year’s top story in nationwide balloting by sports editors and broadcasters.

That story got 874 points in the voting, followed by the stabbing of Monica Seles (528) and the Toronto Blue Jays’ second straight World Series championship (369).

Each editor or broadcaster responding to the poll was asked to vote for the top 10 stories, which were awarded points on the basis of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

The death of Cleveland Indians pitchers Tim Crews and Steve Olin in a boating accident during spring training was voted No. 4, followed by another Jordan-related story, the Bulls’ third straight NBA championship.

Baseball realignment was sixth, followed by the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl championship, the aviation deaths of auto racing stars Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki, the shooting death of Jordan’s father, and Reggie Lewis’ death from a heart attack.

“I never wanted to leave when my skills started to diminish, because that’s when I’d feel the foot in my back, pushing me out the door,” the 30-year-old Jordan said when he announced his retirement on Oct. 6.

“My skills are still good. I am not on the downside of my career. . . . This is the perfect time for me to walk away.”

Jordan’s appeal and recognition factor obviously was not limited to the United States. In earlier balloting of editors worldwide, outside North America, the Jordan’s unfolding saga was voted the top international sports story of the year, followed by Seles’ stabbing.

Of the top 10 stories, half involved death or violence of some kind, and only three stories (about the Bulls, Blue Jays and Cowboys) involved victorious performances on the field.

Balloting was completed on Dec. 17, too early to include stories about Fox television network outbidding CBS for its part of the NFL contract. First word of the Fox bid came on Dec. 17.

Rounding out the top 20 were Arthur Ashe’s death; the National League West pennant race; Nolan Ryan’s retirement; NFL expansion to Charlotte and Jacksonville; Don Shula setting the NFL coaching victory record; Evander Holyfield regaining the heavyweight championship; Jim Valvano’s death from cancer; Alabama upsetting Miami in the Sugar Bowl; North Carolina winning the NCAA basketball championship; Mario Lemieux returns to hockey after suffering Hodgkin’s disease; and Sydney getting the 2000 Olympics.