So Much More Than a Game

Soon after, La Motta betrays his talent by throwing a fight. He is consumed by suspicion; everyone, he now believes--wife and brother included--will betray him. He gets too fat to fight. His possibilities seem to have disappeared. Imagine playing a roulette wheel of all zeros.

But in "The Jordan Moment" there are no such consequences to face. Michael Jordan will score or he will not score. There will be a thousand more balletic, even heroic dunks ahead. And the viewer-fans are toddlers in an enormous crib, protected walls of Happy Meals, annually re-engineered sneakers, and durable cotton briefs. Nothing can go wrong. All roads lead to Jordan.