Book Description

"And at this point, it's the other side that has the burden of proof on their hands. The other side...Someone needs to come to me, and explain to me what Jordan is better at than LeBron without saying the words, 'Six Rings.'" - Nick WrightG.O.A.T. Envy is a direct response to Nick Wright's challenge.Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Which one is the G.O.A.T.--the Greatest Basketball Player of All Time? "G.O.A.T. Envy: An Analysis of the Role Fan Narrative Plays in the Debate Over Which #23 is the Greatest Basketball Player of All Time" gives readers a fresh take on the GOAT debate. Michael Fry's GOAT Envy Comparison Analysis measures both data and context in the comparison between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In the book, he analyzes the role that fan narratives play in the debate, and the effects sports talk shows and social media have on the opinions formed by fans.In the book, Fry details how Wright's challenge became a dare, and how the debate became a journey. He ponders how the debate might become fun again--if it's a "field" where both the "romance of times gone by" and "being a prisoner of the moment" can coexist. And his hope is that when fans take part in the debate going forward, that they will strive to be more "like Frank," instead of "that guy."G.O.A.T. Envy is a book about the debate, but also something more. It's a book about sports. It's a book about life. In it, Fry weaves his own story. He explains how he set out to prove which fan base has the best GOAT case, and which one has what he calls, "GOAT Envy." But along the journey he learns lessons that urge him to re-examine the narratives in his own life, and help him come to some surprising conclusions.