It’s not that we are afraid of seeing him stumble, of scribbling a mustache over his career. Sure, the nice part of us wants Mike to know we appreciate him, that he still reigns, at least in our memory. The truth, though, is that we don’t want him to come back because even for Michael Jordan, this would be an act of hubris so monumental as to make his trademark confidence twist into conceit. We don’t want him back on the court because no one likes a show-off. The stumbling? That will be fun.

　　But we are nice people, we Americans, with 225 years of optimism at our backs. Days ago when M.J. said he had made a decision about returning to the NBA in September, we got excited. He had said the day before, “I look forward to playing, and hopefully I can get to that point where I can make that decision. It’s O.K., to have some doubt, and it’s O.K. to have some nervousness.” A Time/CNN poll last week has Americans, 2 to 1, saying they would like him on the court ASAP. And only 21 percent thought that if he came back and just completely bombed, it would damage his legend. In fact only 28 percent think athletes should retire at their peak.

　　Sources close to him tell Time that when Jordan first talked about a comeback with the Washington Wizards, the team Jordan co-owns and would play for, some of his trusted advisers privately tried to discourage him. “But they say if they try to stop him, it will onlyfirm up his resolve,” says an NBA source.

　　The problem with Jordan’s return is not only that he can’t possibly live up to the storybook ending he gave up in 1998 — earning his sixth ring with a last-second championship-winning shot. The problem is that the motives for coming back — needing the attention, needing to play even when his 38-year-old body does not — violate the verymyth of Jordan, the myth of absolute control. Babe Ruth, the 20th century’s first star, was a gust of fat bravado and drunken talent, while Jordan ended the century by proving the elegance of resolve; Babe’s pointing to the bleachers replaced by the charm of a backpedaling shoulder shrug. Jordan symbolized success by not sullying his brand with his politics, his opinion or superstar personality. To be a Jordan fan was to be a fan of classiness and confidence.

　　To come back when he knows that playing for Wizards won’t get him anywhere near the second round of the play-offs, when he knows that he won’t be the league scoring leader, that’s a loss of control.

　　Jordan does not care what we think. Friends say that he takes articles that tell him not to come back and tacks them all on his refrigerator as inspiration. So why bother writing something telling him not to come back? He is still Michael Jordan.

　　参考答案：

　　不是因为我们害怕看到他会因失误而给他辉煌的生涯画上遗憾的一笔。从善意的角度说，我们想让迈克知道，我们仍然欣赏他，至少在我们的记忆中，他仍然是英雄。事实上，我们不想让他重返球场，即使他是迈克尔·乔丹。我们觉得这是个贸然之举，我们不想看到自信的商标蜕变成一种自负的象征。我们不想让他重返球场，因为没有人喜欢卖弄。失误呢?那将会很有趣。

　　但是我们是有着225年乐观历史的美国人，我们都是好心人。当乔丹几天前宣布他将在九月重返NBA时，我们曾为之一振。宣布的前一天，他说过：“我盼望能打球，并希望事情能如愿以偿。有些人怀疑，有些人紧张，都属正常。”《时代》周刊和美国有线新闻网上周做的一项民意调查表明，每两个美国人当中就有一个人希望乔丹尽快重返赛场。只有21%的人们认为，如果他的重返导致一场彻底失败，将会损害他的传奇。事实上只有28%的人认为运动员应该在他的运动巅峰时期引退。

　　与乔丹关系密切的人告诉《时代》周刊，当乔丹第一次谈到重返它与其他人共同拥有的华盛顿奇才队并为之效力时，一些他最信任的顾问试图私下打消他的愿望。“但他们说，如果试图阻止他，只能鉴定他的决心，”一位NBA人士如是说。

　　乔丹复出所产生的问题不仅仅在于他不可能重现1998年的神话，那一年，他以一个精彩的最后一秒投篮，使球队赢得了冠军，也为自己赢得了第六只金指环。问题是他重返的动机——他需要人们的关注，需要在38岁体力不支时，仍然打球。这一切都有悖于他所创造的神话——一个展示绝对控制力的神话。如果说二十世纪的第一个球星巴比·鲁斯是一个身材魁梧肥胖的鲁莽之夫和酒鬼天才，乔丹则证明了刚毅所能带来的优雅风度，并以此结束了二十世纪。巴比对观众的颐指气使被乔丹无奈耸肩的魅力所取代。乔丹代表着成功，因为他的名字没有被他的政治倾向、他的观点或是他的超级明星个性所玷污。乔丹迷就是典雅和自信迷。

（编辑：何莹莹）