It's progressively becoming commonplace in almost every sport. Legendary athletes are getting their shot at managing teams, but with little to no managing experience.
It's more common in basketball to see former players get their shot as coaches and general managers. There are quite a few former players taking the role of general manager in the NBA. Two of the game's greatest players, Bird and Jordan, have tried their hand at it. To say they've had success would be a stretch. Both have made some very questionable moves and depending on who you ask, have been quite a detriment to their teams.
It's happened most recently with the Argentine soccer team. The country's biggest footballing icon, Diego Maradona has been in control of the national squad since 2008. He hadn't coached any major team since 1995. He's fielded questionable squads and almost missed out on the World Cup with one of the world's most talent laiden rosters in the world. Just take for instance, he has yet to call up former Argetina mainstay Esteban Cambiasso. He's widely considered one of the best holding midfielders in all of Europe and an integral part of Inter Milan's recent success, and has yet to make an appearance.
It will be interesting to see what team he fields in South Africa this summer. In a recent press release, the team he has ready to field in the final friendlies leading up to the World Cup, once again leave out Cambiasso, Maxi Rodriguez, and Javier Zanetti.
But when do you ask Michael Jordan to step down? Who has the audacity to tell MJ to step down? When does an organization draw the line and realize that despite a legend's achievements as a player, and his popularity level among fans, that he may in fact be the reason for their downfall.
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