Our Economy Their season opened in Boston, against a young Celtics team that had listened to the 80-year-old Red Auerbach. “David Stern's name is on the basketball,” Auerbach had said. "Not Michael Jordan's." That night, Celtics TV analyst Tom Heinsohn made sure his audience knew who Jordan wasn't. “It's not God,” Heinsohn said. "Everyone treats him like a messiah or something. He's not." If it seems strange at this point that so many are confused about Michael Jordan's identity, it's only because Jordan is confusing. He is not the owner of the Bulls and he is not the general manager, but as sure as they lost the first game against the Celtics and were adrift in the first two months of the season, he is the person who built this team. for better or for worse. Shortly after the Bulls defeated the Jazz in the NBA Finals last spring, Jordan said, "We deserve a chance (at a sixth title)." Much of what followed is a consequence of Jordan's desire, ambition and power. Phil Jackson is the coach, Scottie Pippen is still on the team, albeit unhappy, and Dennis Rodman is back in Chicago, thanks to Jordan. The power to build a basketball team, not just any team, but the reigning NBA champions, the winners of five titles in seven years, is truly an impressive power. That's one reason why Jordan, 34, is the most powerful person in sports in 1997 according to The Sporting News. Here's another: Jim Jannard, chairman and president of Oakley, Inc., welcomed a new director, Bill Schmidt, to his board this week. California-based Oakley produces high-tech sunglasses in a state-of-the-art factory in Orange County. Schmidt is executive vice president of Quaker Oats-Gatorade, creator of the successful "Be Like Mike" advertising campaign in which Gatorade and the basketball superstar attract thirsty consumers. Jannard and Schmidt were introduced by Jordan, an Oakley director who is developing an internal gaming business that soars high above the boardrooms, to complement his external shot as a marketing superstar. The cross-pollination of Oakley and Gatorade, Jannard and Schmidt, is a reflection of Jordan's power outside the game, just as his Bulls lineup reflects it inside. He becomes the first No. 1 to start as an athlete before veering towards business and the media. Previous Number 1: Laurence Tisch (1990), David Stern (1991), Phil Knight (1992), Ted ....... middle of paper ......if Jordan and Jackson appreciated his tenacity. A key big man from the '97 playoffs, Brian Williams, was lost to the cap. As the Bulls limp into January, Pippen is still sidelined due to. foot surgery and asks to be traded. Rodman plays lethargically. Jackson's zen is wavering. Only Jordan, averaging a league-leading 26.8 points, stands between the club and humiliation. In business, as with the Bulls, he has the power to be who he is, to call his shots, to control his image. A bold display of Jordan's power occurred this year when two companies he represents, Nike and Oakley, clashed over the use of his image. Jordan has been with Nike since 1984; earns $15 to $20 million a year from the $9 billion behemoth. He has worked with Oakley since 1995; he earns about $500,000 a year plus equity from the $220 million newcomer. An Oakley print advertisement featured Jordan wearing Oakley sunglasses and an Oakley cap. Nike is suing Oakley, claiming that his contract with Jordan requires him to wear Nike apparel in all of his advertisements. Jordan.