As motivational fodder goes, maybe few things in pro sports has proven more powerful than the MVP snub, real or perceived.
We were reminded of this during our pandemic spring, when the absence of live content had the sports-loving public watching “The Last Dance” en masse. Among its assorted revelations and reminiscences, the documentary about Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls dynasty recalled Jordan’s reaction to Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz being named the NBA’s most valuable player in 1997. Jordan cited Malone’s winning of that award as the chief thrust behind his ensuing star turn in leading the Bulls to their fifth of six championships.