"MJ's a Jerk Now"

It's amazing how naive we are. People watched Jordan's commercials, the playful smiles... I watched almost every game of his career. I always felt like fans (especially casual ones) saw MJ as almost cuddly. Harmless. Then he ripped a load of people in his Hall of Fame induction speech. He went so far back to find people who'd offended him in life, he was digging up graveyards. He gave the speech the way he played--giving no quarter to any opponent. Finding a reason to not only beat you, but demoralize you. Now, suddenly, people are gasping for air. "MJ is a jerk!" more than one sports fan has said. My question is: what did you expect? The guy was the best in the world, probably the best ever. Think of all the 'best in the world' types. Don't all of them have a little jerk in them? Do you think it's coincidence? It must be a necessary quality at that level.