Michael Jordan x NBA 2K11

Michael Jordan will grace the cover for NBA 2K11.

For those of you that aren't aware, 2K11 is a basketball video game made by 2K Sports. I do not play video games anymore. I prefer to read. But for some reason, this development with Jordan sounds exciting to me. The cover of a video game is an honor for any athlete. However, the usual big-name athlete's presence does not make video game covers prominent in pop culture. There is no sizzle for a casual bystander like me. When Jordan is featured though, that ratchets up the cachet of video game covers. It does not work the other way around.

This marketing decision, or editorial decision perhaps, sends a positive message about 2K Sports. The company's decision to go to the trouble to feature Jordan tells the public that they are trying to do something that transcends gaming. The company wants to do something memorable. It is not just about the game anymore.

This particular game cover business might wind up as one of those noteworthy times: the time when Michael Jordan made the cover of 2K11. We will know for sure if the public remembers this down the road years later. It might turn out similar to the time when Jordan made four consecutive Sports Illustrated covers during a playoff run. NBA 2K11 is not the equivalent of an SI cover, but it is still significant. For one, Jordan's involvement is unexpected. This was a complete surprise to me when I heard about it. To this point, gaming companies were not using deactivated athletes to sell product. Now they are.

Jordan's presence on 2K11 lends useable credibility to video game covers and the sports video game industry as a whole. Yes. Jordan's involvement is that pervasive. If 2K11 depicted a lesser player, anyone else basically, there wouldn't be the same buzz for the game. The rest of the sports gaming industry will benefit, too. It just received a jolt of heightened credibility.