Today In Sports History (March 31, 1994)

On this day in 1994, the Chicago White Sox assigned Michael Jordan to the Birmingham Barons AA team. All MLB teams have minor-level affiliate teams throughout the country. The minor league tier or “farm system” has been a crucial way to navigate and groom prospects/players over the years in getting them ready for the major leagues, as well as giving those athletes a platform to showcase their skills. In 1993, after this third straight NBA title, Michael Jordan retired from the game of basketball in a shocking twist of events. A few months after, he signed a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan showed prominence at the game of baseball at a young age, but he hadn’t played in an official baseball game since his high school days. Jordan played only one season with the Barons before re-entering the NBA atmosphere. Jordan’s baseball career is looked back at with mixed reviews from all sides. His presence made a huge impact on the minor league baseball scene, but his destiny was back on the hard court. Michael Jordan would later go on to win 3 more NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. He is regarded as one of the best players of all-time.