"The Ceiling Is The Roof" may not be the most wise statement ever uttered, but when it comes from the lips of the most legendary athlete in American history, people are sure to take notice. Michael Jordan returned to his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, to make a major announcement. But all anybody took away from his speech were the five words he said towards the end.
An expression for the ages
In order to understand "the ceiling is the roof," one must first understand the context. Jordan was talking about how far North Carolina athletic programs can go, implying that there is no limit to their greatness.
As a national champion at the school back in 1982, the man surely knows what he is talking about.
But give it further examination -- isn't Jordan undercutting the potential of these college athletes? After all, while should the ceiling be the roof? Why can't an athlete or an individual's ceiling be the sky or the stars, shooting for some true greatness? Maybe there's some sort of jealous at play for the former Tar Heels star, who is trying to put down everyone in the generation that has made the "Crying Jordan" meme the most ubiquitous internet art form in the world.
The announcement
All of this discussion surrounding his comment obscured from the actual announcement Jordan made during Saturday night's basketball game between the Tar Heels and the rival Duke Blue Devils.
He told the ecstatic crowd that the Tar Heels football team would begin to rock the Jordan Brand on their jerseys next year, joining the basketball team and the Michigan Wolverines football team in doing so.
Jordan is a beloved figure in the state of North Carolina. Not only did he lead the Tar Heels to college basketball glory and become one of the greatest athletes of all-time, but he also now owns the Charlotte Hornets NBA franchise. For him, the sky hasn't simply been the limit, Instead, "the ceiling is the roof" for the greatest modern athlete in the country's illustrious sporting history.
