Stuart Elliott in America.(Michael Jordan's return to the National Basketball Association will be welcomed without planned marketing)(Brief Article)

In the 50s, America proclaimed: "I like Ike." Ike as in Dwight D Eisenhower, the 34th president.

In the 80s and 90s, it was: "Be like Mike." Mike as in Michael Jordan, the basketball superstar.

Though the Eisenhower jacket has had a retro turn or two among the fashionistas, Ike himself will not be making a comeback. Mike, however, is, as Jordan (who retired the second time in 1998) announced last week that he will suit up once more to play professional basketball.

Jordan's decision came as the climax of a will-he-or-won't-he waiting game that had gone on since March. After months of mixed signals, Jordan finally all but confirmed his comeback to several journalists, asserting: "I'm doing it for the love of the game, nothing else. For the love of the game." The date? 10 September.

Needless to say, the events one day later at the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon considerably dimmed the media's ardour for the saga of the man who had been one of the world's most famous athletes and, by most counts, its most richly compensated in endorsement income, at an estimated $40 million to $45 million annually.

Before 11 September, there was rampant speculation about elaborate plans to capitalise on Jordan's return among marketers that have him signed to long-term deals, such as Palm,Nike and Gatorade (the latter being the brand whose earlier campaign had introduced "Be like Mike"). But in the wake of the terrorist attacks, the Jordan comeback has so far had all the festiveness of a party held in a room that can accommodate twice as many guests.

There's an empty, hollow quality to the anticipation ...