When you think of Nike so many things come to mind but the first is most likely Michael Jordan. In 1984 during his rookie season in the NBA, Jordan signed a deal with the sports brand and denied offers from Adidas and Converse. At first, it seemed as though Adidas might have landed Jordan, but it’s a good thing that didn’t work out because we would not have the shoes we know and love today. And Jordan’s career may have ended up taking a different turn. This record-breaking contract was worth 2.5 million dollars at the time and exceeded expectations of making $3 million off the first shoe in three years by making $126 million in the first year.
“Air” is set to release in April and follows the story of how Nike and Michael Jordan teamed up and how the Air Jordan Brand came to life. Ben Affleck plays Phil Knight, chairman and co-founder of Nike and Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, who got Michael Jordan to meet with them. According to Affleck, who also directed the film, “If it’s about anything, it’s about what Michael Jordan meant to the sporting world, the world at large, and who he was and how it transformed sports and sports marketing and how athletes were compensated and treated, how he was supported in that process.”
At that point in time there had never been any player like Jordan so there had never been a brand deal like Nike and Jordan’s. Adidas was more popular than Nike when Jordan was a rookie, so his signing on to work with Nike was a risk. Knight and Vaccaro had to dig deep to convince Jordan. Without the Jordan Brand deal, who knows what the landscape of athletes leveraging their popularity to earn more money would look like. Also, the culture of streetwear and fashion, in general, would be seen in an entirely different light.
Affleck wanted the story to be true to Michael Jordan but not with too much input. However, one of the most interesting things about the film is that Jordan, or an actor who is playing him rather, is never shown in the film. Despite this, Jordan did have a request for who would play his mother though, “Viola Davis is gonna play my momma.”
In April, we can see how the story plays out on the big screen. Affleck believes that Jordan’s story will resonate with sports fans and business people alike, “I want Michael Jordan to have the effect in this story as the effect he had in the world” he said.