By David Jordan Jr
Many things of the world are synonymous with certain aspects of life. The Golden Arches anywhere in the world signify McDonald’s. The Apple Logo signifies Apple Products. The Nike Swoosh and the Jumpman Logo are synonymous with one person; Michael “Air Jordan.
One of, if not the greatest basketball player to have ever played the game, Michael Jordan transformed not only the game of basketball, but the world of athletic shoe companies and sneaker culture. Entering the NBA in 1984 Michael Jordan would change the history of the world of sneakers when he signed a contract with Nike to wear the product on and off the basketball court. The “Air Jordan sneaker,” born out of essentially a dream and a hope changed the world forever and how people viewed basketball shoes.
The newly released film “Air” tells the story of how Sonny Vaccaro enabled Nike to land Michael Jordan as a Nike athlete for the company and how his signing changed the way shoe companies would negotiate and design shoes in the future. “Air” was directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alen Convery. The film stars Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Chris Messina, Chris Tucker, Julius Tennon, Damian Delano Young and Viola Davis.
The film is great in the aspect of the capturing of time. “Air” allows the viewer to journey back in time to 1984, when the world was a place the lived in moments and waited on moments to happen; nothing was essentially instant. The use of pay phones, the use of fax machines and the importance of personal, face-to-face interaction is projected entirely throughout the film. No cell phones and technological advances in the world at that time made it necessary for the grit, grind and persistence displayed by Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro to attain his goal of signing Michael Jordan to Nike. All of the actors in the movie were polished in their respective roles, adding to the authenticity of the film and the era of the mid 1980s portrayed on the screen.
Watching the movie “Air” will inspire you to want more, dream big and set out to achieve your goals, no matter what they may be.
