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Ben Affleck's "Air" is a story of the American Dream, a Cinderella story of how an exceptional Black athlete leveraged his talent and the power of being pursued by a bunch of white men in suits to change the game. In 1984, Nike had branded itself as a running shoe company, and no serious basketball player wanted to sign with them. Affleck focuses on the negotiations between Michael Jordan and his mother, Deloris (Viola Davis).
The year is 1984, as an opening pop-culture montage reminds audiences about the early days of the ultra-sophisticated advertising world we now live in: Apple hired Ridley Scott to direct a Super Bowl commercial, Wendy's turned "Where's the beef?" into a national catchphrase, and sports stars were everywhere from Wheaties boxes to TV commercials.
Affleck plays Knight, the OG "shoe dog" of Nike, as an aloof figure with an ill-fitting wig and an aloof sense of timing. On the wall of Knight's office hangs a sign listing the 10 rules by which Nike operates, but in 1984, Nike was a publicly traded company and boards expected rules to be observed. Vaccaro, Nike's in-house basketball guru, suggests that Nike should invest its entire quarter-million-dollar basketball marketing budget on one player, instead of spreading it among several lower-ranked draft picks.
Jordan's potential is revealed after Vaccaro studies tape of his first year on the University of North Carolina's team. Aaron Sorkin's scenes in "Moneyball" and "The Social Network" are reminiscent of classic Aaron Sorkin scenes, blending inside-baseball insights with power games. In the film's most galvanizing monologue, Vaccaro gives Jordan and his parents a speech that summarizes everything Michael Jordan means to us, his fans and the legions of Americans.
"Air" highlights the racial dynamics underlying the Air Jordan deal and how Deloris ensured that corporate America couldn't exploit her son, and how the Jordan deal saved the company.