After 60 years in the game, the legendary basketball savant, Sonny Vaccaro, finds himself at the center of an extraordinary tale in Ben Affleck’s feature film, “Air (2023).” Starring the dynamic duo of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the movie weaves a captivating narrative around Vaccaro’s audacious endeavor to revolutionize Nike, revitalizing the struggling company through an innovative shoe and a groundbreaking marketing campaign.
In “Air,” Sonny Vaccaro’s character is portrayed as a visionary who recognizes the untapped potential of a young, unproven rookie named Michael Jordan. Setting his sights on this budding basketball prodigy, Vaccaro becomes determined to not only showcase Jordan’s extraordinary skills but also create a cultural phenomenon that transcends the game.
Much of “Air” is about Vaccaro’s lifelong passion for basketball and his innate ability to spot talent. With the film now out for everyone to stream on Prime Video, the question that really bothers me is; How much of Air is true, and how much of it was manufactured to tell a gripping tale of courting a legend?
Ben Affleck’s “Air”: Facts Vs. Fiction
Facts:
1. The origins of Nike’s famous tagline “Just Do it!”
In the movie, we see Damon’s Vaccaro and Chris Tucker’s character Howard White discussing the brand’s tagline. This interaction tells us that the slogan, “Just Do it!” It is rooted in an infamous figure: Gary Gilmore. While most of us felt that this story that White tells about Gilmore and Nike’s advertising agent Dan Wieden getting inspired by it feels implausible, the fact is, the story is true.
The backstory of Gary Gilmore is that he was convicted for the murders of gas station employee Max Jensen and motel manager Bennie Bushnell in 1977. Gilmore’s high-profile case captivated the nation. When faced with the choice between death by firing squad or hanging, Gilmore shockingly chose the former. His final words, “Let’s do it,” left a lasting impact on those who witnessed his execution. As hard it is to believe, White tells Vaccaro that Weiden was inspired by Gilmore’s last words and decided to phrase the brand’s tagline after it.
2. Jordan Wanted to Go to Adidas as his first option
The Air Jordans are now such an essential part of our lives that it is tough to believe that Micheal Jordan wasn’t even remotely interested in any shoe that Nike ever made.
The movie lays bare the fact that Nike was, in fact, not even his second choice. Since Converse dominated the basketball shoe landscape, all major players were opting for their shoe line. However, Jordan and his parent were aware that Converse was prioritizing Magic Johnson and Larry Bird over Jordan, and he was more eager to wear Adidas because of the leather range that they were offering.
The film portrays Jordan’s fondness for Adidas, showcasing him practicing in Adidas shoes and displaying a genuine appreciation for the brand’s tracksuits. At the time, Adidas held significant prominence in the market but struggled to match the enticing offer presented by Nike. The film highlights Adidas’ transitional period following the passing of its founder, Adolf Dassler, who indeed had ties to the Nazi Party and Hitler Youth during his youth.
Air accurately shows the big deal that went on with Nike and how Vaccaro pursued him to opt for their new shoe line over Converse and Adidas.
3. Micheal Jordan’s agent David Falk was the one who came up with the name ‘Air Jordan’
While it may feel like a running gag where Chris Messina’s character David Falk (who plays Michael Jordan’s hotheaded agent) is abusing the shit out of Sonny Vaccaro and casually drops a suggestion of having a shoe line named ‘Air Jordan.’ It is, in fact, 100% true that Falk is the one who came up with the name.
In the film, we see shoe designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) suggesting the name, but Affleck makes sure that the main credit is given to David Falk. The whole interaction of Air technology and Micheal Jordan flying in the air feels like a cracker of an episode thanks to the great writing, but the truth is, Falk was the one who came up with a bunch of names for the shoe line; one of which was ‘Air Jordan.’
4. The 51% Rule
While this part of the movie is again hard to believe, the NBA’s 51% Rule was as true as anything else. The rule meant that no Basketball player was allowed to wear footwear on courts that had more than 51% of anything other than the color white.
The film truthfully suggests that Nike offered and rebelled against this rule only to court Michael Jordan.
In fact, they even agreed to pay the fine of $5,000 fine per game. While in reality, Nike never truly had to pay fines as Jordan mostly opted for the AJ1 sneakers during play, Nike used this rebelling against the system in all their marketing materials.
5. Deloris Jordan was the most important person in the fruition of the deal between Nike and Micheal Jordan
Ben Affleck’s Air makes it abundantly clear that Deloris Jordan played a critical role in securing the Nike endorsement deal for her son. While the movie doesn’t depict this particular moment, Michael initially considered skipping the Nike meeting in Oregon.
However, it was Deloris Jordan who convinced her son to board the plane and attend the meeting. The film accurately portrays Micheal as a really quiet presence, allowing his parents to take the lead in the discussions. This portrayal aligns with the recollections of Sonny Vaccaro, who confirmed that Deloris Jordan played a crucial role in negotiating on behalf of her son. Vaccaro noted, “[Deloris] was the one negotiating for her son, for the kind of life Michael was going to live.”
Fiction:
1. Vaccaro’s gambling problem
Quite early on in Air, we learn about Sonny Vaccaro’s gambling problem. His layovers in Vegas before heading to the job are an important part of the narrative. Nike’s founder Phil Knight (played by Ben Affleck) brings it up later to question Vaccaro’s decision to court Micheal Jordan.
However, the film plays around with the timeline of this problem that Vaccaro had. Since most of the movie is set in the 80s, the narrative uses Vaccaro’s gambling to move the conflict forward when in real life, he claims to have quit gambling in 1978, just before accepting his job with Nike.
2. Pitching directly to Micheal Jordan’s Parents
Air portrays Sonny Vaccaro as a daring risk-taker, driven by his unwavering determination to secure Michael Jordan’s endorsement. The film shows his extreme approach as he takes matters into his own hands, bypassing traditional channels and going over the heads of his bosses and Jordan’s agent to directly pitch to Mrs. Jordan at their home.
The movie, however, takes certain creative liberties here. Vaccaro wasn’t the primary driving force behind this unorthodox meeting. In reality, Falk was also responsible for the deal to get to a close, as he suggested to Jordan’s parents that they should hear Nike out, contrary to what the movie portrays.
3. The final meeting was the first time Vaccaro met Micheal
While the film portrays Vaccaro initially approaching Deloris Jordan to pave the way for Nike’s pitch to the Jordan family, the actual sequence of events in real life differs. In reality, Vaccaro’s first meeting with Michael Jordan took place at a Tony Roma restaurant, arranged with the help of Vaccaro’s friend George Raveling, who coached Jordan during the 1984 Olympics.
This is the meeting where Vaccaro got to understand the importance Michael’s family holds for him. This pushed him to follow through on getting to know his mother and letting her know about Nike’s interest in their son.
