LeBron's new commercial

“Should I be who you want me to be?”



This was the question posed by LeBron James in his new Nike commercial. The commercial was released a couple of days ago, where I first saw it by watching the NBA opener, James’ Heat vs. Boston Celtics. After having discussed it in my Sports Ethics class, I thought it would be a good idea to blog about it.

I thought it was a good commercial to attempt to put LeBron back into the good graces. As most studies have shown, LeBron’s fan approval rating has dropped dramatically after his free agency saga and his “decision” on ESPN. The season opening game, was the first time that LeBron would be back into the full public spotlight, which I’m sure drew tons of TV ratings, which made it a brilliant idea to release the commercial.

For all of the people that claim that LeBron ruined his legacy by joining the Heat, they are out of their mind. Maybe, he took himself out of the race for greatest basketball player that ever lived. Maybe, he was unable to lift Cleveland on his back to the promise land. However, you can’t blame LeBron for leaving Cleveland and decide to be the number two man in Miami for a better chance to win a trophy in June.

The commercial had tons of humorous content in it, which must have been a reference to LeBron’s personality, which is well known to be goofy. The highlight must have been LeBron eating the doughnut, which I believe is a reference to Charles Barkley’s weight. Some people called it a low blow, but I don’t know the relationship of Charles and LeBron and if they would consider each other friends or not.

Overall, Nike did a good job attempting to raise their number one client’s image back to the popularity that it was before. LeBron’s image will heal over time, as fans will remember that he is the same player that won their hearts, and championships can heal everything (ex. Kobe Bryant).