YouTube Gold: Who Didn’t Want To Be Like Mike?

What a classic commercial.

It’s hard to overstate the impact of Michael Jordan in the 1980’s and ‘90’s.

The ‘50’s had Elvis. The ‘60’s had the Beatles. The ‘70’s were for catching one’s breath apparently.

Jordan hit the NBA as a Chicago Bull in 1985 and obviously there was no social media. Didn’t matter.

There was Sports Center and that was enough. People started to see him do crazy things and to play at a level no one had seen before. He became a cultural icon at a time when no one could pick him apart. The allegations about gambling, the less flattering sides of Jordan - we all have parts of ourselves that you wouldn’t want to see get proctologically examined by social media - none of that was out there.

Instead, Jordan got idealized and commoditized. He became such a celebrity that he said the only time he actually felt free was on the basketball court.

Part of that was a Gatorade campaign that was truly inspired. The song “Be Like Mike” was catchy and uplifting. Pair it with shots of his extraordinary athleticism and his increasingly refined skills and intense competitive desire, along with his playful side, and you had a campaign for the ages.