The Most Iconic Sports Commercials of All Time
VIA: Nike
Let’s be real – the streaming era has all but ended the golden age of terrestrial TV. And not to sound too much like Don Draper lamenting modern marketing in my corner office (spare room) nursing a 2 pm scotch (more like my fourth coffee of the day), but commercials aren't the same recently either.
Though they arrived a little after the Mad Men-dominated 60s and 70s, the sneaker and sports ads of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s ushered in a new era of creativity, tugging at our heartstrings and wallets by dreaming up storylines centred around existing athletes, or creating new stars out of nothing. As you’ll know from our book, these decades gave way to some of the greatest sporting ads of all time – but that’s before we even got started on the video versions, which could be a whole different ball game indeed. Here are some of our favourites.
Reebok - 'Shaq vs Shaq' (1995)
We don’t have to remind you that the 7’1”, 325-pound was a tour de force both on and off the court, so it's no surprise that the larger-than-life centre player bolstered his sweet salary with a whole host of partnerships and endorsement opportunities. There were plenty of to choose from, but given the sheer volume of Shaq content Reebok crammed into a single minute here, 'Shaq vs Shaq' made our top pick. It goes without saying that the ad features two teams stacked with Shaqs, each decked out in the . Given the amount of Shaq on the court, you could argue that it’s a meeting of minds from some parallel kind of universe – which it must be, given that Shaq scored a three.
Gatorade - 'Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better' (1997)
Considering the fact we’re talking about sports commercials here and not just sneaker commercials, we didn’t want to skip this Gatorade ad featuring and women’s soccer star Mia Hamm. In this spot, the two-time Olympic gold medallist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champ goes head-to-head with MJ across a range of sports, giving him a run for his money on the pitch, the track, in the ring, and on the court. Because so many 90s sports ads revolved around men and male teams, you could argue that this commercial was well ahead of its time – despite how cooked and blurry it looks now. The duo of Hamm and Jordan even appeared in a 2021 remake of the ad, which saw Usain Bolt and Abby Wambach take over the main roles.
Nike - 'Shox Soccer Streaker' (2003)
Things got experimental in the 2000s, to say the least. Football fans will know that these days, cameras are deliberately pointed away from pitch invaders to avoid drawing attention to bad behaviour – but took a daring route here when they put a streaker in a pair of . Maybe YouTube’s censorship controls have made this one a little extra fuzzy, but the clip basically features the streaker running onto the pitch mid-game with commentators looking on and narrating. The beautiful game is still prone to the odd eyesore, but on this occasion, all attention was (hopefully) on the streaker’s feet.
Nike - 'Airport 98' (1998)
Nike’s 'Airport 98' ad is widely regarded as one of the best. At the time, the 1998 World Cup was due to take place in France, sponsored by adidas – which meant Nike had to get creative with their marketing. Making the most of the waiting game that looms over a delayed flight, the ad follows the Samba boys through the airport, with Ronaldo, Carlos and Cantona each putting in a shift.
At the time, Nike had only just begun to focus their efforts on football – but what better way to make a splash than by signing Brazil two years prior? As they set about storyboarding the ad, the Swoosh were inspired by Brazil’s style of play, which was more spontaneous, creative and attack-heavy than most other teams. These qualities folded perfectly into the liminal airport setting, and a lot of the moves were improvised by the players and teams on the ground – now that’s authentic content.
adidas - 'Footballitis' (2002)
World Cup fever is absolutely a thing in the football world, but took the sitch a step further with the release of their ‘Footballitis’ commercial ahead of the co-hosted Korea and Japan World Cup in 2002. Instead of showing off players' talents on the pitch, or volleying the ball around the most random place you could think of, the ad echoed educational videos from the 70s. Set in a medical institute, it depicted players like developing strange and compulsive symptoms despite not having a ball anywhere near them. Alongside showcasing the boots of the era, the ad also gave fans a glimpse at the World Cup match ball for that year, which was called the Fevernova.
Nike - Write the Future (2010)
Another masterpiece from Wieden+Kennedy, 2010 ‘Write the Future’ ad was another bid to cement the Swoosh’s place at the top of the sponsorship league table. The three-minute-long ad took viewers on a journey that explored the fickle nature of football, highlighting instances where a single moment can define the next day’s news headline and make or break an entire nation’s happiness. Highlights include a (even more so than usual) bedraggled-looking Wayne Rooney, who was saved from his alternative fate by successfully tackling Franck Ribéry, and therefore avoiding the imminent ‘England in Roo-ins’ headlines as well as a new life as a groundsman. Ronaldinho also makes an appearance, where he performs a step-over that ends up going viral, even mimicked on court by as some kind of ahead-of-its-time TikTok challenge.
Converse - 'Bird vs Magic' (1987)
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the faces of the NBA back in the day, but it was their rivalry that made things really exciting. Bird played for the Boston Celtics, while Johnson was with the Lakers, but both athletes were sponsored by Converse. The two featured heavily in advertising at the time as ambassadors for the OG b-ball brand’s ‘Choose Your Weapon’ campaign, but one of these commercials came with a heartwarming tale.
In the 1987 ad, Johnson drives out to French Lick, Indiana, to show off his new shoes – but of course, Bird already has a pair in a different colour. The duo then battle it out 1v1 – though behind the scenes, it was reported that during filming the athletes realised they were more alike than different, and became friends. Cute, but probably not what Converse had originally aimed for.
Nike - 'Tennis Coach' (2008)
Why was never in the running to play James Bond remains a mystery to us, as the tennis ace showed off some serious skills in this ad. Here, a man claiming to be a tennis coach (played by New Zealand comedian Rhys Darby) breaks into Federer’s house in an effort to keep him sharp. Darby blasts a ton of balls towards Federer, but despite the damage done to the house, Rog hits every shot. We can only assume he had to move soon after though, as a later Nike Free Run commercial has him attacking flies in a different house, once again causing chaos as he goes.
Gatorade - 'Be Like Mike' (1992)
'Be Like Mike' was another top sports commercial that didn’t come from a sportswear brand – instead arriving courtesy of Gatorade. As the title suggests, the commercial starred Michael Jordan, and the original idea was to soundtrack the commercial with 'I Wan'na Be Like You' from The Jungle Book. However the advertising agency, Bayer Bess Vanderwarker, couldn’t secure the rights to use the song, hence the rewritten (and equally cheesy) track that features over the top of the ad. As cringe as it is now, it perfectly captured the mood of the time, daring the next generation’s athletes to dream and follow in their hero’s footsteps – providing they were powered by Gatorade, of course.
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