It’s been now almost two months since the movie “Air” aired on Prime Video. The film had a great IMDB and Rotten Tomato score, and many people liked it. However, most of them think what was said in the movie is all true and that nothing has changed from the real history of the Jordan Brand.
But what most people forget is the fact that the film is an adaptation of a real story. And even though most of the events really happened, a lot of them were changed for better and more efficient scenes, and that’s normal; that’s the principle of adaptation. But then, what are the differences between reality and the film?
They Made The False Legend True
First of all, Spoiler Alert, if you haven’t seen the movie, I consider you have seen the movie, or you don’t mind being spoiled. Ok? Let’s go then! During the first design meeting of the Air Jordan, Peter Moore, played by Matthew Maher; Rob Strasser, played by Jason Bateman; and Sonny Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, already talked about the famous Air Jordan fine that Nike supposedly paid at every game. For those who don’t know, Nike created a false legend about the Air Jordan, the fact that she was forbidden and that they had to pay a fine so that Michael Jordan could play with them. And in the film, while the contract is not even signed or Michael Jordan didn’t wear any Nike shoe on the court, they are already talking about the fine, while in reality, they had no idea they would have problems.
But making this false legend true is not a bad idea. However, another incoherence makes this scene terrible for the sneakers addicts. Because the film had the colors of the Air Jordan wrong. What was forbidden was a black and red shoe on a basketball court, the Air Jordan 1 Bred, and using the black color instead of the white color was the real problem of that shoe, and that’s the main reason Nike received that supposed fine letter. And, of course, it wasn’t even the Air Jordan 1 Bred that was forbidden, but the black and red Air Ship, because the Air Jordan wasn’t ready when Michael Jordan started the season in 1984.
In the film, they don’t even talk about the Air Jordan 1 Bred, the supposedly forbidden Air Jordan, they talk about the Chicago, and Rob Strasser asks Peter Moore to put “more red” on the shoe to create a scandal with the NBA, so they are talking about the Air Jordan 1 Chicago which never had any problem and was rocked by Michael Jordan during the season. Everything that is told in that scene is different from reality, and Rob Strasser didn’t have the idea of the commercial; it was the Wieden + Kennedy agency that made the most legendary ads for the Jordan Brand.
No, Adidas Was Not THAT Interested In Michael Jordan
In the movie, Adidas really wants to sign Michael Jordan, while in reality, it was not the case since Adidas believed more in tall centers like Hakeem Olajuwon. For them, Michael Jordan was too small, and that’s why there were not interested, and of course, they will not put the same money as Nike on the table. Also, contrary to what the film says, this decision really comes from Kate Dassler, the boss of Adidas, in 1984 after the death of her husband, Adolf Dassler, founder of Adidas. At that time, she was trying to show who the boss was since her colleagues wanted to take over the company by all means and were always contesting her decisions.
And while we’re still talking about meetings, let’s discuss the one between Michael Jordan and Nike. During the meeting, they talk about NBA rules and show the Air Jordan 1 Chicago, confirming the incoherence with the reality of the Air Jordan design scene with Peter, Rob, and Sonny. Finally, regarding the contract, the numbers are false. It’s not 250k per year that Nike will propose to Michael Jordan, but 500k a year. However, we understand it is a choice to maintain suspense. Why? Because the conditions asked by MJ’s mom, played by Viola Davis, are much more important. The Jordan family wanted royalties on the sales of the sneakers, and this part was even more revolutionary than the contract’s price. And when we know how many Air Jordans Nike sold the first, we can understand why MJ’s mom negotiated that, a real businesswoman.
But does that make “Air” a bad movie? Of course not; the “Air” movie is a breathtaking and incredible lesson of mise en scene of a story that, on paper, doesn’t seem that passionating when you are not a Michael Jordan or sneakers fan. Those changes were made because it is an adaptation, and without these changes, the film may have been boring. Changes in an adaptation are made for a reason; it is the case and will always be the case, whatever the source material is.