How Air Jordan Became Crying Jordan

In 1991, Gatorade released its first commercial starring Michael Jordan. In the minute-long ad, shots of Jordan on the basketball court are spliced with those of kids imitating his signature moves, while a new earworm of a song, written specifically for the commercial, plays in the background. “If I could be like Mike,” a chorus of children’s voices sings, serving as a proxy for people of all ages everywhere. Jordan had already been appearing in national ads for years, but this was his coronation.