• by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, July 31, 2024

If you’re going to open an Olympics commercial with a creepy voiceover asking, “Am I a bad person?,” the best person on earth to do so is the actor Willem Dafoe.

And in this 90-second Nike video created by Wieden & Kennedy for the Paris Olympics, The Green Goblin crushes it.

He brings a preternaturally terrifying register and lilt to the black poetry he reads over superbly cut, dramatic sports footage that reveals a Murderer’s Row of Nike talent. 

Among the athletes we see in diabolical action are LeBron James, Sha'Carri Richardson, Vini Jr, Serena Williams, A’ja Wilson and Kobe Bryant.

It's certainly a way to zag on the usual zig of inspirational stories or tired sports tropes. The spot attracts attention in its own biting, aggressive, anti-inspirational way. 

"I'm single-minded. I'm deceptive. I'm obsessive. I'm selfish. Does that make me a bad person?" Dafoe continues. 

Lest we start thinking that these athletes must descend into madness like this on the court, the pitch, or the playing field, but otherwise that they’re OK citizens, he says he has “zero remorse,” “no empathy,” and “no sense of compassion.” 

The writing has a magnificent rhythm, and with the repetition of “Tell me, am I a bad person?” the v/o becomes hypnotic. “Tell me.”

Well, to answer the Goblin’s question, yes. Yes, you are a bad person.

Aside from the relentless negativity, I think it’s borderline tasteless to use footage of the late Kobe Bryant in this context to begin with. But the voiceover juxtaposed over his face on screen is “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.” That’s deeply unfortunate, given the Colorado allegations, when a young hotel employee charged him with sexual abuse.  At this point, we just want to honor his memory, so that’s not a conversation to get into. 

After a blizzard of blinding action cuts, Dafoe’s final line is "Winning isn't for everyone."

“The campaign represents the athletes’ inner monologues as they strive to be great,” according to Nicole Graham, Nike CMO.

She added in a statement: "It tells the tale of what it takes to be the (G.O.A.T) greatest of all time, the unformed legacies that still exist, as well as the hopes that will come true… It reminds the world that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to win." 

Still, Nike’s angry, dark approach strikes me as tone-deaf for this moment.

From what I’ve watched of the Olympics, it’s been filled with cooperation, sportsmanship, excitement and delight. That’s why ratings have been sky-high, driven by NBC, cable platforms and the Peacock app.  Viewership is up 79% from the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo games.

That’s because Americans need exactly this healthy diversion. And it’s inspiring and family-friendly to follow these young athletes who trained so hard to get there.

Going back to the Nike ad: What’s a seven-year-old to think hearing lines like “I don’t respect you!” and “I’m never satisfied!”

Simone Biles’ story, about weekly therapy helping her get rid of trauma, stress and the negative voices in her head, has helped other athletes. Her gold-winning comeback has been phenomenal and stirring.

And just look to the “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik for someone who doesn’t sweat the small stuff.  An engineer before competing, he’d already become Instagram-famous for being the bespectacled nerdy guy posting about working his Rubik’s cube in Paris. He finished one in less than 10 seconds on the day of the competition. In an interview with NBC, Nedoroscik said solving the puzzle was "stress relief.”

And speaking of apparatus, he was the last guy to perform on his team. He waited with his Zen presence, sometimes falling asleep, He said he was “visualizing” his routine.

When it came to his turn, he removed his glasses like Clark Kent, and pommeled hard and pommeled well. With one 40-second routine, Nedoroscik helped secure the team a bronze medal -- its first since 2008.

There’s something more powerful about “winning one for the team” rather than being “single-minded” and “deceptive.” Hey Nike, it’s time to be that Pommel Horse Guy.