If you have seen Ben Affleck’s latest film, Air, you now realize that Michael Jordan, portrayed by Damian Young, is barely in the film. While Jordan is in the film, he’s generally in the background throughout the entire story. Young’s face is never shown while he performs as Jordan. Jordan’s only full appearances in the film are from real-life archival clips, images, and footage, and those clips come off as a much more natural choice for the overall betterment of the viewing experience. Instead of integrating Young’s Jordan as a fully realized character in Air, Affleck opts to focus on the backroom deals and the Nike employees attempting to secure the Michael Jordan sponsorship contract by negotiating with Jordan’s inner circle. Affleck and screenwriter Alex Convery’s narrative decision was clear and deliberate, and it was ultimately the right choice for the overall benefit of the Air viewing experience.
Michael Jordan as a Present Character Could Have Been a Distraction
The obvious reason why it was better not to have Jordan as a fully present figure and character throughout the film is that Jordan is a household name. People who aren’t even basketball fans know that Michael Jordan is an NBA legend who transcended his sport and passed over into pop culture. Jordan is not only a former NBA player and pop-culture icon, he’s a cultural icon, period. Since Jordan is well-known throughout the world, if Damian Young didn’t perfectly capture the essence of Jordan in real life, it could have been a detriment to the entire movie. Plus, featuring Jordan’s character prominently runs the risk of forcing the actor to impersonate Jordan’s voice and mannerisms, which could impose an unfair challenge to actor Damian Young. The appearance of Jordan as an integrated character throughout the film would have presented a big risk to Air. If the actor did not perfectly represent the audience’s specific view of Jordan, the audience would be distracted from the main story.
Maintaining some distance from Jordan’s persona allows the spotlight to move to other equally important figures in Jordan’s life, such as his mother Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis), and his father James Jordan (Julius Tennon). Jordan personally campaigned for Davis’ casting in the film. Davis’ casting is pitch-perfect, and her scenes add much-needed weight and gravitas to the overall plot. Her scenes underscore the importance that Jordan’s mother had on his life and career. Since Jordan is more of a background character, his parents, especially his mother, are pushed to the forefront, so the film portrays the influence they had on their son and his career. It is Deloris Jordan who fights for her son to get a piece of the Nike shoe revenue, in a groundbreaking, landmark, and revolutionary deal. If Jordan had been more prominent throughout the film, his mother’s contributions and role in the Nike deal might not appear quite as evident. This idea became a powerful secondary theme in the film regarding professional athlete reform, and athletes fighting for their worth in an industry that exploits them and profits heavily from their likeness, image, and popularity. Jordan’s mother made sure that if Nike was going to build its shoe line around her son, her son was going to receive a piece of those profits. That idea pays off nicely in the film with the scenes involving Deloris Jordan.
Although Air is not a documentary, it largely focuses on other crucial figures in the sports industry, such as Nike CEO Phil Knight (Affleck), and Nike sports executives RobStrasser (Jason Bateman), SonnyVaccaro (Matt Damon), shoe designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) and Howard White (Chris Tucker). The movie largely focuses on Vaccaro making the huge gamble to risk Nike’s whole basketball division for the Michael Jordan contract. The Nike deal is important, but for a movie about Michael Jordan, it should be a footnote in his overall legendary career. Air is a chance to put the spotlight on other people and their contributions to the sports business and world. Tucker shines throughout the film and delivers an understated, dramatic performance. White, who later became the Air Jordan Brand Vice President, is another real-life sports figure who the NBA legendasked to be put in the film. The film does well in acknowledging other key figures in Nike and making sure their place in Air Jordan’s history is acknowledged. Since Air is not so much about Michael Jordan, there will be a future opportunity, at the right time, to make an epic biopic about Michael Jordan’s life and NBA career. It makes sense to save such a film for an actor to deliver a powerhouse Oscar-worthy performance when the time comes to finally tell Michael Jordan’s life story on film.
‘Air’ Presents Jordan As a Mythical, Legendary Sports Figure
In maintaining some distance from Jordan, and keeping him at arm’s length throughout the story, he becomes a more mythologized figure. The audience never sees Michael’s face. During Air, there is a clear awareness of the legend and titan Jordan will eventually become. The movie treats Jordan with a level of reverence that his career deserves. This is a movie about building up and reinforcing Jordan’s legend rather than deconstructing it, and that decision feels like the right choice here. Air is not a movie about re-examining Jordan’s life and persona, but rather propping it up. It shows why Nike believed in Jordan and wanted to work with him, and why the likes of Sonny Vaccaro and Phil Knight were willing to stake their careers and the future of Nike with the hope that Jordan would become the biggest name in sports.
Watching the movie reinforces the idea that it was the right decision to keep Jordan out of view and out of frame, and it never comes off as frustrating. The use of the technique also symbolizes that Jordan is just out of reach and view of Sonny Vaccaro and the Nike employees. As a result, their efforts to just get in the room or on the phone with Jordan are titanic, gargantuan efforts. Since the film maintains a healthy distance from Jordan as a type of revered, mythical figure, the task of signing Jordan by the Nike employees looks nearly impossible. As a result, the Nike employees become even bigger underdogs, and the audience roots for them to succeed.
While there might be some mixed and conflicting feelings about not prominently showing Michael Jordan throughout Air, and only having him speak a few short lines, the placement of Jordan in the background was the right choice for Ben Affleck’s picture. It puts the spotlight on other important figures in the sports industry and Jordan’s life. Air works better by focusing on the behind-the-scenes deals that have large earth-shattering impacts throughout the sports industry, similar to Moneyball. We all know Jordan is the star, and Air absolutely feels the weight of this star, without ever making it the primary focus.