One of the most awaited movies of the year starring veteran Hollywood actors like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon- Air was finally released on Amazon Prime Video on May 12, 2023. And ever since then, Air has been trending worldwide and in India, it is among the top 4 movies which is being streamed this week. Air is a true story that revolves around Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and how he wooed 'rookie' Michael Jordan to sign with the company's Air Jordan shoe line. Apart from an impeccable and true storyline, Air is also being praised for bringing a stellar star cast including- Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, and more in the lead roles. Notably, Air is directed by none other than Ben Affleck and fans are believing that the actor's movie is indeed Oscar-worthy. Assuming you have landed on this, True Scoop News believes that you have already watched Air on Amazon Prime Video and have multiple questions in mind. Among the most prevalent ones being why Nike fired Sonny Vaccaro after the historic Michael Jordan deal. To know the answer continue reading-
Air real story: Why Sonny Vaccaro was fired by Nike?
Responsible for roping in Michael Jordan for the brand Nike during his rookie days, Sonny Vaccaro was actually fired later in his career by the luxury shoe brand. As per reports, Sonny Vaccaro was fired much later by the co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight. Sonny Vaccaro was planning to pursue other business plans that did not involve Nike. The decision of Sonnu was not appreciated and taken well by Phil Knight and later he went on to fire his 'beloved' executive. As per Los Angles Times. "He (Sonny) and (Phil) briefly discussed his latest side venture, a firm that specialized in putting together product endorsement packages for coaches and athletes." Following that Sonny was fired from Nike. The report further suggested that Sonny could not believe that Phil fired him and he was confused seeing Phil's 'change of heart'. Notably, in 2016, Phil later retired from Nike.
Who played what in Amazon Prime Video's Air?
Coming to who played what at Amazon Prime Video's Air- Matt Damon plays the character of Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, Ben Affleck plays the character of Nike co-founder Phil Knight, Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan.
Nike's profits from Michael Jordan deal
Nike has benefited greatly from the partnership with basketball legend Michael Jordan. It has become the world's largest supplier and manufacturer of athletic shoes and apparel. As of October 2022, Nike has a market cap of $143.5 Billion, making it the world's 66th most valuable company. When discussing basketball shoes, the conversation always begins and ends with Jordan. It has been 38 years since the 'GOAT' entered the sneaker business, and there is no end in sight. In the movie, it has shown that Nike had a 14 percent market share in the shoe brand, while Adidas and Converse had much more profits, But after the Michael Jordan deal, Air's profit rose to more than 50 percent and it also bought Converse.