Fresh off its career resuscitation efforts with Tiger Woods, the ad staff at Nike was trying to revive LeBron James' image on the eve of his first tip-off as a member of the Miami Heat. I enjoy this long-form ad (which I still haven't seen on TV now that I think of it), especially the nod to one of my previous favorites, the "I am not a role model" spots Charles Barkley did in the early 90s. But it hardly even mentions Nike! It seems they're trying to disassociate the Swoosh with tarnished images? Either way, see for yourself.

We all remember the Woods video earlier this year. Produced as golf's No. 1 player was finalizing his highly-publicized divorce from his Swedish model wife by all appearances due to his also highly-publicized infidelity, the previous Nike ad was met by incredulous viewers. The ad was narrated by random, out-of-sequence clips of Woods' father speaking to his son. The orchestration of Earl Woods' voice was seen as damaging to the golf guru's legacy.

The Tiger video spawned funny spoofs and the furor quickly dulled. From an artistic standpoint, I enjoyed the Woods spot, as I always have liked his Nike promos. I've always enjoyed Nike's commercials, dating back to Mars Blackmon, and they're sure to keep going. Who's the next athlete the swooshed ones can assuage?
... In other news, Dan Gilbert really meant what he said about LeBron in that nasty, childish-looking letter he penned typed last year. ... Also, the Free Press has been running exerpts from a new book about Bob Probert the past three days. "Tough Guy" takes you behind the scenes of one of the league's best skilled players/bruiser, you're there for his first beer, his initial cocaine snort and the time he lost his virginity on leave from a hockey tournament. The book is available from Triumph Books, a noted publisher of athletic biographies.
Part I
Part II
Part III