SHOOT FOR THE STARS

THE year is 1984. Marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) is attempting to improve the fortunes of beleaguered brand Nike, whose basketball division is dwarfed by that of rivals Adidas and Converse. As an industry underdog, Nike struggles to attract top talent for its advertising campaigns, but Sonny comes up with a creative idea in comedy drama Air, a film based on a true story, which was released in cinemas on Wednesday (5 April).

Nike’s vice-president of marketing Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) tries to rally his team. But Sonny grows increasingly frustrated at the lack of viable players to advertise for them and feels hamstrung by a limited budget.

Then one day, while rewatching tapes of the 1982 national championship-winning shot, he sees the scorer Michael Jordan’s full potential and pitches the idea of spending the entire celebrity contract budget of Nike’s basketball division on one player.

rookie to be the face of Nike’s basketball trainers. He decides that, rather than the player simply wearing the shoe, the shoe should be built around the player, and risks his entire career by driving from Oregon to North Carolina to make a personal appeal to Michael’s parents.

With authenticity and heart, he explains how he sees greatness in Michael, and how Nike can look after him in a way the big brands can’t. The player’s mother, Deloris (Viola Davis), seems impressed.

Sonny stands by his convictions

Sonny and Rob ask a designer to come up with a one-of-a-kind shoe, more colourful than anything else on the market, specifically for Michael: the Air Jordan. Nike’s team tries to devise the perfect pitch for a pivotal meeting. But the results aren’t guaranteed.

His colleagues think he’s mad. Nike CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck) believes the financial risk of gambling everything on one player is a step too far. Plus, Adidas and Converse are already courting Michael with lucrative contract deals.

But Sonny stands by the courage of his convictions and backs the young

Sometimes we all have to take a leap of faith. That could be embarking on a new career opportunity, starting a relationship or moving to a completely different place. As much as we plan and prepare, it can feel daunting to step out of our comfort zone. It’s always encouraging to hear stories of people who have done so and thrived.

One person who was familiar with stepping outside his comfort zone into new territory was an intrepid man called Joshua. He took on rivals despite facing almost impossible odds. What emboldened him was his faith in God. Joshua felt that God was clearly saying to him ‘Be strong and courageous … do not be discouraged’ because God would be with him wherever he went (Joshua 1:9 New International Version). With God by his side, Joshua knew he could face his challenges undaunted.

That same source of strength and courage is available to us. God wants to have a relationship with each and every one of us, and can assist us in whatever challenges we encounter. Let’s not pass up the opportunity to receive his help.