Michael Jordan starred in a Jordan Brand commercial back in 1997 that many consider to be the greatest sports advertisement of all time.
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One of the purest endeavors that mankind is engaged in, and has been for centuries, is sporting excellence. There are few things more quantifiably breath-taking than watching athletes going at it while exerting their full effort.
Getting to a level of sustained, replicable excellence at any sport requires you to put in WORK. It’s not a garden variety pursuit for everyone to be able to handle the stresses and tensions that came from it – both physical as well as mental, psychological.
Elite sportspersons get to that point not just because of elite ability, but also because of their mindset. Without having a dogged mindset and a clear, focused vision, you don’t break certain glass ceilings.
What sets Michael Jordan apart from most other sportspersons we’ve seen or read about is his absolutely insane competitiveness. MJ’s competitive streak reportedly extends to any and everything in life.
It’s that almost psychopathic mindset that drove him to persevere harder than his peers and excel for longer, shine brighter than practically every sportsperson ever to step on this planet.
The famous Michael Jordan ‘Failure’ commercial
If there’s one MJ commercial that should be played for high school kids everywhere, it’s this one. Released in 1997, Jordan Brand upped the bar for pitting Jordan’s mythical mentality in front of the public.
Michael Jordan spoke some of the most revealing, inspiring, reassuring words there are in this commercial:
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over, and over, and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
