Jumpman 23 Michael Jordan example essay topic

Jumpman 23 Michael Jordan has star power that bridges age, race, and socioeconomic class. Nike understands this aspect of the popular superstar and decided to give him his own clothing line named Jumpman 23. It is the most popular form of sports apparel available and the white logo that adorns each article of apparel is known worldwide. Michael Jordan is arguably the most loved and respected athlete of this generation, thus the ad for this company depicted in ESPN The Magazine takes advantage of his immense popularity. In an attempt to expand the companies influence Jumpman 23 uses professional baseball player Derrick Jeter to send its message and promote its apparel. In the essay "Absolution for Sale", Charity Miller writes, "We live in a world of images.

Among the most persuasive and insistent of these images are those directed at us by advertising. These images often do more then simply try to persuade us to buy a particular product or use a particular service. More subtly, they influence us by appealing to our desires or exploiting our emotions". The image of Jeter training alone in a gym clothed head to toe in Michael Jordan's clothing line combine with a poem above describing his intentions. This scene portrays the hard work and dedication that will eventually lead to success as things an athlete of any level should expect while wearing the clothing.

Michael Jordan takes advantage of his legend on the basketball court and his appeal worldwide to create a line of apparel that demands the same work ethic from those who wear it. Its success is in Jumpman 23's ability to interest buyers no matter what age, race, or sport. The advertisement gives the impression that success does not come easily. To reach a goal there is a lot of hard work that goes into the process. This is how Jeter is portrayed in the picture. He is alone, in a dark gym surrounded by mirrors training with a thirty-five pound weight.

He stares at his reflection in the mirror, deep in concentration, and highly motivated. The "light at the end of the tunnel" whether it be a world championship or simply a playground victory takes time, effort, and dedication and he is in the course of working towards that goal. Part of why the ad does not show him on the field, or celebrating a victory is because it wants to capture the countless hours he spent working to get to that level. It shows the process and time that must be put into a task in an effort to achieve results and become the best. This is no more apparent than in the poem that is written on the top right of the ad: "The more I train, the faster I swing. The faster I swing, the harder I hit.

The harder I hit, the more runs I score. The more runs I score, the better my stats. The better my stats, the higher the expectations. The higher the expectations, the greater the pressure. The greater the pressure, the more I train". The beauty of this ad is how it eventually returns to the beginning line.

It all comes down to training harder and pushing yourself to the limit. The more you train, the better you will play, and this in turn will cause you to train harder in order to continue to play better. It seems that this cycle of events is what is going through the mind of Jeter and is his main motivation. Jeter is a major star in professional sports, he is a team leader, adored by fans, and is constantly competing at the highest level. Playing in New York is said to be very difficult and thus, the better his stats, the more pressure he will feel from fans with high expectations which will in turn cause him to continue to train harder in what looks to be an endless cycle.

While this poem is certainly relevant to all of the professional athletes who endorse this clothing line, it is also directed to the young kids everywhere who look up to these stars. It is applicable for everyone from high school baseball players, to college football players, to the young kids playing basketball on the neighborhood courts. To become the best, and achieve great things, there is a lot of work that, while it is not the most glamorous part of the sport is essential in moving towards the end goal. This is the message Jumpman 23 looks to send out, to audiences of all ages and ability levels. An athlete would simply have to stare down at the Jordan logo that is visible on each piece of clothing in order to be inspired. The white logo which depicts a man flying through the air with a basketball in one hand describes what made Jordan so great.

No words are needed to tell the reader what company the clothing is representing; the ad simply states the company's website at the bottom of the page. This symbol speaks for itself and its simplistic design is part of what makes the apparel so valued. It is easy to begin to imagine the endless possibilities one might achieve while wearing the shoes or shorts. Those who put on the apparel often feel as though they too, if only for a minute could capture the magic and play the way Jordan once did. This is true for professional athletes from all sports, down to kids on a playground. Once you put on the shoes and after enough hard work it is easy to believe that the ability Jordan once had on the basketball court could again be attainable.

Expanding the apparels marketability beyond the sport of basketball is part of why the ad is not centered on Michael Jordan. Promoting the apparel is Derrick Jeter, a hugely popular and successful baseball player for the New York Yankees. Jeter is a young, good-looking, clutch baseball player. He has many of the attributes which once made Jordan so great and so intriguing to watch. Therefore Jumpman 23 has chosen to make him one of their main spokesmen and the center of this ad. Successful athletes from all ends of the sports spectrum are how the Jumpman 23 line of apparel extends beyond the basketball court.

People from all sports, at any level can achieve great levels of success while wearing the clothing. Michael Jordan who is perhaps the greatest athlete of all time, has chosen others, a group of twenty athletes named Team Jordan who are now at the pinnacle of their careers to help him promote the apparel, everything from the highest selling shoes ever created, to headbands and wristbands. Michael Jordan was a great basketball player looked up to and admired by people all over the world. This is exemplified in a quote from Team Jordan member Jason Taylor "Team Jordan is something I wanted to do my whole career. Michael exemplifies everything that I think an athlete should be. The desire the competitiveness, everything about the man says winner and that's what I'm about".

The hard work and desire Jordan put forth in order to achieve his dreams is well documented, and he has used this as the main focus in advertising his clothing line. By using other sports superstars who have achieved great things, he has been able to capture the attention of the sporting world. Once you put on the shoes and the clothing, you will begin to expect great things out of yourself. These goals come only after dedication and effort. Showing the work ethic of other great athletes and the thoughts that motivate them, Jumpman 23 has successfully captured the idea of its clothing line. One has to look no further than the miniature symbol of a man flying through the air in order to imagine the possibilities and see what makes this advertisement so appealing.

Bibliography

Miller, Charity. "Absolution for Sale". Criteria 2004.
Taylor, Jason. Athlete Bio. 1 March 2005 web jordan / team.