Air

In 1984, Oregon-based Nike, Inc. is on the verge of bankruptcy due to low footwear sales. In response to this, Marketing VP Rob Strasser, along with co-founder Phil Knight, tasks Nike's basketball talent scout Sonny Vaccaro to come up with a new pitch for a shoeline based on current American sports. While considering the basketball players chosen in the 1984 NBA draft, Nike's executives think third pick Michael Jordan is off the limits, being both a fan of Adidas and too expensive for the basketball division's meager budget. But once Vaccaro watches Jordan's highlights in conjuction with an Arthur Ashe commercial for his Head rackets, he becomes convinced Nike should pursue who he considers a generational talent, with both brand and athlete building off each other.