You don’t have to be a basketball or tennis fan to appreciate two sports films that were recently released.
‘AIR’, based on the true story of how Nike completely changed its trajectory in the basketball shoe market – thanks to one player called Michael Jordan – is showing at Camana Bay Cinema through Thursday, April 20. ‘Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker’ is a documentary available on Apple TV+, which follows the spectacular rise and downfall of one of tennis’s greatest athletes.
The films are completely different, and yet both tell compelling stories. One is an inspirational account of people who put everything on the line to fight for what they believed, and the other is a too-familiar cautionary tale about professional athletes and the pitfalls of bad money management.
‘AIR’
In the early ‘80s, Nike was dragging behind Adidas and Converse when it came to basketball shoes, until a young player caught the eye of sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro. Sensing that Michael Jordan was poised for greatness, Vacarro put all his eggs in one basket and fought to get an audience with Jordan’s parents and, subsequently, the 21-year-old soon-to-be phenom, in order to make them an unprecedented offer. The result of his persistence and willingness to lay it all on the line was the Air Jordan shoe and a five-year endorsement deal that shot Nike into the basketball footwear stratosphere.
Starring Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro and the extraordinary Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, this film is incredibly entertaining, even as we know the outcome of the story. The script is fantastic with some terrific banter; the casting is perfect; and you’ll find yourself rooting for Vaccaro and his team as you move your feet to the beat of a familiar and nostalgic soundtrack from that decade.
Note: Michael Jordan himself specifically requested that Davis play his mother. Good call.
‘Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker’
At the age of 17, in July 1985, Boris Becker won Wimbledon. His record as the youngest man to ever win the prestigious tournament still stands today, and he went on to lift that trophy two more times in 1986 and 1989. In addition, he won multiple singles and doubles titles, putting him in the top 10 best male tennis players of all time.
So, how did such a gifted athlete with the world at his feet end up in prison in 2022? (Becker served eight months of a two-and-a-half year sentence; was released in December 2022; and subsequently deported from the UK.) The ‘Boom! Boom!’ two-part documentary covers the whole story, from Becker’s rise in the tennis world, his triumphs in tournaments, scandals in his personal life, and eventual bankruptcy due to mismanagement of his financial affairs.
Becker was interviewed on two separate occasions for the production, and at times it seems his recollection of how he handled certain situations in his past varies from what others remember. Viewers may end up feeling sorry for him that his star has fallen so far, or sceptical about whether he has really taken responsibility for some of his actions that have led to this moment. Either way, there is no question that Becker is an enigmatic character, and his story is one to which many professional athletes should pay attention. When you are no longer winning tournaments, the money can dry up. Invest wisely.
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