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ABC News
ABC News
Sport

Ben Affleck's playful sports drama Air tells the true story of the Nike executives who won over Michael Jordan

Ben Affleck Michael Jordan NIke AIR Matt Damon Viola Davis Chris Tucker Jason Bateman Warner Bros Ana Carballosa
Asked by The Hollywood Reporter about the movie replicating the dynamic of "white America using Black culture", Affleck said: "I would't make [that movie]." (Supplied: Warner Bros/Ana Carballosa)

Only Hollywood could make a feel-good sports drama about 80s capitalism in which the underdog is a multibillion-dollar industry titan – and make it so rousing, contradictions, cultural baggage and all.

Director Ben Affleck's Air is the story of how one of history's most iconic sneakers, the Nike Air Jordan, came to be. It's also, in another way, about how a bunch of middle-aged white dudes wheeled and dealed to charm a young Black superstar in waiting, bringing NBA rookie Michael Jordan into the big business of pop culture.

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