Favorite Sports Commercials

Be Like Mike Gatorade Commercial

The best is the kid at around 0:44 taking 80 steps with the ball.  The little kid is also a ball hog... we may have our first Kobe Bryant sighting.  If you're Michael Jordan then you can get away with the 80 step travel. Also, I think everybody has done the Jordan jumping fist pump at 0:52.  How did the world's most dominant athlete go from being so coordinated almost flying through the air to being unable to perform a simple high-five with his caddy?  I am looking at you Tiger Woods.

Superhero athlete seemingly relating to everyday athlete + catchy tune = favorite commercial ever.  Really, I am just a sucker for any catchy jingle whether it is Mini-Wheats or Gatorade.

Terry Tate: Office Linebacker

According to wikipedia.com, the actor who portrayed Tate, Lester "Mighty Rasta" Speight, "is a former American football player who has had subsequent careers as a professional wrestler and then actor."  Scrolling down a bit more we find that Tate lent his voice for the Xbox 360 game Gears of War as Augustus Cole (a.k.a. Cole Train), even re-using some of his characteristic lines. 

In terms of being memorable, the Terry Tate advertising campaign was one of the most successful in the history of the Super Bowl halftime shows although could you even tell it was a Reebok commercial?  The Tate character reemerged during the last American election urging people to vote including a spot where Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is tackled.

Slim Jim

These ten second spots were sometimes the highlight of my Saturday morning watching WWF Superstars.  Every time I go on a long car ride, I seem to buy Hot Rods.  There is just something about a long car ride that makes plastic, oil and meat-like substance more acceptable.  Anybody else wonder why Macho Man Randy Savage decides to rip the door off of his own locker?  You figure he knows the combination.  Let's chalk that up to him still being getting jealous over Hulk Hogan and Miss Elizabeth's friendship... and roids... yea, steroids too.

Chicks Dig the Long Ball

Added bonus of this commercial is that I am an Atlanta Braves' fan and it has my favorite pitcher of all-time: Greg Maddux.  Considering they are starting pitchers, Tom Glavine and Maddux are widely considered to be decent hitters so the premise of them jacking balls out of the park is not that far fetched.  We are not talking about something totally unbelievable like transforming Jason Schmidt and/or Al Leiter into world beaters.  How weird is it now to see this commercial, specifically the picture of Mark McGwire flexing his roided (I mean andro'ded) up bicep on the billboard around 0:19?  Maddux looks extra nerdy with the glasses.  I always thought he was less dominating on the mound after he went for LASIK eye surgery.  He just did not look as smart.

Nike Hockey 

Back in the late 1990s, Nike decided to get into the hockey equipment business.  Unlike their golf clubs, at least Nike had bought Bauer Hockey and sort of knew what they were doing right from the get go.  Their ad campaign was probably my favorite in terms of the sports world.  It started with Sergei Fedorov getting run over by a zamboni driven by a goalie and continued with their remarkably entertaining Nike goalie ads.  Remember the Blackhawks goalie working at the fast food restaurant yelling how Fedorov exposed a "weak, weak, weak glove hand!"?  How about the Montreal Canadiens' goalie in full gear working as a cab driver complaining about Mats Sundin exposing a weak stickhand?  The old Nike ads sort of remind me of the new McDonald's commercials with the tiny French goalie and Russian player.  It follows that apparently, I am thoroughly entertained by people with French accents.

Other Notable commercials...

include Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan McDonalds spot, Bo Knows and Mark Messier Lays ads.