The Last Dance: Four predictions for episodes 5 and 6

3. It’s gotta be the shoes

We are about to embark upon the escalation of Michael Jordan the basketball player into Michael Jordan the full-on folk hero. Why has this documentary taken the television world by absolute storm and vaulted itself into the highest-rated and sought-after program across the globe?

Sure, the story itself is irrefutably interesting. The characters are dynamic, one of a kind. The drama is unparalleled. And the raw, unfiltered aspect of access into the NBA locker room? A form of incomparable rarity that makes this content stand completely alone in its value.

But Michael Jordan is the centerpiece, the engine that makes the vehicle go, and he is what’s keeping people so engaged.

His legacy is ever-lasting. There are thousands of kids around the world right now that couldn’t possibly put a face to the name behind the brand of shoe they currently have on. But boy, do they have full knowledge of how cool they are just because of the iconic silhouette that lines their soles.

It doesn’t just stop with the Jordan brand, though. Not by a long shot. It’s that smiling face on the front of the Wheaties box that so many ’90s kids began their mornings with. It’s the unforgettable Sports Illustrated magazine covers (Jordan holds the record for most appearances). The baggy shorts, the glimmering chain around the neck, tongue out and legs extended to their limits as they served as honorary propellers for flight.

And nearly everyone can distinguish that image in their mind as it’s described. It’s almost an innate second-nature,  a direct result of the massive branding appeal work done to maximize the superstar that was Michael Jordan.

We’ve all wanted to be “like Mike” at one point. And even saying that may conjure up old memories of the Gatorade jingle that circulated throughout television airways during the ’90s.

Part of Nike’s mass-marketing of their signature Air Jordan shoes though was their allusions that purchasing a pair would somehow liken the customer to Mike. Even if that wasn’t in basketball ability, it sure would be in style.

It’s worked tremendously. The god-like figure that exists as Michael Jordan is responsible for billions of dollars in shoe revenue and hundreds of different pairs of his trademark sneaker in circulation.

My prediction: we get an exclusive deep-dive into the business acumen of the masterminds (including Mike) that revolutionized the art of buying sneakers not only for basketball purposes but transformed it into an avenue of expression.