If the people who ran Green Bay practiced football as a religion, I would be burned at the stake for renouncing long ago my love of the game. The Packers, Brett Favre, and the ongoings of the season ebb and flow every year without gaining insomuch as a murmur of intrigue from me. The other night, however, I caught a piece of advertising that was truly brilliant.
Nike’s “Leave Nothing” commercial spoke volumes without saying nary a word. The camera follows Shawn Merriman as a pummels his way through oncoming opponents on his defensive march. The backgrounds, players, and weather conditions fluidly shift every few fleeting moments. Near the endzone Merriman forces a critical error and Steven Jackson gains the ball. The opposing goal now in sight, he begins the march. All the while, the slow and methodic bagpipes from the Last of the Mohican’s track “Promontory” crescend. With only grunts and the clashing of helmets these gridiron warriors bellowed forth their drama. In the final moment, without clear resolution, we are left suspended.
It is rare, exceedingly rare, for me to take notice to advertising, let alone advertising for a product I have a particular distaste for. Bravo advertising firm on creating this work of art. But I still hate football and Nike shoes.
