I imagine when Nike came up with its latest Olympic commercial, it pondered: Who wouldn’t want Oscar Isaac inside their heads motivating them? In a two-minute commercial, an omnipresent (though not in my life, amirite?) Isaac serves as a narrator as young athletes practice their skills. He helps them push themselves by telling them about their promising futures. “Baby Daniel is just waking up. He’s going to win a State Championship one day,” he said to a baby. “This guy? He’ll run a marathon,” he says about a teen.
But just after 60 seconds – when Isaac tries to wrap things up – the athletes are full on Isaac’s encouragement. So, they decide to do some ill-advised things, like ride on top of a car performing a crash test or bust a 50-50 down an endless rail. The commercial features cameos from superstars like Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, Giancarlo Stanton, Neymar, and more. Unlike the more traditional Olympic spots we’ve come to expect – you know, the ones that will make you teary-eyed after listening to people’s inspirational stories – this one goes a more comedic route.
For the 2016 Rio Olympics, Nike wanted to playfully challenge that there are limits for athletes. Titled “Unlimited,” this campaign is an ode to the unstoppable and glory-bound athletes at the Olympics and beyond. Check it out above while I go out and practice my best rendition of Serena’s serve.
To read even more coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, click here.