The Power of Silence in Marketing Black Athletes.

The film "Air" tells the story of Nike's signing of Michael Jordan, but obscures his presence, with the basketball star uttering only three words in the entire film. The film's true power is its ability to convey an unnerving truth about the sneakers' mystique: Jordan's athletic ability was crucial to the success of Nike and Air Jordan; not so much his face – and definitely not his words. "Air" becomes the story of how a struggling company created one of the most successful brands in the world on the back of a Black body, a tale as old as the nation itself.