My Shiny New Shoes Lebron James asked himself, do I want to be feared or loved as he ended weeks of silence and drama on Jul 8, 2010 with his ESPN special, “The Decision”. He revealed that he would be leaving his beloved home of Cleveland to join forces with NBA superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in South Beach, Miami. The sports world was left in disarray as the overwhelming negative response circulated the country. James turned the negative feedback he received from his decision to the theme of his Nike commercial. Nike dropped “Rise” on Oct. 27, 2010 and in 90 seconds; the ad manages to touch on LeBron’s decision and the entire negative backlash.
The commercial portrays a man simply trying to do what is best for his career and life in general, while being scrutinized by millions of people. He is his own man and does not have to follow the paths dictated by previous greats or what the fans want for him. LeBron James would like us to think that he is simply too confident in his own abilities to care what other people think of him. This is the attitude he carries in the ad as he tries to sell you his new Nike Air Max LeBron VIII shoes. James asks several questions in the new ad, beginning with "What should I do?" Throughout the commercial, James brings up the variety of different criticisms he took for his decision. The commercial ends with the most significant question: "Should I be who you want me to be?"
The commercial begins with a scene depicting the ESPN Decision Special. James begins his series of questions with, “What should I do? Should I admit that I have made mistakes?” This is clearly an example of the pathos approach. He directly speaks to the audience hearts by mentioning the word mistakes. It is fair to believe that most people have made a mistake in their 2
lives and that James is just like each and every one of us, a human being. Most fans admitted that they were not mad at the decision itself but the way it