⚡Make sure to check out MY GUEST POST about my first car (‘85 Camaro Berlinetta) on one of my favorite publications
Few commercials have achieved the legendary status of The Showdown, the 1993 McDonald's Super Bowl spot that paired basketball legends Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in an increasingly absurd game of H-O-R-S-E – all for a Big Mac and fries. The premise was simple but brilliant: two of basketball's greatest players engaging in an escalating series of impossible shots, each punctuated by Bird's deadpan delivery of “nothing but net.” I also happened to love Bird’s insistence that there be “no dunking.”
What made The Showdown particularly special was how it transcended traditional sports marketing. The catchphrase “off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, off the wall, nothing but net” caught on quickly with kids. We were all mimicking the commercial's outrageous shots.
While the commercial advertises fast food, it was also great for the sport of basketball. It remains a masterclass in sports advertising, combining star power, humor, and memorable dialogue in a way that still resonates decades later. Swish! 🏀
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