Nike ad overweight boy, Nike ad overweight boy, 200-pound boy stars in Nike ad Is it cruel or inspiring? A new Nike commercial (see the tagline) that features a jogging 200-pound boy (watch the ad) is sparking debate online. The 12-year-old says the commercial shoot was difficult (he threw up), but it inspired him to hit the gym and start dropping pounds.The latest Nike ad that features an exhausted, overweight boy running slowly and desperately toward the camera with the tagline 'Find Your Greatness' has some critics up in arms about the 'degrading' imagery.The ad has accrued nearly 1 million views on YouTube, with hundreds of commenters discussing the physical fitness of Nathan Sorrell, a 200-pound 12-year-old from London, Ohio.
But Nathan himself was inspired from the experience shooting the commercial, in which he ran so much he threw up, and he and his mother have vowed to change their lives and their diets.The 5'3" middle-schooler was selected to be part of Nike's international Find Your Greatness campaign as part of the manufacturer's latest Olympic-conscious push. Each spot features a character located in the different cities around the world named London, after this year's host.During the shoot, Nathan told the Record Herald, he had to jog numerous times down Old Xenia Road. He was told to run behind a Porsche with a camera and boom fixed atop in, panting after Mr Acord and his crew.During the second take, Nathan was so defeated that he could barely go on. 'I got sick in a ditch,' he said to the paper. He was paid an undisclosed sum for his efforts. Watching himself in the commercial was a bit of an awakening. Since filming it, both he and his mother Monica have vowed to help each other lose weight. 'Went to the gym for the first day! It was fun! Hard though, but that just means its working, RIGHT?' he posted on Facebook today.Nike said they would return to film him if he stayed dedicated to his goal. Though this story may be heartwarming to some, others have decried the commercial for being unrealistic and troublesome. 'If this middle-schooler is feeling pressure and shame on a national scale and wanting to lose weight because the Nike Corporation put his fat body on display to sell shoes, then that's creepy and depressing,' wrote one reporter on Jezebel. 'It perpetuates this damaging, condescending fantasy that some (SOME!) thin people love—the idea that they're thin because they worked hard, because they're somehow better than other people.' Nike rebuffed Jezebel's claims, saying they completely missed the mark. 'The idea behind “Find Your Greatness” is to inspire and energize everyday athletes everywhere to celebrate their achievements, participate and enjoy the thrill of an athletic lifestyle,' Ryan Greenwood, Nike UK Head of PR & Communication, said to the MailOnline. 'As our co-founder, Bill Bowerman said, “If you have a body you’re an athlete” and we think that’s a really compelling insight for all athletes as we celebrate great sporting moments this summer.'
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