How Brazil Sold its Soul to Nike

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Here's the crazy story of a deal that changed the course of the sports industry and shaped a whole generation’s love for football.
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⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Hook
01:10 The Country of Football
02:37 Through the Eyes of Brazilians
03:54 Nike Conquers Football
06:20 Kickbacks & Mickey Mouse
08:05 The Last Time Adidas Owned The World
🎬 About
Athletic Interest is a video essay series that investigates business stories from the world of sports.
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#nike #brazil #ronaldo

[@AthleticInterest]

It was time for another Nike story 😃! Thanks to Fabulous for sponsoring this video. Start building your ideal daily routineand get 25% OFF Fabulous Premium: thefab.co/athleticinterest.

[@TackleFromBehind]

AI again delivering a GOAT of a Video! We have started a little channel for football fans in India.

[@VIK_1903]

Big fan from Brasil, here! I always watch every single one of your videos, whether or not I'm familiar with the subject. Hahahaha

[@Johnnyfcarv]

That “secret tournament” commercial was absolutely legendary…. The ones who saw that at the time knows what I’m talking about, that was mind blowing

[@faisalali1887]

i was obssessed with it, football was life back then, i don't know why but i feel like the world of football has lost it's soul nowadays.

[@AthleticInterest]

Super happy that you can relate to this. So many nostalgic moments when making the video 😀. Still remember how excited everyone was about these videos.

[@Johnnyfcarv]

@@AthleticInterest and the video itself is great, as a Brazilian, I had an idea that Nike indeed owned our nation team, but you illustrated perfectly! Already subscribed and watching another videos, all of them has the same quality as this one, thanks for the great work you do!

[@tebogoseabo1943]

The secret tournament was a brilliant piece of art though, legendary levels indeed. This was a time in football where I found myself highly committed to 3 teams in different leagues, Liverpool, Inter, Real Madrid and always had to deal with conflicted emotions at Champions league when they happen to meet

[@CR7R10DG19]

I went back to play fifa 18 just now and picked the brazil squad 🤩

[@vojtechrecka1668]

The old outro really did come back in 2022, thanks guys.

[@AthleticInterest]

By popular demand! 😅

[@alexthatsit]

Straight up, got scared it wouldn’t be back.

[@ashb7]

Probably the best outro I've ever come across. Never change it

[@imran7664]

The problem was that people got bluffed into thinking Nike actually cared for the progress of football.

[@han6061]

Does anny company do lol its all about money pll want more money only the footbal players do it for the love of the game, and sadly they are used most of the time

[@luisdavasconcellos2914]

​@@han6061 Ya ni los jugadores

[@AdamMiligan]

I'm Brazilian and the team that I support here is Corinthians, who is also sponsored by Nike, since 2003, and this, alongside the deal with Brazil and players like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, made me desire products from Nike, I used to play in the streets wearing nike football boots and I still a consumer to this day. Great video!

[@AthleticInterest]

So interesting! You felt the impact of this as much as anyone!

[@ricardoespitiarunza2823]

I remember Ronaldo's boots R9 model were very famous and appreciated as well for football players, fans and sponsors. I got a pair of on these just because I understood the philosophy of Nikè's Greek God: Brazil is the way to the victory. As a Spaniard, I always used to support Brazil as the second national team when my country looses. I'm 35 years old (same age of Sergio Ramos) and I had the opportunity to watch the end of golden era with Romario, Bebeto, Jorginho, Taffarel, Rai, Aldair, Mauro Silva, Cafú and Branco (between others). I think the sucess of Nike in Brazil goes beyond of football passion for Brazilians; Niké as an ancient Greek God was the best choice to represents Brazil success in football history: creativity and hunger of victory. In addition, thanks for showing Martha Oliveira da Silva in this video :)

[@AthleticInterest]

A special team... and some of the best Brazilians in that era played in La Liga! 🤩

[@futurehofer1564]

yes, Marta!!! 🐐

[@talksmack]

Ronaldo never wore the t90’s. When he was a scrawny kid in brazil and when he first came to europe he played in tiempos. Even the 1996 compostela goal when he was in barca was in the Tiempo. Late 97 Nike came out with the first lightweight boots the match mercurials and history was made since. R9 lit up the pitch with the mercurial vapors.

[@ricardoespitiarunza2823]

@@talksmack You're right. I remember those grey-silver R9 boots. I almost forgot about that :)

[@5thdawg917]

OMG everyone owned a pair of Total 90 in the early 00's. It was a symbol of pride, especially to many young boys playing football. The design was absolutely awesome. I'm hoping they bring it back one day.

[@backupdancer3720]

The starting line-up of the 2002 squad makes me so nostalgic. I was 14, these guys were incredible from GK, to RB, to CF. I remember watching Brazil play and then playing GTA Vice City, whilst eating chicken nuggets. Oh...and you had to wait until the next day to talk about how good Brazil and GTA were. No unlimited minutes or smartphones back then. 😂

[@Fusso]

Marcos (GK), Lúcio (CD), Edmilson (CD), Roque Junior (CD), Cafu (RWB), Roberto Carlos (LWB), Gilberto Silva (DM), Juninho (AM), Rivaldo (AM), Ronaldinho (Striker) and Ronaldo (CF). Absolute legends.

[@AthleticInterest]

The full-back partnerships, the forwards... it was just so special! 🤩

[@CR7R10DG19]

All of this hit home Gta and Brazil . Mind as well throw in there dragon ball and street fighter

[@thomasnichol4138]

Or you had to call your friend using the home telephone if you wanted to talk about the game.

[@5thdawg917]

Man, the good old days. Before the internet became a big thing. When playing multiplayer video games, you actually had to have the person right next to you

[@EugeneEmile]

Don't underestimate the signing of Ronaldo in the 90ies and putting him at the same level of Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Michael Johnson at the time. He was one the most recognizable global athletes at the time. Incredible marketable. If he had lived in the time of social media, it would have blown up with his impact on the game. What Messi did in his solo efforts, started with Ronaldo (and also a bit with Maradona). R9. After that came R10, CR7, etc. almost copy pasting what they did for Ronaldo.

[@AthleticInterest]

Ronaldo was a BIG deal! No doubt about it 🟡🟢

[@gurung1812]

I can remember everybody knows him in our country during 2002 WC, leave the internet in our country even tv was rare commodities

[@fredymendez855]

@Roble KANDU you are wrong ! You just have to say Jordan and everyone knows who you mean ! Whilst you mention Ronaldo you gona have people think you talking about CR7. CR7 literally is the highest followed person on instagram lol and hes played longer and will play more years. CR7 is also more marketable because he speaks English so dont foregt that and his physique.

[@DizzyMakavelli]

@@fredymendez855 Social Media era dude... Of course Cristiano is well known. If Ronaldo played in the globalization and social media era like today... Would be a different story. We're talking about a 2 times world cup champion. The soccer idol's idol. The guy that changed forever the way that a 9# should play.

[@bastianx8772]

@@DizzyMakavelli it's not soccer dude, it's football

[@cicero4988]

I like the channel, but this time some information was misleading and the rest was pretty much surface information. Having elections in the same year as World Cup is mere coincidence and in no such way "Nike made Brazil internationally famous". Marketing sure helps, but sympathy comes from decades of success and disruption - the Seleção showed the world how a developing country was able to beat richer rivals again and again (and again, and again, and again). Regarding CBF thieves, there is material for a whole season.

[@ranbanbam]

Agreed. Nothing much to say here in this video

[@thguzzo17]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@juanviana7180]

Remember when the president of CBF stoled the medal from Corinthians keeper in the final of the Copa São Paulo?

[@luchogonzealaise3717]

Yes this sounded like a 10 minutes Nike commercial but the brazilian team lost their magic a long time ago.

[@cicero4988]

@@juanviana7180 Yes! Thieves like Marin acted like brazilian football was their own property (it got a little better, but just a little).

[@suplexcity2714]

This channel’s story telling is on another level fire 🔥🌟

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you! We'll keep on making progress 🙂

[@Maur028]

An interesting case about this relation is what happened in the last olympics. Nike sponsor the Brazilian olympic football Jersey, but the olympic Comitte is sponsored by Peak, and therefore in the medal celebrations the athletes need to wear this Brand. But all of the team instead used Nike, which put at risk a sponsor in categories that has significantly less exposure in Brazilian sports

[@josejardim9652]

Are you sure about that? As an example, if you look at the first ever gold medal for Philippines (an historic moment) she is wearing her jacket with the Asics* logo.

[@Maur028]

@@josejardim9652 yeah, you can look up the medal celebration. They are wearing peak pants, but the jacket is tied up in their waist (for almost all of the players), and so the upper body is only the Nike Jersey. It fueled an old discussion of the cbf vs the olympic Comitte, and made the headlights here

[@Maur028]

@@josejardim9652 ok, i've read real quick about what you said about philippines. Asics sponsor the Comitte, the athlete/sport can have a diferent sponsor and compete with their apparel (like the Gold medalist using under Armour shirt), but in the celebration she is using the official Comitte sponsor

[@educarvalho6516]

Yeah, that was simply disgusting and Nike and the players should have been sued or at least punished by the Brazilian Olympic Committee, but nothing has been done so far, a complete shame!

[@jonnyso1]

@@educarvalho6516 I'm not so sure its that black and white.

[@shashankshekhar3562]

This hits close to home. I started following Brazil and football in general after I came across the Nike ads featuring Ronaldinho. My first encounter with Joga Bonito ❤️.

[@AthleticInterest]

Glad you can relate 😊

[@RandomShorts718]

Another great video!! Keep them coming!! If I could make a suggestion, it would be cool if you guys did a video on third party ownership of football players and the controversies that surround the concept. For instance, the Tevez and Mascherano move to West Ham. Anyway, I’m sure you guys have a lot of topics lined up. I’m always looking forward to your videos.

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks Christian Ziege! Nice idea 😉

[@georgeatte788]

The Nike ad with 3*3 in a cage was my favourite as a kid and is probably by far the best ever football commercial

[@AthleticInterest]

Made a big impact!

[@vistasiniestra]

Keep up with this amazing content, never miss a vid from you guys

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you... we'll keep it coming! 🙌

[@gabrielbetas5162]

This channel is awesome analyzing the history and the business model. As a Brazilian, football is gigantic here, despite the "Seleção" not doing well in past WC. Thanks for the video, Danke Schön.

[@AthleticInterest]

You're very welcome, Gabriel! 💛

[@wernichnagel1289]

Excellent video as always. Keep up the awesome work Athletic Interest. Quality content.

[@AthleticInterest]

Really appreciate it, Wernich!

[@DioBrandooo]

Estou feliz em ver meu país sendo representado no seu vídeo, parabéns muito bom 🇧🇷

[@Kid-wo3ji]

tmj irmão

[@arturgabriel5845]

É uma obrigação eles falarem da gente

[@thguzzo17]

Diiiioooooooo

[@thguzzo17]

"voz do Goku"

[@user-iu3tm3rr9y]

⚽️💓🇧🇷

[@manuelordonez2114]

Oh man, another freaking awesome video about something I did not know I wanted to know! Thanks for the great material!

[@AthleticInterest]

Mission accomplished 😄

[@thomascamus3136]

Great video once again. Cheers to even greater 2022.

[@papishome3394]

thanks for another extremely high quality edited video🙏🙏🙏

[@calamorta]

It's insane how visionary the people at Nike were during the 80s-90s. Other brands could've crushed them but then it was too late.

[@wall3920]

always quality content ❤

[@philangezwizondo2719]

Yeah it's Brasil who made Nike to be known!!

[@renrodd8546]

the outro is unbelievably iconic. let me tell you - you need two things to continue succeeding: the narrator (accent is amazing) and the outro

[@sahilfarooqi6613]

Again it was the best infographic video it have everything that you want from this kind of videos.

[@softdesmond5394]

Have learnt alot from this channel thank u so much 🥰🥰🥰

[@AthleticInterest]

We are learning too! 😄

[@krama.nabeel]

The best channel to learn about sports marketing ❤️🔥💯

[@AthleticInterest]

So glad you feel that way 😁

[@hugonongbri8100]

Late 90s-early 00s Nike Ads were simply the best. Nothing better ever since ⚽

[@KaioFreitas-hl6ns]

Just one brazilian passing by to thank you for the video!

[@AthleticInterest]

You are VERY welcome 😄 🇧🇷

[@lewellynjnr.tjakaurua177]

Brilliant! Always brilliant Quality Uploads.🙏🏽

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks, Lewellyn! 😁

[@pedrorvd1]

Great video The advertising campaigns that Nike does with the Brazilian team are always a big thing in Brazil. Everyone watches and talks about them. Especially during the world cup, we re-watch again all the ad-campaigns because they are great

[@AthleticInterest]

Great to get in the mood before a World Cup! 🤩

[@user-qx8xl3kx2c]

As a brazillian I must congratulate u guys for such an awesome video. So much information that I didn't know. And thanks for putting Martha out there, unfortunately not all the Brazilians remember about her.

[@kaybrzy3367]

the McEnroe sample at 3:27 was brilliant! little things are big things.

[@MRunboxing9]

Props to the video editor 👊 i know how hard and how much time it takes to edit a proffesional video

[@petitnicollas]

"Se as pessoas soubessem o que aconteceu na Copa do Mundo de 98, ficariam enojadas"

[@juanviana7180]

Maldito Pedro Bial.

[@sluglow6357]

That 98 World Cup will forever be my favorite because of the players , teams , stadiums, matches & that final will never not be talked about ! I was 15 & we couldn’t stop talking about that Ronaldo conspiracy for years after

[@AthleticInterest]

And we're all still wondering exactly what happened! 😉

[@sluglow6357]

@@AthleticInterest the story pretty well told by now but it f course the EXACT truth may never be known but I’ve watched Ronaldo himself his teammates & coaches talk about it enough over the years to kinda piece together a logical scenario

[@sluglow6357]

@smth 9021 look at the Brazilian team in 1998, what France did in 06 has nothing to do with 98 completely different teams , btw nobody ever said if Ronaldo was fit the game would’ve ended differently

[@tholudi]

Great video! Congrats

[@24xv555]

Love it, quality as usual

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks! 😃

[@muhammadakmal9693]

As always, great video

[@evoniics9572]

The first Nike/Brasil ad campaign on the airport ist legendary. It’s a shame that you can find this on only in low quality/resolution.

[@mer9668]

Keep up the good work of making videos of things we never knew we want to know about!! Amazing channel!

[@boosta173]

Thank u Brother..,I love your content so much....Love from Kenya (Africa)

[@AthleticInterest]

You're so welcome! 🇰🇪

[@ron1696]

Congrats 🤝 amazing content

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you 🙌

[@redteam4800]

More videos please, love them!!

[@charliebingaman571]

just cant get over the quality of every one of these videos

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks, Charlie! 🙌

[@5thdawg917]

Wow.. That is absolutely incredible. I'm in my 30s and I always thought Nike was big. I grew up around it as I was getting older. But to think back In 94 there was no nike sponsor seems so shocking to me. My first memory of the world cup was the 02 Japan & Korea. Great work on this video. More educational than I thought

[@realtalk6195]

Nike was only big in the US/Canada before the 2000s.

[@jeffreyonemu1426]

Another top quality video from one of KZbin's hardest working channels.

[@AthleticInterest]

We won't stop! Thanks, Jeffrey! 🙂

[@Makadocious88]

One of my first futbol shirts was the Brazilian one in 1997. The one they used for the Copa America and Confederations Cup of 1997. It was Nike and it had Ronaldo’s name and number 9. Also had a Italy Nike shirt used in the Euro 96. Back then Italy didnt show the brand on their shirts, but they were Nike. This one didnt have no name or number. I wished it was Paolo Maldini number 3. From those days when i was 7 or 8 Nike became my favorite brand. Air Force 1’s, Jordans, Futbol shirts. Crazy memories

[@biapizeta]

"yoga bonito" killed me 🤣

[@FallenLight0]

Nice and very interesting video!

[@abdiqadirsuleiman4133]

Athletic never disappoints. Greatness as usual🥰

[@AthleticInterest]

Thanks, Abdiqadir 😊

[@mbekezelikevin1867]

This guy’s voice is perfect for these videos😂

[@AthleticInterest]

Thank you!

[@nesta9799]

@@AthleticInterest best voice

[@shreeshashastry4713]

I don't mind saying am in love with you guys for your amazing content ❣️

[@AthleticInterest]

🧡 We don't mind hearing it 😅

[@awesomeshubham9153]

Really good video... Waiting for more

[@AthleticInterest]

More on the way 😉

[@theincrediblemd9761]

This channel is actually so good tbh

[@AthleticInterest]

😉 Thank you MD9!

[@monablues5816]

You guys are amazing

[@HarryWessex]

The Airport, The Tournament and Ronaldinho cross bar videos are classic ads from my childhood.

[@AthleticInterest]

Memories 😉

[@devanman7920]

To be fair those Nike Brazil ads were banging. I can still picture it perfectly!

[@AthleticInterest]

That tells you a lot!

[@devanman7920]

@@AthleticInterest ya it really does.

[@MrReese]

I was a young teen when the 98 World Cup happened and I remember that there was a big story about Ronaldo, something along the lines of how he didn't feel well before the final and that it was rumored that Nike made him play. (I made this comment before I watched the video btw, I wasn't sure if this incident would be covered in the video :D)

[@AthleticInterest]

It is... and we still don't know exactly what happened! 😕

[@joaopedropeixoto8558]

He actually did have a seizure the night before the match. It scared the whole team to a point where some teammates were crying and no one was able to sleep. Doctors couldn't find anything wrong with him so he begged the staff to play the final. As a brazilian, I recognize that France was the better side during that World Cup and would probably win it anyway, but a 3x0 win over Brazil can only be truly understood when you take into account what happened the night before.

[@tunghoang9352]

Jesse Owens didn't have a deal with adidas but with the Dassler Brothers who later founded adidas and PUMA respectively. When Owens was active (in 1936), adidas didn't exist yet.

[@Thejuly23rd]

You should come up with more videos frequently plz

[@BenchviewsSportsTV]

Proper proper good content

[@AthleticInterest]

Some retro Brazil content... got to love it 😉

[@BenchviewsSportsTV]

@@AthleticInterest proper I’ve used parts of it on our Instagram account and also gave you guys a follow your content is well put together 👌🏾

[@harismusanovic6730]

Joga bonito was my favorite. Ah! The good ol days.

[@AthleticInterest]

A classic! 🇧🇷

[@narcotalk2674]

Those joga bonito commercials were epic every body wanted a total 90 ball and boots

[@syedmohdamzarulafiqsyedazh8]

Nice one

[@FesiMigliorare]

Man those Nike Joga Bonito commercials hit different back in the days. Great childhood memories

[@eddiefordjour3455]

Happy New Year’s God bless

[@dulcedeleche000]

“Underrated channel” comments incoming By the way excellent video

[@calumnoah9412]

4:38 the 2002 infamous world Cup was in Korea/japan

[@dan5974]

Same people.

[@wall3920]

pls also post how these videos are edited in software. i really wanna learn about these creations

[@obedmuanliannaulak5705]

Downloading Fabulous

[@ZonadRima]

I'm Brazilian and I confirm EVERYTHING! all of us here in Brazil think that that match against France was bought so that our team would be champions in the next cup, but what makes Brazilians angry is not the question of the match against France being sold, which makes us angry and the fact that we would win the 2 world cups if the Zidane x Ronaldo World Cup wasn't sold. 🇧🇷 Ah a video suggestion: talk about the Brazilian clubs that started to be bought by European companies, Red Bull bought Bragantino, John Textor bought Botafogo, Ronaldo bought Cruzeiro and rumors that an Italian company is going to buy a club in the interior of São Paulo. ❤️

[@jonnyso1]

All of us ? ahahaah Most people don't think much about it. I would even grant the possibility of Nike pressuring Ronaldo to go in since he was their main product, but saying they bought it its just silly. The doctor said he could play, so he did. You can't even say they lost because of it, France wasn't weak either and I doubt they wouldn't be studying the curret World Champions upgraded with the best player in the world even before the torunament started.

[@AngeloVideosBR]

BS

[@rupjyoti9]

Good Research = Good Content 🥰

[@AthleticInterest]

The effort is worth it! 🙂

[@sedzesanimathavha9939]

great content

[@AthleticInterest]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😀

[@cauafreitas939]

Tenho muita expectativa na seleção Brasileira, creio que este ano o título mundial e nosso 🇧🇷

[@mazylives]

Sim, e vou torcer pra o título voltar pra os Reis.🇧🇷🇧🇷 "O amarelo da excelência"

[@sharko9243]

Bro how tf do you edit so well

[@erikruizmd]

what program do you guys use to edit your video s?

[@controlledchaos2496]

i loved all those ads in the early 2000’s

[@ATS1031]

i love this channel

[@AthleticInterest]

That's great to hear 😀

[@jbri1]

Is this narrated by Klaus from American Dad? Glad I found this channel, very interesting.

[@AthleticInterest]

🐟 Maybe…

[@dadmonster1019]

I fell for that Nike × Ronnie10 video back in day. Still love the game and the video. 🤙

[@cpch23online2]

who else was sharing those videos throught infrared using their phones back then... you couldnt move the phones because they lost the infrared signal xDDD... btw the pepsi and coca cola football ad were OP too

[@clipped6963]

I we think about it footballers were the first and biggest "Influencers". Nike saw this and took advantage with that incredible brazil squad

[@AthleticInterest]

They sure did! ✨

[@V1CTOR07]

Bom vídeo 🇧🇷✌️

[@lemagnifique1573]

Hopefully Indonesia with the same atmosphere at football could achieve the best results as Brazil had

[@HaiderLion]

Please do an episode for the Nike secret tournament

[@felipecarvalho760]

Excellent video. If we win the world cup this year, Nike will be very happy haha

[@AthleticInterest]

They definitely will 😅

[@ArantirFo1]

The fact that you even have to say that that Ronaldinho video was fake just tells you how ridiculously good he was haha 😂

[@nigelnyoni8265]

"I don't know. But whoever it was didn't do a good job" 😂🤣😂🤣 Phenomeno ❤️

As a Brazilian, finally someone bought us, I'm proud of it 🙇

[@AthleticInterest]

Can't forget Brazil! 🤩

[@Jolgeable]

I'm from Brazil and I see some weird things about Brazil because of Nike. I watch videos in English and Spanish and it is common people saying that "joga bonito" is a popular expression in Brazil. It is not true. In the 1980s there was talk of "art football", which died in the 1990s with the so-called "results football", more suited to more commercial football. Socrates, the captain in the '82 World Cup, said that Brazilians should enjoy the game, winning or losing. Which is impossible in football today. And that turning point from 1980s to 1990s was when Brazilian clubs were no longer able to compete with the richer Europeans. The 1990s is when the national team players all played in europe - I used to say that it was no longer the Brazilian team, it was the European team of Brazilians. XD And this "beautiful game" thing is all Nike's invention. I also remember seeing an English documentary about Brazilian music that said that the song "mas que nada" was a football anthem in Brazil. Never was. The song was used in the Nike commercial for the '98 World Cup. The commercial thing creates a collective imagination that does not relate to the real world. Crazy stuff.

[@christianniyokwizerwa]

Can you a video on UFC raise and dominance of the MMA sport?

[@Donato71]

Great video! Os brasileiros vão comparecer em peso kk

[@e2rqey]

I still consider those Joga Bonito ads to be some of the best ads of all time.

[@owenwesterhout]

I feel like we still don't have an answer on the whole Ronaldo interrogation thing, lol.

[@davibender]

We really don't

[@musguera]

As a brazilian I remember this game and the controversy at the time. It was never properly explained what happened to Ronaldo for him not to play the game and I remember the team not playing like the usual in the final.

[@adedotun0077]

Man you’re so good. Your voice is so soothing

[@AthleticInterest]

Glad you think so 😅

[@KNOWnKNOW]

clean

[@ajoymahato46]

Please do more videos on motorsports racing

[@pcm1011]

Maybe some Nascar or Dakar