Does It Matter If Kids Don't Know Bo?

by Brandon Richard

Yesterday, a video surfaced of Bo Jackson, who has been an advisor to the Chicago White Sox this spring, speaking to the son of the team’s first basemen Adam LaRoche. Jackson is seen running down his career for 13-year old Drake, who is completely unaware that he’s cutting it up with a legend. Of course, Jackson peaked almost 10 years before LaRoche was even born.

For the uninitiated, Bo Jackson was one of the defining athletes of the '80s and '90s. An Auburn alum, he excelled in track, football and baseball. Described as “the best pure athlete in America” by a baseball scout in 1985,  Jackson possessed speed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, but opted to focus on his other two sports. In his senior season as the Tigers’ running back, Jackson rushed for 1,786 yards and was awarded the Heisman Trophy.

A testament to Jackson’s athletic prowess, he was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1986 NFL Draft, and in fourth round of MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. Somehow living up to his reputation as a transcendent athlete, Jackson became the first and only player to make an NFL Pro Bowl (Raiders, 1990) and MLB All-Star Game (Royals, 1989).

For Nike, Jackson’s rise to mainstream stardom couldn’t have come at a better time. In need of an athlete to pitch its cross-training sneakers, the brand linked up with the multi-sport star for the ‘Bo Knows’ campaign — a series of commercials playfully highlighting Jackson’s expertise in other fields, and top athletes from those fields vouching for him. The ads, which ran between 1989 and 1990, married the athlete and product innovation unlike anything before.

With Nike falling behind Reebok at the time, Jackson’s Nike co-sign triggered a shift in business. Alhough he wasn’t given an official signature sneaker, Jackson became the face of cross-training sneakers like the Air Trainer, Air Trainer SC series and Air Trainer Max. The momentum of ‘Bo Knows’ helped Nike take control of 80 percent of the cross-training footwear market. Sales rose from $40 million to $400 million at the height of Bo’s popularity.

Despite his early retirement, Jackson has remained a sports icon over the years. Partly because of his Nike ads, but his presence continues to command instant respect and his accomplishments as a two-sport athlete haven’t been matched. In 2013, ESPN named him the greatest athlete of all-time. It's clear that Jackson is appreciated — but is he appreciated enough?

In 2014, Nike launched the Air Max Bo Jax, technically the first official Bo Jackson signature shoe bearing his name. They followed it with another mid-top trainer this year—the Air Bo 1. Both models inherit design language from the cross-training models worn by Jackson when he helped introduce the range in ’89.

The problem is that the older crowd of buyers who are familiar with Jackson’s career just want the nostalgia associated with the older trainers, while younger buyers, like Drake LaRoche, have no idea who Jackson is and why they should care about buying a shoe he endorses. Multiple colorways of the Air Max Bo Jax and Air Bo 1 can be found at retailers and outlets with prices slashed in near full-size runs.

Why haven’t Jackson’s new shoes been able to connect? Jackson being 25 years from his prime is an obvious factor, but the actual designs play a part as well. Penny Hardaway, another '90s star whose career ended prematurely due to injury, has been successful as a post-retirement signature athlete. He’s also had the benefit of Foamposite and newer Nike technology that speaks to today’s consumer. Meanwhile, Jackson’s shoes haven’t been much more than hybrids using dated technology and aesthetic.

For a campaign that changed the game, shoes that established a successful category and playing a part in Nike’s global takeover, Jackson should be a bigger sneaker star. The good news is that history shows a fading athlete can still be an effective endorser, as long as the product connects. Now, it’s up to Nike to deliver the right Bo shoe and share his story in a way that helps buyers old and new understand his importance to the brand and sneaker culture.