Nike has rolled out its Olympics campaign, 'Winning Isn’t for Everyone', ahead of the Paris 2024 Games, which are set to kick off on 26 July.

Conceptualised by Wieden + Kennedy Portland, the campaign consists of a film which aims to redefine what it takes to become a champion with a relentless drive to win at all costs.

Featuring a line-up of current and past Olympians like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Kylian Mbappé, and Cristiano Ronaldo, the work celebrates the audaciousness of their deep determination to win, while seeking to introspect whether that makes them 'a bad person'.

Cleverly voiced by American actor, Willem Dafoe, popular for his enactment of the villainous Green Goblin in a series of Spider-Man movies, the film juxtaposes shots of  legendary sporting names in action, while saying, "Am I a bad person? Tell me. Am I? I'm single-minded. I'm deceptive. I'm obsessive. I'm selfish. Does that make me a bad person? Am I a bad person?"

It further continues, "I have no empathy. I don't respect you. I'm never satisfied. I have an obsession with power...I'm irrational. I have zero remorse. I have no sense of compassion. I'm delusional. I'm maniacal. You think I'm a bad person? Tell me. Tell me." 'Does this make a bad person? Tell me. Does it?', the voiceover further demands to know, as the accompanying action and background score reaches a crescendo.

The film underscores the message of playing like you mean it, 'because if you don’t want to win, you’ve already lost.'

The film also features Olympians Giannis Antetokounmpo, Sha’Carri Richardson, Sophia Smith, Bebe Vio, Qinwen Zheng, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, A’ja Wilson, Ixhelt Gonzales, Victor Wembanyama, Vinicius Junior, Sabrina Ionescu, Eliud Kipchoge, and Alexia Putellas, among others.

What we think about it: The film is cleverly crafted in such a way that if one were to listen only to the audio, it would give the impression of someone with negative connotations to their personality, someone who's obsessed with power and winning at all costs, without any empathy or compassion whatsoever. Someone like the 'Green Goblin' himself, who lends his voice to the campaign! But when it is viewed in combination with the heroic shots of well-known champions, it becomes increasingly clear that somewhere down the line perhaps to become a winner one has to imbibe several qualities of a self-obsessed, larger-than-ife persona. While the message of playing to win is effectively driven in, the film could ignite debate on whether a true sportsperson can be a winner while also being empathetic and respectful to his/her opponent.