Am I A Bad Person? Are You?

“Am I a bad person?” That’s the provocative question Nike poses in its latest commercial, “Winning Isn’t For Everyone.” The ad features rousing music, William DeFoe’s deep, ominous voice, and clips of some of the most well-known athletes in the world. Nothing inherently wrong with that, right?

Well, the problem lies in the characteristics of some champions that Nike attempts to glorify. The commercial promotes a lack of empathy, respect, selfishness, mania, obsession, delusion, and having zero remorse.

I hope you’d agree, none of these are qualities we’d want to see in ourselves, our loved ones, friends, or coworkers.

Somehow, we seem to give athletes a pass for embodying these traits in their pursuit of excellence in sports. But are we fooling ourselves into thinking that to become champions, we must adopt such negative characteristics? People often dismiss these behaviors by saying, “It’s just sports,” or “It’s just a game.” However, sports today is big business.

Can you imagine any other industry celebrating leaders for having zero remorse, lacking respect, and empathy, or being maniacal and obsessed? It’s ludicrous. No one would want to work with, or for, someone with those characteristics climbing the corporate ladder.

Would you want a doctor who displayed these characteristics in their quest to be known as the best? Would you want a teacher, financial planner, or boss who lacked empathy and respect? The answer is obvious.

Yet, we seem to accept athletes who embody these traits. Many of our politicians display similar characteristics, and we can see the negative impact on society. Let’s not fool ourselves; kids and young adults are watching these ads. This reminds me of the old television commercial where Charles Barkley said he wasn’t a role model. Regardless of his claim, Barkley was a role model because people observed and emulated him.

How does this tie into influence? Social psychologist Vanessa Bohns, a Cornell professor and author, explores this in her book, You Have More Influence Than You Think. It’s true that most of us have more influence on the world because of what we say and do than we realize. This is especially true for athletes who are constantly in the public eye.

Aspiring athletes look up to these sports heroes. How many kids will watch the Nike ad and gravitate toward these qualities because they want to be like their idols? We see it even at the youngest levels, where young athletes now display attitudes and actions that were considered unsportsmanlike when I was growing up.

Some people might argue that these are just words in a commercial and don’t cause harm. However, we know that words have power. “Sticks and stones will break your bones, but names will never harm me” is a saying that doesn’t hold water anymore. Today, many believe that words can indeed cause harm and silence can be equally damaging when we don’t speak up against what’s wrong.

What Nike is promoting is wrong and will do more harm than good in the long run. Jesus said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” In today’s terms, we might ask, “What does it profit an individual to win a championship or gold medal and lose themselves in the process?”

Many athletes have reached the pinnacle of success only to ask themselves, “Is this all there is?” There’s much more value in being a good person—someone loved and respected, who loves and respects others—than in being a champion for a brief moment.

Let’s strive to embody and promote qualities that truly make us better people, not just better athletes. Let’s influence society positively, showing that real success includes empathy, respect, and integrity.

I invite you to share your thoughts. Do you believe that promoting such negative characteristics in sports can have a broader impact on society? How can we, as influencers in our fields, ensure that we set the right example for the next generation? Your comments and insights are welcome!

Edited with ChatGPT

Brian Ahearn

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE and a faculty member at the Cialdini Institute. An author, TEDx presenter, international speaker, coach, and consultant, Brian helps clients apply influence in everyday situations to boost results.

As one of only a dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world, Brian was personally trained and endorsed by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by Book Authority. Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents was an Amazon new release bestseller. The Influencer, is a business parable designed to teach you how to use influence in everyday situations.

Brian’s LinkedIn courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by over 725,000 people around the world and his TEDx Talk on pre-suasion has more than a million views!