A big-time athlete lends his name to a product, and the promise of even the remotest connection generates consumer loyalty and lots of cash. Putting dinner on the card is somehow connected to that improbable baby skyhook against the Celtics in 87. I m not a postmodern innocent. I know everything s for sale, and the line between the sacred and profane has become blurred beyond recognition. In saying so, I ll admit American Express trampled on my personal hallowed ground with this ad and, ultimately, that s my problem, not theirs.
Dreams die hard.
I ll get over it. But before I do, there are wrinkles to this thing that are worth a look. So while we're waiting for new games to begin, let s look back six months. But they also bought the services of an athlete who is HIV-positive, and AmEx can count on the fact that we know that. So when they use him in an ad, after so many sponsors shied away from Magic, they take the high road by saying, in effect, he s still Magic and we still love him.