Last year we saw the immensely popular Under Armour ad “Rule Yourself” featuring GOAT Michael Phelps named the best of 2016 by Adweek. This year, the company has issued a reboot, featuring a not-so-famous, but no less tremendously inspiring 23-year-old Johnny Agar.
We reported earlier this year how Agar, a man who lives with cerebral palsy, doesn’t let his disability stop him, competing in the 2016 Iron Man accompanied by his father. As a tribute to her son’s incredible determination and dedication, Agar’s mom produced a video paralleling Johnny’s journey against the Phelps ad, a nod to how the swimmer served as a major source of motivation.
Now, Under Armour has given the Agar video a professional make-over, posting it to its YouTube channel where it’s received more than 10,000 views in just the handful of days it’s been available. Under Armour’s description of the video states, “In March 2017, Johnny Agar, an athlete from Michigan, recreated an Under Armour commercial featuring Michael Phelps. In celebration of Johnny, we are proud to bring you his film.”
The Agar version of the commercial will be aired during Detroit Tigers baseball games, as the family hails from Rockford, Michigan. Of the Under Armour tribute, Agar says, “I’ve always wanted to be an athlete and to have one of the best of all time on screen to be seen with you… it’s pretty cool. You can accomplish whatever you put your mind to, if you just have the want to.”
Love this. There’s a guy who swims with me in the morning. He has advanced MS. The other day he told me how impressed he was with my swimming. All I could think was, “Seriously? You are heroic.”
Awww. So cool of Under Armour to do this. This is a form of validation.