Commercial Response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aGUx5FW5fQ.

The commercial first opens to show a baseball game between two professional teams, the Yankies and vs. the Angels. Derek Jeter, for the Yankies, rounds a base as the crowd cheers him on. He begins to go for another base, but hesitates and decides against it. A well dressed man with a thick Italian accient approaches Jeter and proceeds to pressure him into stealing second base. Suspenseful music plays in the background. The man also clues him in on the risks, pointing out the shifty eyes of the pitcher and catcher. The the man says, “but you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do.” All hell breaks loose as Jeter sprints for second, the crowd rises and the pitcher launches the ball. The catcher shoots it to second, but it’s too late. Jeter slides into the base, shown in slow motion. The next frame shows the mysterious man standing in the forground saying “stealing, it’s a beautiful thing,” as the ump is shown making a safe call in the background. Finally, the words come on, “is it in you?” and then the Gatorade logo finishes the commercial.
The myth of baseball being America’s favorite past time is used here to draw in viewers. The commercial also works because we see the main character, Jeter, prevailing and we know he has because we can visually see that he’s made it safely to second. That is shown through the crowd, the umpire’s call, and the slow motion. This commercial uses the myth of the steryotipical Italian mob guy. Viewrs recognize the mysterious man as someone who would help Jeter “steal” second base, just as they recognize baseball as an American past time.