Best Sports Ads

From capturing heart-pounding victories to tear-jerking moments of pure inspiration, sports ads have the uncanny ability to bring some of the most memorable moments in sports history to life.

Whether it’s captivating visuals or reliving unforgettable events in sporting history, adverts can carry a true sense of nostalgia. To take you down memory lane, we look at the most-loved sports commercials of all time and in the last decade.

The experts at Gambling Zone sought various sports ads to reveal the most-loved sports commercials. Taking into account multiple factors, we analysed Google’s search data. We also gathered data on the most popular sports adverts on YouTube and the ads that inspired the most articles online.

1) Gatorade - Be Like Mike

Total score: 8.69/10

Starring the legendary basketball player Micheal Jordan, the ‘Be Like Mike’ advertisement takes the crown as one of the best sports ads ever, scoring 8.69 out of ten. Released in 1991, the 60-second ad was warmly received by the public. The successful ad features various children and adults playing basketball with Jordan. 

Not only is it the sports ad with the most articles on Google, with over 300,000, but it is also in the top five most-viewed sports ads worldwide, with more than 4.5 million views on YouTube.

2) Nike - Write the Future

Total score: 8.58/10

Scoring 8.58 out of ten, Nike’s ‘Write the Future’ campaign takes second place as one of the best sports ads ever. With over 9.6 million views, the popular ad is the most viewed sport's commercial on YouTube as well as the third most talked about ad with 255,000 online articles.

The Nike football advert aired during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and features some of the world’s best players, both past and present, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro, and Didier Drogba. The epic three-minute ad dramatically captures the moment a single strike can bring a nation happiness.

3) Nike - Take It To The Next Level

Total score: 8.38/10

With guest appearances from football legends including Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Ronaldinho, Nike’s ‘Take It To The Next Level’ completes the top three best sports ads of all time. This top-tier sports ad also ranks in the top three with over five million views on YouTube. It is also in the top ten most Googled sports ads this year, with almost 24,000 searches globally.

Still described as one of the greatest football commercials today, the legendary campaign was released in 2008 in the run-up to the Euros. The global, action-packed campaign still brings nostalgia to many today as the multinational corporation’s top-tier football advert scores 8.38 out of ten.

Most Viewed Sports Ads

1) Nike - Write the Future

Number of YouTube Views: 9,646,234

Described as one of the best ads ever made for the World Cup, Nike’s ‘Write the Future’ campaign tops our list as the most viewed sports ad on YouTube. With nearly 9.7 million views, the historic advert skyrocketed Nike’s brand presence as, in that year alone, it was the most shared brand online. As a result, Nike not only achieved its sales goal but also overtook Adidas to become the world’s number-one sports brand.

2) McDonald's - The Showdown

Number of YouTube Views: 8,312,993

Said to be one of the world’s best ads ever, McDonald’s ad titled ‘The Showdown’ features two NBA legends, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. First airing in 1993, the advert showcases the two basketball icons going head to head on the court, with Bird challenging Jordan for his Big Mac and Fries. The iconic sports ad currently has more than 8.3 million views on YouTube.

3) Nike - Take It To The Next Level

Number of YouTube Views: 5,077,408

As many avid sports fans will know, Nike and memorable football adverts go together. Hence, it is no surprise that Nike’s ‘Take It To The Next Level’ is said to be one of the brand’s greatest football ads. The creative ad follows a fictional footballer from a first-person point of view, giving it a unique edge. Though the advert was released over 15 years ago, the visual masterpiece now has over 5 million views on YouTube.

The Most Googled Sports Ads

1) Nike - Just Do It

Search term: “Nike Just Do It”

Number of Google searches: 682,000

Possibly the most iconic sports catchphrase in the world, Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ tops the list with 682,000 searches on Google in just the last year. The brand’s campaign series encourages people to push themselves to be their best and pursue their dreams and aspirations no matter the challenges. Since its first launch, ‘Just Do It’ has quickly become one of history's most recognisable and legendary advertising campaigns.

2) Adidas - Impossible is Nothing

Search term: “Impossible is Nothing”

Number of Google searches: 415,500

Adidas’ ‘Impossible is Nothing’ ad campaign follows behind with 415,500 searches on Google. Said to be the brand’s most effective advertising campaign, the inspirational phrase highlights that nothing is impossible, whether it’s changing your lifestyle, circumstances or perspective. The powerful slogan remains successful even today.

3) Reebok - Terry Tate: Office Linebacker

Search term: “Terry Tate”

Number of Google searches: 78,800

Reebok’s ‘Terry Tate: Office Linebacker’ ranks third with almost 80,000 Google searches. The hit short comedy ad series was first shown at the Super Bowl in 2003. The short films feature the former American football player Lester Speight, who portrays Terry Tate. The advertising campaign is said to be one of the most successful in the history of the Super Bowl halftime shows.

Most Talked About Sports Ads

1) Gatorade - Be Like Mike

Search term: “Be Like Mike ad”

Number of articles: 318,000

Gatorade’s ‘Be Like Mike’ campaign is still one of the most talked about sports ads today, with 318,000 articles on Google. This success comes as no surprise, as the concept was a big hit with fans across the globe. The advert was the first Gatorade commercial to feature Michael Jordan, which has proven to be a success over the years, still inspiring articles from Forbes and CBS Sports decades later.

2) Under Armour - Protect This House 

Search term: “Protect This House ad”

Number of articles: 268,000

Under Armour’s iconic tagline ‘Protect This House’ is currently one of the most talked about sports ads, with 268,000 articles on Google. Despite being the brand’s first TV campaign during its early years, the catchphrase fired up Under Armour’s marketing and now has nearly one million views on YouTube.

After 20 years, the popular slogan is ushered into a new era with champions such as Stephen Curry, Kelsey Plum and Aliyah Boston backing it.

3) Nike - Write the Future

Search term: “Write the Future ad”

Number of articles: 255,000

Nike’s ‘Write the Future’ ad ranks third among the most talked about sports advertisements. Featuring some of the best football players in the world, it is no surprise that this campaign is one of football's most iconic adverts, still shining more than a decade after its release. Gaining coverage from The Independent and The Guardian, the legendary sports ad has over a quarter of a million online articles.

Methodology

We created a seed list using sources like Audio Network and Sports Brief to discover the most loved sports adverts. We then used YouTube to gather data on the number of views each advertisement has. This was then ranked to determine the most viewed sports ads. This data was collected on 28/09/2023.

We used Google search to determine the number of relevant articles each sports ad has. Using search terms, we collected data on the number of news articles each advert had based on Google search results. Data collection for this was completed on 29/09/2023.

To find out the number of searches each ad has received worldwide in the past year (Sep 2022 - Aug 2023), we used Google's keyword Planner by searching specific terms relevant to each ad. Please note that some ads were not included due to unavailable Google search volumes. This data was completed on 03/10/2023.

We also gave each advert a normalised score out of ten for each factor, using per cent rank, before calculating an average score out of ten for each advert to reveal the best sports commercials of all time.