Will LeBron’s “Space Jam” Reboot Influence Youth Athletes?

Well, Ohio’s own LeBron James has finally released his long-awaited Space Jam reboot. The heir to Michael Jordan’s NBA throne in so many ways, James has now followed Jordan into the wacky world of Warner Bros. animation, teaming up with the beloved Looney Tunes to win an absurd basketball game.

Despite mixed reviews, Space Jam: A New Legacy appears to be a resounding success. It’s a little bit hard to judge these things in our new era of cinematic/streaming hybrids, wherein we can’t rely on raw box office numbers. Nonetheless, a box office report on ScreenRant did note that this new film swiped the top spot from Black Widow. And any time you’re edging out a newly released Marvel film, your movie’s doing pretty well.

While it seems as if Space Jam: A New Legacy will ultimately be a massive commercial success though, the real question is whether or not it will influence youth athletes. The original Space Jam resonated with multiple generations. It made them want Air Jordan sneakers, it turned “Tune Squad” gear into trendy attire, and it made even kids born in the ‘90s want to be like Mike (whose career they largely missed).

So will Space Jam: A New Legacy also impact young athletes?

From a style standpoint, the answer is almost definitely yes. It’s almost impossible to overstate how much influence the original Space Jam had in this regard. Recapping the film, the SoleSavy podcast recently referred to the frenzy over shoe releases from the original as the “peak of pre-internet Sneakerhead culture.” That’s an apt description, and of course the reboot gets to build on that hype with full advantage of the internet. Now, the same podcast went on to note that there’s been some debate about the shoes and gear from the new film. But a lot of that debate has been among adults who grew up on Space Jam. The reboot’s style and apparel are still likely to catch on with youth athletes (and youth in general), particularly given how much reach Space Jam: A New Legacy has online. In other words: Get ready to see plenty of new era Space Jam shoes and jerseys on the kids.

Style aside, there’s a chance the new movie could also impact youth athletes with respect to how they prepare. While it’s not the main message of the film (we’ll get to that below), Space Jam: A New Legacy actually has a lot to say about hard work. We see the movie versions of James’s kids spending free time on basketball courts. We hear Dom (a stand-in for James’s 14-year-old real-life son, Bryce) talking about how hard he works at developing a video game. And of course we see James himself emphasizing the importance of practice. Again, these aren’t the main messages; they could even be said to be antithetical to the film’s key point. But kids will still see this movie and soak up the idea of working toward goals, and spending free time on pursuit. For some, Space Jam: A New Legacy might just normalize hard work, in a sense.

What the film undoubtedly wants with respect to influence, however, is to teach kids to follow their passions. Yes, this is ultimately an exceedingly commercial project designed to bolster James’s legacy and advertise Warner Bros. properties (which it does in exhausting fashion). An NPR review went as far as to call it the “ultimate vanity project” in this regard. As fair as that take may be though, this vanity project still preaches a message, and does so rather heavy-handedly. That message is that kids should work hard, but should do so in areas that interest them and ignite their passion. James (or movie-character James) has to learn to respect the fact that his teenage son might be more interested in video games than basketball. But the prevailing lesson to kids is do what you love.

All in all, it’s tough to guess at what this film’s legacy will be, particularly among youth athletes today. It’s by no means a great project, and won’t be added to our ‘Top Ten High School Sports Movies’ ranks any time soon. But it’s also a movie that oddly sticks with you, and it’s one that could resonate with kids in a number of ways.

Over-the-top James and Warner Bros. promotion aside, a generation wearing fun Space Jam sneakers and working hard in pursuit of passion sounds like a pretty good legacy.