This Bo Jackson ‘Tecmo Bowl’ Ad Will Make You Yearn for the NES Days (Video)

Or maybe a Kia, but probably not

Remember “Tecmo Bowl?” Sure ya do. Remember the time you tackled Bo Jackson in the Nintendo Entertainment System game? Trick question, that never happened, liars.

Jackson’s NES avatar was completely unstoppable in the classic 8-bit video game, something Kia brilliantly capitalized on in a new ad for its 2017 Sorento.

In the TV commercial, Bo bails on the game to go and grab his small SUV from the parking lot. He then uses it to bowl over the defense, scoring a 99-yard driving — err, rushing — touchdown. Fortunately, no one was vehicular-ly manslaughter-ed in the process.

The conceit, of course, is that the Sorento’s all-wheel drive has the same insane maneuverability as Jackson’s video game character. That’s a pretty high standard to live up to, but a solid alignment for the modest car manufacturer.

Watch the video above — this one’s Don Draper-caliber.

The timing is as smooth as the sport utility’s apparent handling, as the National Football League just officially kicked off its 2016 pro pigskin season last night, when the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers, 21-20. Considered one of the greatest athletes of all-time, Jackson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft. He was only able to play four seasons, though, before a devastating hip injury ended his career.

Comments