“Without sports the world would be a
bigger place,” is the pay-off of this delightful
commercial for ESPN. We watch a
taxi driver making his way across the
dense traffic of Shanghai. He switches on
his radio and we hear disorienting country
sounds of Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin
Brother’s “Houston (Means I’m One Day
Closer to You).” The taxi driver sings
along enthusiastically – although, except
for the word “Houston,” he is totally clueless
as to what this song is about. When
a bus goes by with a poster showing a
“Houston” Rockets basketball player, we
start to understand the reason for his
enthusiasm.