The idea was to work with the campaign's acclaimed music video director Paul Hunter as well as the original spot's choreographer and music and sound design team. They were to expand the "Freestyle" :60 spot into a 2:30 music video that, like the original spot, celebrated the freedom, self-expression and individuality of the game of basketball, but was not so overtly commercial.

The plan proceeded well until the day before the spot was set to air. The music video came together and Tony-award winning choreographer Savion Glover signed on to introduce the piece as MTV's guest VJ for the day on April 10. Before it aired, however, a "New York Times" reporter raised the question with Nike and MTV: Isn't the music video just a longer form of the commercial?

Faced with this potential bad press, MTV changed its strategy: They reported that the credits which normally appear on a music video would be removed, according to a spokesman for MTV, to make it clear the video was not being treated as programming.

In the end, MTV's enthusiasm for the unique video - which brought together one of the world's most celebrated music video directors with stars from the worlds of sports, music and dance - died. And while BET continued showing the music video, I personally find the fact that viewers anywhere were deprived of seeing the music video due to this critique to be short-sighted, ridiculous and sad.

When you watch music videos, how long does it take to see one that's really just a trailer for the next release of "The Nutty Professor" or "Mission Impossible?" Branded products do at times appear in music videos, and MTV has the technology to blur out the logos on any it finds objectionable. The one obvious 'swoosh' that appeared in the finished "Freestyle" music video could have easily been blurred. MTV's audience could have enjoyed what is certainly not a run-of-the-mill piece of music video entertainment without any more distraction than they experience when watching Janet Jackson's creative musical take on Eddie Murphy's new movie.

I have no doubt that MTV realizes the truth about music videos - namely, that they're all commercials. We consumers may prefer not to be bombarded with ads, but I think most people can tell when they're being pitched, and most folks appreciate the creativity that goes into packaging today's best movies, TV shows, music videos and commercials.

With that in mind, to me, any attempt to single out the commercial components from programming is pointless. In this case, I'm disappointed that MTV didn't make a stand. MTV clearly understands that creative packaging sells anything and everything, and I - like millions of other people - regularly tune in to catch their latest brilliance, which has always been overtly commercial.

The way I see it, all the programming viewers witness through the media is entertainment, and it should be judged based solely on whether or not it's enjoyable or entertaining. Based on MTV's success, I'll bet their viewers feel the same way - and that they're not alone. Dismissing programming due to some degree of commercialization is a great way to miss much of the world's best entertainment from our most talented artists. But that's just my opinion.

Jeff Elmassian is a Grammy Award-winning producer, composer and musician, and Creative Director, Endless Noise, Los Angeles.