Nathan Sorrell, 200-pound 12-year-old star of Nike ad, is motivated by critics

Nathan Sorrell, 12, stars in a "Find Your Greatness" Nike ad that aired during the Olympics.

Because the pre-teen weighs 200 pounds — the commercial shows him slowly jogging down an open road, panting and sweating while a voiceover declares that "we're all capable" of greatness — critics quickly labeled the ad as exploitative.

Sorrell, however, insists that he's received plenty of support by people inspired by the ad, and that the "haters" only motivate him.

"That just motivates me more because I want to get off my feet and do extra time for those people that have enough time to be able to sit there and write mean comments on the internet, when they could be doing something like I am," he told MSNBC.

Donny Deutsch of the advertising agency Deutsch, Inc, told Matt Lauer that the choice to feature Sorrell, "a guy who just looks like all of us — we're all imperfect in one way or another — it's inspirational."

"If this gets one kid off the couch, that's what it's about," he said.

"In a society where obese individuals face pervasive stigmatization, it is important to debunk weight-based stereotypes that so often lead to prejudice," said Rebecca Puhl, PhD, Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. "Nike does this successfully by communicating the message that we all have the potential for greatness, no matter what body size we have. More messages like this are badly needed in our culture, and hopefully others will follow the example of Nike to address weight stigmatization head on."

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Sorrell told his local paper, the Record Herald, that he and his mom hope to slim down together. If successful, Nike will return to tape a follow-up commercial, re-enforcing the message that "greatness is now beyond his reach, nor is it for any of us."

In the meantime, the Ohio boy is adjusting to life as a minor celebrity.

"Oh my gosh, I just couldn't believe it. Still to this day, this minute, it just still hasn't completely set in yet," he said of the attention.