Various people have said that Nike attempts to have it's brand and trademark 'Swoosh' penetrate all realms of society.
For example, for several years, athletes and spectators have claimed that the choices for the USA national mens' basketball team have been altered by Nike.
Here is a picture of the 2008 Olympics men's 'Redeemed Team.'
Of the 12 players on the team, 11 of them are sponsored by Nike directly or Nike subsidaries. Chris Paul (far right) and Carmelo Anthony (6th from left with cornrows) are on Jordan Brand, a subsidary of Nike, and at the time Dwyane Wade (3rd from right) was sponsored by Converse, which Nike owns (he now wears Jordan Brand). Only Dwight Howard (far left holding basketball) who's sponsored by Adidas isn't under the umberella of the Swoosh, who makes team USA's jerseys. The controversy extends not only to the team selections, but how this picture was set up. Note that Howard's Adidas shoes are almost entirely blocked by the feet of the seated coach, which was noted by some as abnormal, since in basketball team photos, a coach normally stands in photos where the team is standing. Also, look closely at the team's tallest to shorest (relativly speaking since Chris Paul's 6 feet tall) set up. The 6'11 listed Howard is the tallest on the team, but with his dreadlocks, 6'10 Chris Bosh's head reaches higher than him. The reason Howard's at the front of the line? Some claim it is because it allows Howard to hold a basketball, which conveniently allows his hand to block the Nike logo, or Swoosh on his shorts. Nike claims they had no involvment in this photoshoot.
Also, for the 2010 FIBA World Championships, there was come controversy over alleged Nike involvment in the squad selection again. Point guard Brandon Jennings claimed that despite his extremly strong rookie NBA campagin, and finishing a close 3rd in rookie of the year voting, he was passed over for an invitation to try out for the team because he's sponsored by Under Armour, not Nike. He cited the fact that, despite finishing close to Tyreke Evans and 'Steph' Curry in Rookie of the Year voting, and leading his team to the playoffs, he wasn't invited to the trials, and Evans and Curry were. Evans and Curry are both Nike sponsored players.
There will be more about Team USA in a later post on the Jordans (as in Michael)
And there's the most comical of the conspiracies, just because of how out there it is, the Denver Broncos uniforms. Nike was the Broncos' sponsor in 1997 when the franchise decided to remake its look according to some people, Nike purposefully designed the jersey and logo so that the Bronco's nostril is a 'Swoosh' and when players bend over, the stripe on their pants makes another 'Swoosh.' This must be awkward now for Reebok, who now makes the team's jerseys.
I won't pass judgment on what it looks like, but judge for yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment