Sneaker Wars

[BU fan]

Here is an interesting story about how ruthless things can get with young players and their connections to the sneaker companies. The article makes Nike out to be the bad guy, but I suspect the kid's controlling father is partly to blame, too.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/luke_winn/07/18/inside.cbb/index.html

[mike radigan]

...but I suspect the kid's controlling father is partly to blame, too.

Sorry, I didn't get that at all, quite the opposite.

[Da Coach]

Since the author of the article only talked to one side for his story, maybe there is more that isn't being revealed. The kid's father is a former NBA player and knows how things work. He has probably been playing both sides (Reebok and Nike) against each other.

[it's boogie time]

Who answers the phone during dinner? They keep alluding to this dinner, but if you are answering the cell phone during it, it can't be that important.

If the kid is good enough, it really won't matter if he jilts the show companies around because they will keep coming back. If he isn't, he'll find some unexpected roadblocks.

[hoser]

I can't believe the cynicism in some of these responses. Maybe the family isn't 100% innocent in this, but regardless, it was still a completely uncalled-for action by Nike. He wanted to play against what he felt were the best, and he doesn't want to go to the University of Nike, er, Oregon. It sounds like he's one of the few that isn't completely selling himself out to the shoe companies...isn't there some kind of honor in that, or has the cynicism become so bad that ppl are beyond that?

Let the kid be a kid, at least as much as a highly recruited high school junior can/wants to be. The corporate crap can come later.

[Bravesguy]

As has been written about a lot recently, the shoe companies are grabbing more and more control over summer camps, summer tourneys, AAU coaches, and even over certain colleges and coaches by tossing around the big bucks where it matters.
The recent move by the NCAA to outlaw preseason games against travelling shoe sponsored teams, is the beginning of what they need to do to rid the sports world of this undue influence that the rich & arrogant shoe people have. Ultimately, the real problem is actually the air brained kids who continue to spend $100 to $250+ each for a pair of sneakers just because they want the label. As long as Nike, Reebok, etc. can rake in that cash, they have the weapon to garner the power and control over people. There are, believe it or not, $29 sneakers that are just as good but kids just won't buy them. As long as Nike can make a pair of shoes for about $5 in a sweat shop in Thailand and then sell it in the US for $249 to millions of kids who are deluded as to their worth, then the problem will never end.

[brainiac]

A couple good stories in the news on sneakers

one player refuses to play with certain brand
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2005-10-18-ark-state-nichols-shoes_x.htm


http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2188552

[tornado]

Here is a good article to go with this topic of the shoe companies throwing HUGE $$ at the high schoolers.

Note the lines that say the shoe companies start hounding the high schoolers as early as junior high, and that they try to get the kids onto their own sponsored AAU teams, and then they fund these teams with HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
In the example they give of OJ Mayo, OF COURSE he's loyal to Reebok, but that doesn't stop Nike from trying to sway the kid.
What do you think they use to try to lure him??
MORE MONEY of course, and it's all legal since it doesn't overtly pass through the college coaches' hands.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060702/SPT0301/607020367/1062/SPT



Lastly, note the part at the end of the article about colleges and recruiting...

Here is a quote from new Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin:
"80 percent of recruiting is normal"

MEANING----- that he is admitting as much as 20% of the recruiting is crooked and influenced by the shoe company MONEY.

As long as Cincy, Indiana, Oklahoma, Duke, and the big schools always seem to get a pass from the NCAA I'll predict there won't be anyone looking into this from the NCAA. But I wonder what would have happened if Jim Les had said that.... :-o