In his column titled "Athletes Are The Victims In These
Sneaker Wars," Robert Lipsyte in Sunday's N.Y. TIMES
examined the relationship between adidas, high school and
college coaches and prep players at adidas' ABCD camp, held
last week at NJ's Fairleigh Dickinson University. Lipsyte:
"In the convoluted world of 'amateur' rules, Adidas
'donates' basketball shoes to the [high school booster]
club, which then distributes them to the team" (N.Y. TIMES,
7/13). In NJ, John Rowe of the Bergen RECORD wrote that the
"sneaker contract wars extend into the high school ranks,"
as NJ high school hoops star Al Harrington was at the Nike
Camp in Indianapolis "instead of" the ABCD camp because his
coach, Kevin Boyle, "has switched his sneaker contract
allegiance from adidas to Nike" (Bergen RECORD, 7/12).
NIKE NOTES: An editorial in the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER
criticized UNC's comprehensive Nike deal: "[UNC] could have
claimed a proud moment indeed if its chancellor, Michael
Hooker, had had the courage to announce that Chapel Hill
would be setting an example by paying its own way. The
university, in other words, should have just not done it"
(Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/13). In Dallas, Kevin
Blackistone wrote about the Univ. of CO's performance
incentive-filled deal with Nike under the header "With
Colorado Deal, Nike Swoosh Sign Of The Times" (DALLAS
MORNING NEWS, 7/12)....Nike Air sneakers have been banned
from N.Y. City jails because "contraband" can "easily" be
hidden in the shoes' "gas-filled chamber" (N.Y. POST, 7/13).
....Pioneer Growth Fund Manager Jeff Poppenhagen touts Nike
among his stock picks in the "Mutual Funds" feature of the
N.Y. TIMES. Poppenhagen: "It has great brand awareness,
which they can leverage internationally" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/13).