Michael Jordan and Nike formally announced the launch of
the new, signature Jordan brand at New York's NikeTown
yesterday. Jordan previewed products from his brand along
with emcee Ahmad Rashad. Other participants included the
WNBA's Sheryl Swoopes and Kym Hampton; the ABL's Dawn Staley;
NBA players and Jordan endorsers Vin Baker, Derek Anderson,
Michael Finley, Eddie Jones, and Ray Allen (Nike).
WHERE HE'S AT: In Chicago, Rick Telander: "There has
never been anybody like this in sports. Other performers
have spanned the ever-shrinking gap between athletics and
entertainment. And a select few have bridged the gap between
sports and business. But no one has been at the pinnacle of
all three at the same time, with each element promoting the
other in a circle of wildly profitable back-scratching"
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/10).
AIR TIME: Jordan, on the new line creating competition
for Nike's main brand: "I am pretty sure Nike is not going to
worry about us until we get in second place" (Fred Mitchell,
CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/10). Jordan's agent, FAME CEO David Falk:
"This was my dream. ... Air Jordan is an idea I came up with.
I wish I had trademarked it, but I sort of gave it to Nike
and they've done a wonderful job with it. But I always hoped
that as Michael got older, this [would be the] type of thing
he could do. Now it's a reality" (John Smallwood,
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 9/10). More Falk, on the danger of
overexposure for Jordan: "I think there's always a danger,
and with Michael Jordan having reached the heights he's
reached there's no precedent to look back and see how did
other people do it before him" ("Market Wrap," CNBC, 9/9).
In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal: "It remains to be seen if Jordan
being in charge of this enterprise is anything more than a
marketing ploy Nike cooked up to appeal consumers sick of
seeing the omnipresent swoosh or if he'll have actual control
of the company" (SUN-TIMES, 9/10).
