In a move that came a day after Nike filed a lawsuit
against Chipshot.com for "allegedly misusing" Nick Price's
name and likeness to sell shoes and apparel on its Web site
(see THE DAILY, 5/12), Nike Golf Marketing Dir Mike Kelly
said the company and Price "have mutually agreed" to end
their endorsement relationship, according to GOLF WORLD
BUSINESS. Kelly "declined to elaborate on the split" but
noted that the suit against Chipshot.com was a "contributing
factor." Kelly added that Nike's suit would continue: "We
will seek to collect damages [from Chipshot.com] for when
Price was under contract with us." Price, who signed a
multi-year deal in '96 to endorse Nike footwear and apparel,
did not wear Nike apparel during this past weekend's GTE
Byron Nelson Classic (GOLF WORLD BUSINESS, 5/12).
BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN: Nike Chair & CEO Phil Knight's
decision to end his financial donations to the Univ. of OR
(UO) due to the school's affiliation with the Worker Rights
Consortium (WRC) is the subject of today's Op-Ed debate in
the N.Y. TIMES. UO student activist Sarah Jacobson writes,
"If the voice of one alumnus held more weight than a year of
university-wide deliberation, what role would there be for
shared governance on campus? If donations from corporate
America depended on toeing a corporate line, the university
would be better off without the money" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/16).
But Editorial Page Editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator
Jaime Sneider counters by writing, "Comparatively speaking,
conditions at third world factories where Nike goods are
made are remarkably benevolent. ... While many students
uncritically believe the [WRC], they ignore the fact that
Phil Knight and Nike have championed the well-being of
workers internationally" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/16).
