Nike Ramps Up Manny Pacquiao Marketing Efforts Ahead Of Saturday's Big Fight

Nike has unveiled the slogan "Do What They Say You Can't," which is "emblazoned on black or white T-shirts especially designed for Manny Pacquiao" ahead of Saturday's bout versus Floyd Mayweather Jr., according to Joaquin Henson of the PHILIPPINE STAR. The limited-edition shirts yesterday "went on sale at Nike Park" in Manila at a suggested retail price of $38 (all figures U.S.). The shirts also were sent to Pacquiao and his team in Las Vegas. The slogan "is on the front of the shirt and at the back is the MP logo with the hashtag #MannyDoes." Nike Philippines Marketing Manager Patrick Reyes said, "We launched the shirt simultaneously in Las Vegas and Manila. The slogan is about Manny defying all odds to do improbable things." For the Mayweather fight, Nike "has provided Pacquiao with a wide range of training gear and filmed a three-minute, black-and-white documentary to showcase his 'inner strength.'" Nike recently unveiled a Pacquiao line that "consists of a Team Pacquiao dri-fit T-shirt in dark grey with the MP logo in gold for $30" (PHILIPPINE STAR, 4/30). FORBES' David Lariviere noted a video examining Pacquiao’s training "was recently released by Nike, the third in its 'Inner Strength' documentary series." Previous installments featured golfer Rory McIlroy and NFL Draft prospect Marcus Mariota (FORBES.com, 4/29).

MONEY MATTERS: SI's Greg Bishop writes Mayweather before his '07 bout against Oscar De La Hoya "made the decision to adopt a new facade," in which he "made himself a villain." That process "continued with his stint on the WWE." Bishop: "Pretty Boy Floyd retired, and Money Mayweather emerged." Mayweather "had seen how his antics frustrated De La Hoya, how they changed the way he fought." Mayweather "turned himself, with an assist from his shadowy adviser, Al Haymon, into the highest-paid athlete in sports, even as he declined endorsements." He "seized his own narrative, in a way that LeBron James -- who is beholden to the NBA and to his team and to his sponsors -- cannot." Mayweather's climb to superstardom "unfolded in the era of reality television and social media." In both, he "controlled the message" (SI, 5/4 issue).