Nike has started a "cash-filled Air attack" to get contracts
with New York area high school coaches, according to Barry Baum
in the N.Y. POST. Making the New York area its "No. 1 priority,"
Nike has "found the going tougher" in New York City, where
public-school coaches are barred from accepting cash payments.
Three sources told Baum that Coach Kevin Boyle of St. Patrick
High School in Elizabeth, NJ has signed a $20,000 deal that will
see his team wear Nike uniforms. Boyle declined to comment.
Brooklyn's Tilden High School Coach Eric Eisenberg said he turned
down a $15,000 offer by Nike to stay with adidas, citing his
loyalty to adidas representative Sonny Vaccaro. Boyle and
Eisenberg said adidas doesn't offer coaches money for having
their players wear its apparel. However, they say adidas does
pay $400 a week when they work as a counselor at its ABCD
Basketball Camp. In addition, adidas donates sneakers,
sweatshirts, t-shirts and gym bags to coaches and players.
THE CHILDREN ARE THE FUTURE: Coaches interviewed by Baum
said "they had never heard" of a sneaker company signing high
school coaches to contracts before Nike did. Baum notes "many
believe" a Nike high school coach would be "strongly encouraged"
to send star players to Nike-sponsored colleges. Jack Ringel,
Brooklyn's Grady High coach, turned down a Nike offer: "Nike
college coaches are putting pressure on Nike to get back on the
street because the younger kids are being surrounded by adidas."
Nike High School reps George Raveling and Don Crenshaw did not
return Baum's phone calls (N.Y. POST, 9/18).
