Nike, ugh!

For almost as long as I have been an adult, I have had a negative feeling towards Nike.  Actually, I hate Nike.  I think that they are a greedy company that is the epitome of capitalism gone awry.  In the early 80's, Nike started to take over the sneaker market.  They became the must have purchase, particularly for urban youths.  In NYC, kids were killing kids for their Air Jordans.  I always felt that Nike should have donated loudly to urban cities to encourage and help kids.  Build community centers or throw money at existing after school programs to counteract the violence and greed.  They didn't do that.  

Nike year in and year out has used underpaid labor in Asia to create their stylish overpriced shoes.  When the Tsunami hit and destroyed much of Phuket and the surrounding areas, what did Nike do?  Reportedly, they donated $1million dollars.  Sounds like a lot?  Sandra Bullock donated $1million dollars.  A single individual not a gigantic multi-billion dollar corporation.  

I have boycotted Nike as much as I am able.  Sometimes, there are no choices.  Now with my children doing team sports, sometimes it has to be Nike.  Begrudgingly, I have begun to soften my stance until last week.  I received a tweet from Harvey Levin at TMZ about the brand new, hot Air Jordan being released on Friday, December 23rd.  TMZ was giving a pair away.  I thought how odd and let it go, until later when I turned on the news.  Right there on  the screen are thousands of largely minority consumers stampeding to be one of the first owners of the brand new Air Jordan.  I couldn't believe it.  First of all, I can't believe that anyone still cares about Michael Jordan.  Second, how disgustingly manipulative.  It made me feel sick to my stomach just like I felt watching the throngs of people acting like animals on Black Friday (which began Thursday night).  

So, again.  I don't like Nike.  I wish that someone would do an investigative report on them.  I wish that someone would dig around, contrast and compare Nike with Adidas, Reebok, and any other sneaker company.  I don't have the resources, but I do have the ability not to spend my dollars whenever there is a choice in a company that seems unbearably greedy.

Sidebars:  After taking a little more than a week off, I did want to come back with some fuzzy warm story, but this is want stuck in my craw.  Happy last Wednesday of 2011!