Could this Nike/FIFA business torpedo a Michigan deal?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/05/27/meet-the-uns…
This worries me somewhat, because we have had some moral objections to Nike in the past that if I recall correctly were even identified as a reason we ended our contract with them (could be mis-remembering that, but I remember a fuss about their labor practices). Depending on how this all plays out, do you think it will have an impact on our apparel deal?
I don't think this will play any role in our negotiations/eventual decision.
My god, I want someone to photoshop a JNCO football uniform SOOOOO bad now. Like, I've never wanted anything more than I want that.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEONE HELP!!!!
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I'm not sure about football uniforms, but they already have their coaches khakis!
Those are hideous.
Those are hideous.
I'm guessing it's a combination of ocd/13 year old humor/guy knows it pisses a bunch of people off so he posts this shit in every one of these threads.
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What does OCD have to do with annoying people who care too much about which equipment supplier we use?
It's actually the first time I've posted in one of the multiple Nike/Adidas threads that happen every day. I did it because of that one guy who made a post specifically to complain about people joking about jnco, fubu, etc.
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it's called misappropriation. look it up "Artie"
Nike has always been shady, from using child labor in China to bribes. It's par for the course.
Their stock did drop like 1% after this story went public, so there's that concern from the world.
It's about $$$$$
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Yeah, I think it had more to do with what Adidas offered than any unscrupulous behavior on Nike's side.
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Broadly speaking, shouldn't things like corruption and reliance on child labor factor into which company the University chooses to business with?
"Oh no, I'm worry UM will consider horrible actions committed by a company when they decide whether or not to get into business with them!" Right, shouldn't they? Don't you want the University to take some kind of stance about the practices of their business partners?
This is my thinking as well... or at least this is how I think U-M administrators might think. It seems like it would be a PR problem if Nike corruption and a Nike/U-M deal are in the headlines at the same time. We are supposedly a socially-conscious institution, after all.
And others are concerned about public perception. I don't know if this story will have any legs, but I'd be surprised if Michigan announced a deal with Nike while it was still in the news. I dare say that taking $4M/year less to sign with Nike would trigger some calls to investigate the deal.
And its funny how a lot of people seem to be more concerned this will damage a potential switch to Nike but are not concerned a deal with Nike could damage our image.
UofM did temporarily drop Coke while I was in school due to some high profile nastiness they were involved in.
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It was about forming a committee looking into whether companies like Caterpillar are selling their products to Israel who may be doing some bad things in Palestine involving those companies. 3 companies in total.
Said committee would then recommend whether UM should still invest in those types of companies.
Obviously with the Israel vs. Palestine student groups on campus, shit went completely ballistic, but I believe that was the original premise not including any potential ulterior motives which many on the pro-Israel side claim there are.
Ah. I was unfamiliar with the precise details of the situation at Michigan, but the BDS movement as a whole definitely cast a much broader net (including things like "don't collaborate on papers with Israeli professors"). I do think there's a distinction between boycotting a group because of what they did vs. boycotting because of the policies of the country they happen to be from, which they probably have minimal influence over.
Child labor/sweatshops in foreign countries aren't ideal, but they are better than the alternative in those places. When "sweatshops" pull out of cities the children there usually turn to prostitution or other dangerous/illegal ways because their family still needs that income to eat.
It is the country whose economic malpractice is perpetuating these conditions. Nike is exploiting the third world economies, but they are better than what their workers would have to do without them.
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I get it, so instead of say, using economic power to improve the lives of workers, and perhaps taking a cut in (enormous) profits while doing so, the proper thing to do is say sew soccer balls or live on the streets, kids, you don't know how good you have it. Or perhaps you do.
Don't you get it? It is EXACTLY the business model of using a middleman to do your dirty business and pulling out when the heat is on, that is the problem. You are, whether you want it or not, condoning enslavement and exploitation with this attitude. And it IS an attitude, not a viable analysis of any sort. The more money you have, the more power you have, and the more choices you have, and Nike and Adidas are very clear about their choices. So clear, in fact, that Nike now lists its suppliers - imagine that, they no longer try to hide where the exploitation takes place! They've come a long way, haven't they?
Forget about staying put and using your economic muscle to promote social changes that improve the lives of those on whose backs you build your mansions and distribute your dividends, no, better to say, wow! They told me they had laws! We're outta here!
I was just going to defend the merits of prostitution, but you make a much better argument.
'Well its better than no job' is probably the worst argument for supporting a company with shitty labor practices.
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The Cold War Era was an era of global misery. People who weren't American or Western European were basically fucked. Left or Right it didn't matter. As noble as the cause of WW2 was the conduct of the Allies and their satellites were as equally ignoble during the Cold War.
Nike is a for-profit company. What they are doing makes perfect sense if not in the least ethical.
People regularly fuck others over in this and every other country. The problem is so much greater than Nike and corporations. So much more.
My family dealt with an unscrupulous man in Mike Illitch. Yet nary a person is aware of his utter indifference to honest business dealings because of his teams win and he built a few buildings in Detroit.
Such is the case with Nike. It's people not caring about the unethical practices that is the most galling aspect of it. If people truly cared Nike would not be in Bangladesh. But they don't so Nike and others still employ these practices.
The real culprit is us.
I agree with you. I can't afford Nike clothing but honestly wouln't buy it anyways. We need to be proactive about who we buy from but usually cheaper costs means imported mechandise. I frequent Good Will stores.
Three things:
1. I don't own or buy any Nike stuff, not for myself and not for my kids. I made that clear to their mom a long time ago. Now they're old enough to buy their own stuff and they do wear NIke stuff, but they know why I don't buy it and hopefully one day they'll think about it.
2. I don't invest in Nike stock, at least not directly. It's probable that a fund I'm in has Nike stock.
3. I support in a very modest way an NGO devoted to fair labor monitoring and advocacy. I won't say which one as there are several and I won't push any one, but for a long time it was headed by a fellow UM doctoral student whom I know from long ago in AA.
That's all.
Though I understand the plight faced in these exploited countries, this sounds like a justification for less-appalling behavior.
"Hey look, we may be working these children 14 hours a day, but at least we aren't sodomizing them...
I haven't purchased Nike since these practices came to light years ago. I really like the look of their stuff, and I have numerous friends would work at headquarters, but I simply can't condone this attitude. It sucks because I could get great deals going out to the employee store (and I'm a teacher) but I just can't ...
I'm sure tons of Bangladeshi sweatshop laborers are on reddit. That makes a ton of sense that after working 12+ hour days with no breaks to support their families they first thing they do is go to an internet cafe to spend that money on updating reddit about their working conditions. I bet they have really great chat sessions with Qatari migrant workes talking about how much better a job is than no job.
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Your avatar is Lexington Steele.
I can assure you only the rich would be paging through Reddit of all places. Their perspective will be skewed for good or bad.
The rest of the population has other things to worry about like religious persecution, poverty and corrupt government.
Oh thank GOD a new clothing thread. Finally we get a chance to discuss Nike V Adidas, the relative merits of Under Armor and how the rest of the shoe industry is faring. I mean it seems like it's been hours since we've had a fresh take on this issue and lord knows I cant go that long without getting the vapors.