Comments on: Nike x Steve Nash = Eco-Friendly Shoe http://artelective.edublogs.org/2008/02/29/nike-x-steve-nash-eco-friendly-shoe/ An Upper Division Course Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:06:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Jim Keady http://artelective.edublogs.org/2008/02/29/nike-x-steve-nash-eco-friendly-shoe/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Jim Keady Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:31:07 +0000 http://artelective.edublogs.org/2008/02/29/nike-x-steve-nash-eco-friendly-shoe/#comment-14 Nash is to be commended for wanting to have a more eco-friendly shoe, but he has been silent on the labor issues for which Nike is infamous. And for those of you that believe that "Nike fixed that sweatshop problem," no, they have not. I just got back from a research trip to Indonesia a month ago and I have been working on improving Nike's labor practices for more than a decade. The problem is not fixed, workers still do not make enough money to meet their most basic of needs, despite the fact that Nike's profits soar ($16.3 billion in 2007) and the endorsement contracts of athletes like Nash continue to grow. As a former NCAA Division One College coach (St. John's University) that lost his job for speaking out about Nike's labor abuses, I am waiting for a fellow athlete/coach with a conscience (like Nash) that will use their platform to help the workers that generate the real wealth for Nike get the justice they deserve. If you would like to watch some news stories about the work I do and a short film I produced on Nike's sweatshops, please visit www.myspace.com/behindtheswoosh. You can also learn more about the work I do at www.educatingforjustice.org. Peace, Jim Keady Nash is to be commended for wanting to have a more eco-friendly shoe, but he has been silent on the labor issues for which Nike is infamous. And for those of you that believe that “Nike fixed that sweatshop problem,” no, they have not. I just got back from a research trip to Indonesia a month ago and I have been working on improving Nike’s labor practices for more than a decade. The problem is not fixed, workers still do not make enough money to meet their most basic of needs, despite the fact that Nike’s profits soar ($16.3 billion in 2007) and the endorsement contracts of athletes like Nash continue to grow.

As a former NCAA Division One College coach (St. John’s University) that lost his job for speaking out about Nike’s labor abuses, I am waiting for a fellow athlete/coach with a conscience (like Nash) that will use their platform to help the workers that generate the real wealth for Nike get the justice they deserve.

If you would like to watch some news stories about the work I do and a short film I produced on Nike’s sweatshops, please visit http://www.myspace.com/behindtheswoosh.

You can also learn more about the work I do at http://www.educatingforjustice.org.

Peace, Jim Keady

]]>