It's Gotta It Can't Be The Shoes

He hasn't even played a game yet at his new school and already Marcus Jordan, son of Michael, is grabbing headlines. If Marcus is flying high in Nikes like his father any time soon, it might be at a big cost to his school - the University of Central Florida - who has with a deal with one of the shoemaker's biggest competitors. UCF seems to have painted itself in a corner by promising Jordan he could don his father's line of sneakers while at the same time having an exclusive deal with Adidas (valued at around $2 million) that dictates all players, coach, and staff wear Adidas equipment and apparel, a pretty common-place deal among college athletic programs these days. And, as we know, Nike has a firm grasp on the rights to all things Jordan.

But while Jordan claims UCF promised him he could wear the shoes - said Jordan the Younger, "They said they had talked to the Adidas people and it wasn't going to be a problem. I think everybody understands how big of a deal it is for my family" - Adidas doesn't agree. A spokeswoman for the company said, "There is no compromise and the contract is currently under review." The school has had a deal with Adidas for five years and has been working on a new three-year extension.

The Knights and Adidas have only a few weeks to figure out this impasse; UCF starts their season on November 4 with an exhibition match and gets their regular season rolling on November 13. The school made an obvious promise to land a big name but has a big sponsor to appease and the two conflict. In the meantime, no word if Adidas will sign a $2 million contract to emblazon the biotechnology department's microscopes with their logo.