When Manchester United, with new sponsor Aon and longtime sponsor Nike, released their 2010-2011 jerseys at Niketown downtown last night, the world’s most prolific, successful, and wealthy sports franchise laid some serious roots in Chicago. All the speakers, from United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to Aon President and CEO Greg Case to every Nike rep available, maintain that the partnership is based on more than the $125 million Aon is purported to have paid to have their name on the front of the best selling jersey in the world for four years. Case said that Nike, Aon, and Manchester United all share the characteristic of winning; the sponsorship is meant to “magnify” and “spread” their brands, passion, and excellence. more ›

What are the larger implications of Nike taking such an active interest in Chicago and, especially, soccer in Chicago? more ›

The funny thing about Nike’s influence in the world of soccer branding, gear, and culture is that they’re so new on the scene. Like some kind of new best friend, Nike rolled in on the party in the 1990s and players and teams found their money and ideas enticing enough to leave longstanding brands like Adidas, Puma, and Umbro. Of course, Chicago was a major epicenter for Nike’s global success. Without MJ, without the Jordans, would Nike have had the capital—both cultural and financial—to go into the international market of soccer? more ›

Yesterday, on the eve of this year's Masters and Tiger Wood's return to golf, Nike launched a new ad featuring Tiger and the voice of his deceased father, a seeming response to the scandal that's surrounded the golfer. And, of course, the Internet has come through with a series of remixes. Check out the original ad here; our favorite remix is below and you can check more out here. Even our pal, WGN's Pat Tomasulo, got in on the act. more ›

Last night, Marcus Jordan, son of Bulls legend Michael, made good on his promise to wear Nike shoes during his school's first game, prompting rival shoe company adidas to back out of it's multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with the school. The controversy had started a while ago when Jordan claimed the school, the University of Central Florida, promised him he could wear his father's line of Nike shoes though that directly conflicted with the school's exclusive contract with adidas. According to the Orlando Sentinel: more ›

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. more ›

Over the last week, Chicago 2016 has released a pair of 30-second PR videos utilizing Michael Jordan to help sell the city's bid. No word if they had to digitally remove the Nike logo. [via ABC7] more ›

Like many around the city, we thought it was a nice gesture to see basketball legend Michael Jordan pay a visit to the United Center Friday night to root on the Blackhawks. Interestingly enough, though, it seems that the Blackhawks jersey he's wearing is a custom-made one: team officials sewed a red patch over the Reebok logo. It's not really clear whether Jordan is contractually forbidden from displaying another logo or if it's a personal choice on his part. It's certainly not the first time this has happened. And not that we're surprised either. And, sure, maybe it's a minute detail to be focused on, but as several other blogs that have picked up this story have already said, it speaks to the continual entangling of sports and business. What's next? Ads on bases? Oh, wait... [Puck Daddy, via Deaspin] more ›

Are you a fan of the shoes Michael Jordan made famous? If so, you might want to join the hundreds (thousands?) of fans of MJ and his eponymous shoes who will converge at his statue outside the United Center at noon this Saturday to shoot the final scene of the documentary "Jordan Heads." Billed as "the most anticipated sneaker documentary ever," Saturday's shoot caps four years of production on the film. more ›

Nike is once again turning up the volume on our summer with its Nike + Human multi-city 10K race on August 31st. Twenty-five cities, from Tapei, China to Los Angeles, will host runs and activities with an eye towards charity - participants can raise money for any of the three Nike-chosen causes: The Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research, the World Wildlife Fund, and the UN's ninemillion.org program to offer aid to youth refugees. more ›

Sneakerfiles reports that the Levi's 501 premium selvedge denim have an elephant print lining the inside and the signature Air Jordan symbol is embroidered on one of the pockets along with six gold rings that symbolize each of the championship rings MJ won during his BBall years. The jeans, sneakers and shirt come in a red collector box decorated with graphics from each brand. more ›

During Chicagoist's middle and high school years, there was nothing cooler than owning the latest pair of Air Jordans ... or so we thought. But we had a number of pairs of Jordans over the years and it likely didn't have much impact on which table we got to eat lunch at. Maybe because everybody else had them, too? more ›