First Cuts: Nike Employees Shake it For HS Coaches

By Chris Littmann
Sports don’t start and end with a referee’s whistle. FirstCuts, a blog dedicated to sports culture, will cover everything outside the lines, from the games to the gear. Look for expanded FirstCuts content after the New Year.
The Nike swoosh is everywhere these days, and it’s on more and more high school jerseys each season.
Part of the way Nike makes the hard sell to schools -- who often save $30,000 in uniform and equipment costs by aligning themselves with the company -- is bringing coaches out to the Beaverton, Ore., campus for Nike’s High School Football Summit. Think of it as an all-inclusive trip for coaches at high-profile schools that wear Nike gear.
Buried deep within a recent Cincinnati Enquirer article, which discussed the potential conflict of interest for coaches receiving $2,000 all-expenses paid trips, is this bizarre note.
[quote="Cincinnati Enquirer"]“Another night, they had this ‘Dancing with the Stars’ type entertainment,” [Colerain assistant football coach John] Cook said. “The Nike employees were the dancers, but they had a live band and one of the actual ‘Dancing with the Stars’ judges.
“But it was also great to be amongst all those coaches so you can compare what you do and they’re doing. It was first-class, all the way.”[/quote]
So to review, Nike employees are dancing for high school coaches? I guess it isn’t any stranger than the Gheorghe Muresan, Karl Ravech and Kenny Mayne dance party:

> Nike Courts Prep Powerhouses | Cincinnati Enquirer
--------------------------
Chris Littmann is an associate editor for Sporting News and writes the Mid-major report for SportingNews.com. He will run you off the court if you challenge him in the comment section (or in Wii tennis).
↵