Saturday, June 28, 2008

TEAM USA Or TEAM NIKE?

To those wondering what happened to the days of the USA blowing teams out on their way to winning gold year-after-year, I may have an answer. It also appeals to the people that say shoe contracts and endorsements have ruined team sports. 10 of the 12 members of Team USA that we will be sending to the Olympics this year are signed to endorsements with Nike. The only members not signed to Nike is Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade. Also, the coach of the team is Mike Krzyzewski, another member of Nike. Mavs owner brought up the point that the Olympics are no longer a show of patriotism, but as a chance for shoe companies to showcase their gear on a global stage, where (surprise!) Nike is the sponsor of TEAM USA. I'm not saying the team chosen this year is full of talentless Nike people, I think this team very well might win gold. However, I was wondering how Jason Kidd made the team as their 3rd point guard after showing he's no longer the player he used to be, while the team has one true center (Howard). Where is Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Gilbert Arenas, Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, even Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose? I may be wrong, but Cuban has a point when speaking of TEAM USA.

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