Franklin 4
Danielle Franklin
Professor McCarthy
English 1112
8 Oct 2015
Big three athletic companies pumping money into high school athletics
I believe big athletic companies are making a positive financial impact on high
school sports through sponsorship. Professional teams and college teams get free equipment; why shouldn’t high school teams enjoy the same perks? “Look the Part” “Dress the Part”, “Play the Part” and save on the school budget. Too many schools are now on a pay to play participation and families just can’t afford to pay the fees. Athletic companies should help subsidize this, where is the harm in that? The tight control and shortages of High School Budgets have made it very hard for children to participate in school athletic, because of the changes many schools have had to go to “pay to participate” and many families can’t afford the extra cost so the kids are the ones missing out on childhood memories.
As with many high school teams in all states this year and previous years; teams have been forced to slash equipment budgets and to come up with new sources of income to offset the cut in sports funding. Most schools are now entirely self-funded - meaning the families pay fees for sports ranging from one hundred to seven hundred dollars here locally. These fees are being imposed on all high school sports and some even in middle school sports. Schools can’t pass district levies so sports have to be self-funded. Nike, Adidas and Under Armour are making deals with high schools. Adidas sponsor more than 150 high school teams along with more than 170 summer Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) events and teams.
State Officials agree that if these deals and sponsorships are handled properly it can be legal and a great benefit to the High Schools. The New York Times claims these deals have been around for years most state officials had just been unaware of these deals or rebates that schools were receiving. As long as the rules are followed by each state then there is no harm in these deals or rebates. The Desert news explains that the State of Utah requires all high schools have a competitive bidding system for any purchases over two thousand dollars.
These three companies alone donate millions of dollars in equipment and athletic gear to top high school teams and while the coaches and athletic directors welcome the supplies many people still criticize that it is commercializing student athletes. This all started back when John Vaccaro (Sole Man) watched Michael Jordan play basketball one summer at the Dapper Dan “Round Ball Classic”. Michael Jordan was still in high school at the time. John Vaccaro a Nike sales representative knew that Michael Jordan was going to be the best basketball player of the time. He had Michael Jordan sign a deal with Nike and the Air Jordan Basketball shoe was created. John Vaccaro was always looking for the next big athlete so he started going to more summer exposure basketball events wh...
