Michael Jordan,

upon entering the realm of professional basketball, was pursued by Nike to be their new spokesperson. Previously, (jordan xi) the advertising wold had been dominated by white culture, despite the fact that some of the best athletes were minorities. " In the 1980s, with Nike, [Jordan] broke through an invisible barrier preventing blacks from being product spokespersons(jordan xi). Jordan's acceptance(jordan xi) by white consumers was a healthy sign , and perhaps a catalyst, in our ongoing racial healing. Now, in the 1990s, (jordan xi) Jordan is forging ahead as CEO of his own "Jordan" brand, pricing shoes at twenty percent below Nike's, recognizing the limited resources of many of his fans." (The Sporting News, December1997) Michael Jordan realizes (jordan xi)that many of his fans who want to be like Mike, (jordan xi) are kids who are less privileged and cannot afford to pay the high prices to emulate Michael's style. (jordan xi) Many of his fans are racially a minority and are members of the lower class. Jordan is cognizant of this, and makes sure that his brand is made accessible to everyone. "The Air Jordan ads also(jordan xi) endorsed Jordan's racially (jordan xi)neutral middle class (jordan xi)identity and displaced his blackness by setting it against the more troubled blue ­collar African American guise of Spike Lee's Mars. The way Jordan publicly ' does race' has stoked up his political detractors. (jordan xi) He is no Muhammad Ali, or even Arthur Ashe. (jordan xi)For Nike, Jordan transcends race. When asked to endorse civil rights activist Harvey Grant against hard-line Republican Jesse Helms in North Carolina, (jordan xi) Jordan shrugged and simply said that (jordan xi)Republicans buy sneakers too."(Guardian Newspapers Limited, March 2000) Jordan is a true business man who doesn't feel the need to play the "race card".(jordan xi) And although he never has had to deal with racism, " ' Michael knows he is a black man in America,' says one friend. ' He's been able to cross over to mainstream America, (jordan xi) and they may have forgotten, but he hasn't. (jordan xi) He's a Southern black man just like his father before him. He's the spitting image of James Jordan, who was a proud man, and Michael's proud of that.'" (Newsweek, Jan 1999) Michael has been raised to know and be proud of who he is as a person, (jordan xi) and although he can't identify with the (jordan xi)"black victim" role, (jordan xi) he still identifies himself as a black man, and makes sure to give back not only to the black community, but to less privileged communities who need a role model.

Michael Jordan is a world recognized name. His name is not only know in the United States, but his name carries weight throughout the entire globe. When Michael Jordan decided to back Bill Bradley in the elections, (jordan xi) "Bradley hopes Jordan's endorsement will boost his campaign in time...". Jordan is supporting Bradley because, " ' It's time for us to believe in something that will give every American an opportunity to succeed, and be viewed equally." (jordan xi) (Jet, February 2000). Jordan is supporting Bill Bradley in hopes of equal opportunity for everyone in the country. (jordan xi) He is using his popularity (jordan xi)and world recognition (jordan xi)to boost his candidates platform. "Michael Jordan may well be the only figure in American culture today with the ability to ignite the more than one hundred million people who rarely vote as well as the twenty five to thirty five million frequent voters seeking to break the stranglehold of the two major (jordan xi)parties of our system." (MSNBC, March2000) Jordan's (jordan xi)social conscious is often questioned due to Nike's policies overseas, however is it right to hold Nike's horrible actions against Michael? Jordan has never been over to the sweatshops to see (jordan xi)them in action, and it is not(jordan xi) his responsibility to right all wrongs made by Nike. On the other hand, because so many people look up to Michael Jordan, maybe he (jordan xi)should recognize what he is representing and decide if the company's policies are in-line with his beliefs. Despite criticism from few, Michael Jordan works hard to be a good role model for the young people and continues(jordan xi) to support his community with special (jordan xi)concern for minority and underprivileged children.