Its More Than Just Sports

Being an athlete and playing sports has been apart of my life ever since I could remember. It has taught me life lessons such as individual strength , dedication, and the will to want to achieve something greater than yourself. Throughout my 14 plus years of athletics there has been one brand that continues to be prevalent in my life on and off the field ; Nike.

Want to have a edge in your sport? Nike has it. Need motivation to get the workout done? Nike will push you through it. For athletes around the world, Nike is arguably the sports bible of the modern era. It is the way of life in the sports world . But there is another side to the swoosh that many people tend to forget. The charismatic aproach to the common person.

oMany of Nike’s top buyers are not athletes. They are normal men and women , who range from blue collar worker, to the C.E.O of a fortune 500 company. From the youngest child who wants to keep warm to the mother who has to take the bus four hours just to get to her job, Nike finds a way to fill the need. Nike simply wants to make the world a better place , from the football field, to the warm homes of families.

One way that Nike has allowed its brand to change the world is the way that they produce their equipment. They have invented numerous products that lower environmental impact. This includes using Organic Cotton ( of which they are the third largest purchaser in the world) which has already eradicated over 7 million pounds of agricultural chemicals. Second, Nike is a huge supporter of recycling. They created the Reuse-a-Shoe program , which allows people to turn in their worn down shoes so that they can be used to make newer model shoes. Also , in 2010 Nike was responsible for creating the World Cup jerseys for each countries. Each jersey was made out of one thing; used plastic bottles. It took an average of eight plastic bottles to make one jersey. After all of them were done , there was a total of around 13 million plastic bottles that had been used from the worlds landfills.

Many people in U.S may believe that Nike is just a United States brand. Even though they are shown in other countries, many of us believe that Nike is just there to make a profit. Although Nike is one of the income generating companies, the company has completed numerous amounts of charity work. For example, Nike has gone into third world countries and helped communities such as Native American and Aborigines. This initiative is called N7 which is designed to help the youths of these communities to know and promote their history and build their future so that they can build their own legacy. Also, Nike has created a 64 soccer team league pulling people all around the world who are homeless. In 2003, there was over 100,000 people who were able to participate in the 7 day games. Nike takes pride in the way that they produce, sell , and recycle all their products. Lastly, Nike is well known to help serve those who have life ending diseases and those who want to fight to keep their life. Nike has a program called Lace up to Save Lives. This program has teamed up with Nike’s other Fund , RED, and as a result 100% of the profits that are raised from the selling of RED products goes to the Global Aids Fund in Africa and to soccer based programs that help fight AIDS in the country. In Fact, Nike went the extra mile and built a soccer training center in Soweto, South Africa. As a result , an estimated 20,000 young players have access to high end training facilities , top level coaching , and more importantly HIV education , to try to put an end to the continuous outbreak of HIV .

Whether you wear Nikeas an athlete , recreational games, or just to keep you warm throughout the day, you are supporting a company that is has a goal that is bigger than every single one of us. We are helping Nike change the world. Nike has used sports to not only provide nice jerseys but to give an enlightening smile to those whose lives have been darkened. Nike doesn't only want to help us become better athletes , Nike is inspiring us to work to become a better world. Everyone who wears Nike knows that they have the ability to make the world a better place. It allows us to prepare for the day whether is in the National Championship or the job interview. Everyone knows the only rule that comes with the brand that is changing the world ; Just do it.