Chapter 2: The Globalization of Michael Jordan

This chapter chronicled the rise of Michael Jordan not only as a star athlete, but also as a global icon, which paralleled the rise of his main endorsement company, Nike. When Jordan came to the Chicago Bulls in 1984, the franchise was not doing well at all. They were one of the worst teams in the league. They generally filled up only a third of their arena, and the franchise was worth less than 19 million dollars. As soon as Jordan arrived, however, he began improving the team and filling up seats with through his dazzling performances on the court. Within his first ten years with the Bulls, they won multiple NBA Championships, easily sold out the arena each game, and the franchise became worth more than $190 million.

Phil Knight founded the Nike company in the 1960s. It took them several decades, but eventually Nike would dominate its markets by exhibiting all of the new corporate characteristics that came about during that time, most significantly the fact that they appealed not only to Americans, but the entire global population. They even got to the point where most of their products were manufactured outside of the U.S. Nike made a smart move when they immediately went after Jordan to endorse their products, in particular sneakers. They realized how popular he would become and how much of an impact he could have on people around the globe, and they were right. Through this collaboration, Jordan became the most popular and well-known athlete around the world, and everyone wanted to wear his shoes, which made Nike's profit sky-rocket as well. I myself can attest to Jordan's and Nike's influence on the globe, as I grew up a basketball fan in Austria. As a child, I could not get enough of Michael Jordan, and of course if I wanted the best shoes and sports gear, they would have to come from Nike, because I automatically associated it with Jordan.