When does one’s marketing strategy crossover from an attempt to connect, to cashing in?

Nike’s recent ad campaign to promote and target extreme sports with with skater, snowboard and surfer lingo on its shirts has raised a few eyebrows.

The shirts are billboards for such phrases as “Dope,” “Get High” and “Ride Pipe.”

Nike says it represents the language and culture of skateboarders, surfers and other participants in extreme sports. Opponents say it’s the language of addicts.

The Dope shirts show an image of a pill bottle upended with surfboards and skateboards pouring out.

Nike supporters say it is not meant to offend but instead to connect – something Nike does extremely well.

History has taught Nike that a little controversy goes a long way in helping with marketing.

Nike has long pushed the envelope with its products and marketing efforts. According to an Associated Press report, the company had an “Air Stab” line of shoes that was pulled in London in 2008 after a spate of knife deaths around that time. The company also had a series of ads for its Hyperdunk shoes that included images and slogans that some critics considered anti-gay. Nike supported the campaign at first but later withdrew the ads.

Beyond, whether what Nike is doing is responsible? One must ask is it the image skateboarders and other extreme athletes want projected about their sports and athletes?

Nike’s concern about their ad campaigns is the money trail it creates not the image it might project – in this case skateboarders and extreme athletes be damned.

Are the shirts likely to convince youth that drugs are alright? No more than “Just Say No” on a T-shirt stopped youth from experimenting.

Is Nike’s dramatic marketing strategy to connect with its target audience right? Probably not.

Is selling “Dope” and “Get High” T-shirts responsible? Probably not.

Is it profitable? You Bet!

Will Nike stop printing them? Not a chance!

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It appears a portion of golf fans who tuned into NBC’s coverage of the U.S. Open on Sunday were miffed before McIiroy got to the first tee.

In its opening, NBC’s feature captured the patriotism of the national championship being in our nation’s capital for the third time.

The feature interweaved the Pledge Allegiance with military and golf-related bites. Nothing wrong with that! However, “under God” was left on the editing floor.

“Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it,” said NBC’s Dan Hicks.

If it was a decision to leave it out, it was an odd one. How could it not have been the decision of a producer? Or was it someone’s artistic choice?

Reports note that the outcry was fast and furious, negative and immediate.

The viewing percentage of adults watching golf on television without Tiger dips dramatically. When Tiger plays on Sunday in a major the rating is anywhere from 5.0 to over 9.0. Without Tiger the rating falls drastically. That held true again on Sunday. The 4.5 rating NBC garnered was the lowest final round rating ever for a U.S. Open, despite the epic play of Rory McIlroy.

So if an all-time record low number of viewers watched, than is it fair to ask just how significant was the number of upset viewers?

In a PC (politically correct) world, where it seems people are offended because they think they’re supposed to be as opposed to actually being offended… has this whole controversy been overplayed?

Whoever decided to leave out under God…probably made a bad decision and may have already lost their job. But based on the ratings, watching golf on a beautiful Father’s Day afternoon appears to have been the less popular, more offensive decision.

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It seems there is no stopping people from recycling bad ideas.

Michigan and Notre Dame have announced they will wear throwback uniforms this fall for their September encounter in Ann Arbor.

Let me be clear, the throwback uniform idea can go away already. It’s been overused and most of the time it’s not good. They are throwback uniforms now because teams made the decision they didn’t like them and wanted to change them out 30, 40, 50 years ago.

The Wolverines and  Irish throwback jerseys in truth aren’t even that. They are taking bits and pieces from years gone by, meshing them together and calling it a throwback jersey. Call it what you want but don’t call it what it isn’t. If it hasn’t been worn before it can’t be called a throwback jersey now. It can be called new, but not a throwback.

The biggest problem is they look bad. I would be a very happy Notre Dame fan if it would never wear green again. The “throwback jersey will have green numbers with green stripes/bars on the shoulders.

Brian Kelly says the school is excited to be playing in an historic game.

Brady Hoke added that the school was excited at the opportunity to wear a retro-looking uniform that pays homage to the school’s history.

Hogwash from both coaches. The excitement comes from the revenues the schools will receive from Adidas who’s a major sponsor of Michigan’s first night game.  And don’t forget the sales of Adidas commemorative jerseys to fans dumb enough to buy them.

Entertain me with good football (something neither school has done in a while) and stick to the traditional school uniforms.

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We’re a little over a third of the way through the baseball season. It’s always fun to look for names atop the statistical charts and team standings that would fall under the category of “What the ?”

So I’ve compiled a list. At first glance it doesn’t appear to have that “WOW” factor as in years’ past.

Being that Michigan is the home of the Tigers we’ll start with the American League.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista continues to mash the ball for a second consecutive year. He leads the AL in hitting (.345) and in home runs with 20 (as of June 11).

Tampa’s Matt Joyce, batting .338 (2nd) may catch a second glance or two.

The biggest new name (surprise?) with 42 rbi is Cleveland’s Asdrubal Cabrera.

On the mound, names we haven’t heard from would include Jake Arrieta (Baltimore), Alexi Oganda (Texas) and Jeremy Hellickson (Tampa). All three pitchers have seven wins second only to Boston’s Jon Lester (eight).

In the ERA department, Seattle’s Michael Pinada carries a 2.33 ERA  (4th) and Chicago’s Philip Humbar has a a 2.87 era, ninth best. Nothing close to a surprise, Josh Beckett (Boston) leads the league at 2.06.

Brandon League (Seattle) represents the biggest wow in the save department with league best 17.

As for surprise teams, the Indians leading the Central, albeit by just a game over Detroit and Minnesota being 14 games under .500 (24-38) are your only two real candidates.

The top attendance drawing club in the AL is? The Yankees (33 games, 1.430 million, 43,352 ave.)….Can You Believe it? The worse drawing team in the AL is Tampa (30 games, 538,627, 17,954 ave.).

Where does Detroit fall among the 30 teams, right smack in the middle at #15 (772,032, 26,621 ave.).

And so it goes….

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Even in his resignation as Ohio State football coach, Jim Tressel was trying to cover up his coaching character indiscretions.

Why else did he did he come out with his resignation statement on Memorial Day? Possibly because maybe no one is paying attention on a holiday set aside for honoring those who served and died for this country with honor.

Suprised? We shouldn’t be. It is clear now this Tressel guy has never purported himself with honor. So his last act as Buckeye football coach, he used a day set aside for the service men and women of this country, as cover.

Is this still a man you want your son or grandson to play for? Are you listening Eddie DeBartolo – Jack Nicklaus?

With the revelations over the last number of months about Tressel,  it is clear that a man who has been often lauded publicly for his sincerity, faith and politeness, practiced ethical misconduct, dishonesty, deceit and a lack of integrity when no one was watching.

The signs were there clear back in his Youngstown State days. Winning football games, however, has been the coach’s best cover….which speaks to the larger problem… are the big suits in the NCAA ivory towers listening?

Tressel hasn’t molded boys to men; instead he’s been a model of fraud, hypocrisy  and deception.

Finally, for the people who have admired his faith in God and have made mention of  the prayer-request box he kept on the desk in his office at Ohio State…. as one might suspect, Tressel’s been stuffing the box lately. So keep the prayers coming. Sadly, it appears a book written about Tressel back in 2009 was right,  this guy was more than a coach!!!!

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