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IMO .....Nike will want to appeal to the masses not the very small market of the Tech 8, 10 and the Garne SG 10 and 12's. Plus they will have massive resources for cheap manufacturing processes.
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So is James now the new Tiger for Nike?
Pit Row
Is Nike's decision to manufacture motocross boots a good thing or bad?
January 6, 2010, 1:57 PM
By: Ryan Leyba
In less than a week, James Stewart will be ditching these Alpinestars for some new Nike boots. Yes, Nike. Talk about knocking them boots.
Opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one. Actually, I was going to say that opinions are like something else, but it wasn't too ESPN friendly. Anyway, since Racer X Illustrated dropped the news that Nike will be debuting their new (unseen) motocross boot at Anaheim 1 via James Stewart and Ryan Dungey's feet, site commenters and message board bandits have speaking their mind. Some people (old fashioned, elite purist, too cool for school, geezer, Motocross Action reading kooks) are completely against a company like Nike getting into the sport and some peeps (forward thinking, open to new ideas and opportunities, young and fashionable) are all for it. Me? Bring it on! Nike received a bad rap in the past due to a sub-par worker environment, but things have been corrected and Nike is one of the most iconic companies in the world.
Obviously Nike is extremely respected in the "stick and ball" sports and in some respect, Nike's kind of facing the same pre-judgment that ESPN faced when they decided to get into the action sports realm. Both Nike and ESPN are staples in mainstream sports, but the "never sell out" core attitude of the action sports industry tends to shun such entities away, even though they have A LOT to offer.
"I just think that in any subculture, when Nike attempts to get involved, there's a natural knee jerk 'We don't want you' reaction." explains ESPN.com/Action BMX Editor Brian Tunney.
In fact, take Nike Skateboarding for example. They've had multiple attempts breaking into the skate industry, but once the market was ready, they made their move and did it right — even with a massive amount of disapproval from the industry. Obviously skateboarding didn't want anything to do with a company like Nike, but they did things right and eventually earned the respect of both the skaters and the industry. From making Nike SB's available only at select skate shops, to sponsoring the Tampa Am and building up a solid and diverse team of skaters, Nike covered all the bases in order to change minds and become a mainstay.
Nike Snowboarding
Nike recently jumped into the snowboarding game with a full line of killer boots and outerwear. You can't tell me that these aren't fresh...
So what does Nike have to offer motocross? Well, first and foremost, money. Starting with their team of athletes, Nike has the funds to make sure that their athletes are taken care of monetarily. Secondly, product consisting of second-to-none research and development. Face it, Nike has the money and resources to make an amazing boot. Look at what they did for golfing. They went in with nothing and with the help of Tiger Woods, they came out with some of the best clubs and balls on the market. Same goes for Nike Snowboarding — have you seen their new boots? I think the product speaks for itself and all those haters who think Nike will just make some crappy product and sell it for an arm and a leg are sorely mistaken. I have a really hard time believing that will happen.
Nike also has a lot of money not only to offer their athletes, but the sport of motocross itself. If they are diving head first into moto, I can almost guarantee that you'll be seeing them pour money either into events, compounds or tracks — just like they did with skateboarding and the Tampa Am or BMX and the Tunnel Jam.
And lastly, Nike has the budget, reach and creative vision to create an epic marketing campaign. Remember the old Nike "What If" Skateboarding commercials? I'm pretty sure Nike 6.0 also ran a James Stewart commercial during either X Games or the 2009 AMA Supercross series. And how about their highly acclaimed P-Rod/Ice Cube "Today was a good day" commercial? Now all this does is expose motocross to a larger audience, which is what the sport needs in my opinion. And hopefully they'll be able to add a little bit of "cool" to an industry that is at least five years behind the other action sports in that department.
I've said my peace. All you old kooks need to quit hating on Nike and their attempt to enter the motocross market. Just keep wearing your rad dirt-stained Gaerne's and shut it. Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on these things and rock them to the fullest next time I hit the ramps. Rumor has it they even make you jump higher.
I don't support child labour or big corps trying to be something they aren't either so no support from me.
Bubbas going to be in trouble
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Either way, whoever wears them should feel very lucky to represent Nike and to be part of their entry into MX.
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