By Eric Proctor
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 4, 1998

Nike debate deteriorating, but company still does country's wrong

To the Editor:

I thought that the Nike debate couldn't get any worse than it already had. But then I read Carl Scheidtmann's letter to the editor ("Columnist needs correction," Feb. 25) and realized how wrong I was. Carl attempts to justify the proposed Nike contract by changing the university from a publicly-funded, educational institution into a profit-based corporation that is free to deal with other corporations as it pleases. This is not the case. Decisions affecting this university and its reputation cannot and should not be made by one person listening to one side of an argument.

He then states "[t]he fact that our athletes wear Nike clothes signifies that our school has joined the elite status in athletic performance and is worth of such a deal." Well, Carl, I have some news for you. The status of our program shouldn't be measured by the logos on the uniforms, but rather by the merits and accomplishments of the athletes themselves. I was proud to be a Wildcat fan before the players became walking billboards.

The argument has been made that Nike is actually helping the people of Vietnam and other, similar countries. The facts show otherwise: Based on pay stubs, workers (who are mainly women) in Vietnam make the equivalent of approximately $1.60 per day. The average cost of a meal is 60 to 90 cents. This isn't enough for three meals a day, let alone shelter, clothing, transportation, health care, etc. Nike factories are found in countries that don't allow unions. In Indonesia, one labor leader was imprisoned for trying to earn better conditions and may even face death. In China, workers' identification papers are held to prevent them from quitting; if they are found on the street without papers, they are thrown into detention centers.

The truth is that Nike has a history of human rights abuses and we inherit this legacy when we knowingly and voluntarily enter into a "business deal" with them. And it's quite easy for Nike to change. With only 2 percent or its operating budget, Nike could raise all of its 25,000 Vietnamese workers to a livable wage of $3 per day.

Just one more thing, Carl: I don't listen to Phish; I don't own Birkenstocks; I don't use illegal narcotics of any kind; and, yes, I bathe regularly.

Eric Proctor
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Junior