Phelps and Nike?

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:25:17 GMT

Lebron in Kobe showed up at finals sitting next to each other for a reason. Just their presence makes it seem that Nike is courting Phelps. This will be anwered soon: If Nike buys blue70 they will also sign Phelps. $50M? Wow. Dolan got 3 years / $3M. Nike may buy Blue Seventy?

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:51:02 GMT

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Frank Thompson — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:52:54 GMT

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:05:17 GMT

Greatest swimmer? Sure. Greatest athlete? Ummm. No way. Who would you nominate for Greatest Athlete?

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:52:41 GMT

I hope that Nike would pay him close to a $100 million dollar contract. He is the greatest athlete to walk the earth. No pro athlete can compare to Phelps. Wow, that is pretty cool that a swimmer made the front page of the WSJ discussing who he will sign with. If he were to sign with Nike, I would buy their race suits. Greatest swimmer? Sure. Greatest athlete? Ummm. No way.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:36:12 GMT

MMA for tjburk and Ellen for scyfreestyler. :thhbbb:

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:20:04 GMT

MMA for tjburk and Ellen for scyfreestyler. Yes....because this Olympic boxing SUCKS....I absolutely hate the scoring they are using....and all of the blind boneheads they are using for judges!!!

RE: Phelps and Nike?

aquageek — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:02:27 GMT

He is the greatest athlete to walk the earth. No pro athlete can compare to Phelps. It's not about greatness, it's about revenue. I have read where the majors Tiger has skipped are off 55-60% in viewership this year. Of course, with zero swim meets on TV, this won't be an issue for Phelps.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

tjrpatt — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:39:31 GMT

RE: Phelps and Nike?

aquageek — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:11:47 GMT

I really hope he sticks with Speedo. I find most Nike products to be substandard, especially their shoes and golf equipment. I certainly wouldn't fault Phelps for going with Nike, or whichever company makes the best bid, but I hope Speedo is capable of stepping up as a serious bidder.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:10:01 GMT

Maybe we as USMSites could fomr some sort of petition letter of intent to show interest for a channel? Any TV corp folks here? How many nights a month would there be anything to show? And what would be on the rest of the time? It seems to me that the whole "peak once a year for the big meet" aspect of swimming entirely unsuited to ongoing dedicated coverage.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:01:11 GMT

Personally I think that internet streaming might be a more cost-effective approach. I wonder how WCSN is doing. WCSN is now Universal Sports - under the NBC umbrella. I believe they get a bunch of Encore rights to Olympic sports footage (i.e. the re-runs). Also, they will be doing a bunch of other stuff for Olympic sports - including swimming.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:51:57 GMT

Dream on, man. You are having an Olympic euphoric moment. This time next year you will be crying about having to DVR a meet opposite male enhancment infomercials on CSTV at 3 am. Avid Watcher?

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:51:05 GMT

I wonder if USMS would hook up with Universal Sports to try to get its meets televised? Maybe we as USMSites could form some sort of petition letter of intent to show interest for a channel? Any TV corp folks here?

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:23:57 GMT

RE: Phelps and Nike?

ande — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:16:50 GMT

if nike signed phelps they'd get an awesome line of tech suits they'd know how to market him they d have more resources than speedo nike pays for prime time exposure of their swoosh

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:14:57 GMT

In Canada there is a proposal to create an "Amateur Sports Network" that would be shared among the many sport that don't get much television coverage between Olympics. Personally I think that internet streaming might be a more cost-effective approach. I wonder how WCSN is doing. I think USMS would have to move to a prelims-finals format to be watchable. Even then, the audience for masters swimming is the friends and relatives of masters swimmers.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:59:21 GMT

I wonder if Phelps mania might lead to a "Swimming Channel" on cable. May not be 24 hours but good meets. domestic, international, even Masters Nats etc. Clinics, classics, reality TV etc. There is going to be something pretty close in Universal Sports (formerly WCSN). The network is on in Southern California and New York, and is working on making it into the rest of the markets. NBC doesn't want its four-year investment to be just about every four years. Universal Sports is going to televise a bunch of stuff. Universal Sports should, if I am reading it correctly, carry over its FINA deal to be able to televise all of its meets. I think USA Swimming's deal with Wasserman lasts another couple of years. So, it's probably going to be as long until all of the U.S. stuff is on television in that same fashion. I wonder if USMS would hook up with Universal Sports to try to get its meets televised?

RE: Phelps and Nike?

tjrpatt — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:48:45 GMT

A swimming channel would be great but I am not holding my breath.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:45:56 GMT

I wonder if Phelps mania might lead to a "Swimming Channel" on cable. May not be 24 hours but good meets. domestic, international, even Masters Nats etc. Clinics, classics, reality TV etc. That would be quite the quantum leap. I had a hard time finding the Worlds on TV last year. I ended having to subscribe to an extra sports package on Dish to get some obscure college sports channel that was showing it.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

aquageek — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:34:19 GMT

Yes....because this Olympic boxing SUCKS....I absolutely hate the scoring they are using....and all of the blind boneheads they are using for judges!!! It's been hard for me to watch as well.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:11:59 GMT

Nike has at least one swim commercial: www.youtube.com/watch And a nice one from, oddly, Shell: www.youtube.com/watch

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:04:28 GMT

"It's not about greatness, it's about revenue." Maybe a bit about greatness. In your defense, he didn't beat Spitz's one meet Olympic world record count .

RE: Phelps and Nike?

aquageek — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:30:10 GMT

How many nights a month would there be anything to show? And what would be on the rest of the time? MMA for tjburk and Ellen for scyfreestyler.

RE: Phelps and Nike?

Former Member — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:58:05 GMT

I would like it if Nike got Phelps. Speedo is part of the swimming establishment, which in general understands very little about marketing and creating excitement. Watch some Nike commercials featuring top athletes, and you'll see that the company has made a brand from the universal sporting experience of hard training paying off in competition. Swimming fits right in to that image. www.youtube.com/watch