Michael Jordan

Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17 1963, in Brooklyn, New York) is a former American National Basketball Association player, and is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.

Businessman

Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, McDonald's, and MCI. He first appeared on Wheaties boxes in 1988, and acted as their spokesman as well.

Related Topics:
Nike - Gatorade - Hanes - McDonald's - MCI - Wheaties

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spat of "shoe-jackings" where young boys were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. The innovation of designer Tinker Hatfield spurred the basketball shoe industry to new heights. Subsequently Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own company named appropriately "Jordan Brand." Athletes who endorse the company include basketball players known as "Jumpmen" such Ray Allen, Michael Finley, Derek Anderson, Eddie Jones, Mike Bibby, Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Quentin Richardson, Richard Hamilton, and Carmelo Anthony. Not only basketball, but Jordan has branched out into other sports with baseball players Derek Jeter and Andruw Jones, along with football players Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Ahman Green, Eddie George, Jason Taylor, and Warren Sapp. Of course, the college basketball arena is a good way to market as well and Jordan has taken full advantage of this, sponsoring North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cal, St. John's, Georgetown, and North Carolina A & T.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jordan has also been connected with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial in the 1993 Super Bowl where he and Bugs Bunny played basketball against some Martians inspired the 1996 live action/animated movie Space Jam, which also starred Michael and the Looney Tunes in a fictional story set during his first retirement. They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.

Related Topics:
Looney Tunes - 1993 - Super Bowl - Bugs Bunny - 1996 - Space Jam

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After his second retirement, Jordan formed the MVP.com sports apparel enterprise with fellow sports greats Wayne Gretzky and John Elway in 1999. It fell victim to the dot-com bust, and the rights to the domain were sold to CBS SportsLine in 2001.

Related Topics:
Wayne Gretzky - John Elway - Dot-com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For many years, the NBA basketball player has been the real-life mascot for Nestlé Crunch, appearing on the products and in their advertising.

Related Topics:
NBA - Basketball player - Mascot - Nestlé Crunch - Advertising

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~