DOJeez wrote:
Here is Ken Goe:
"I asked Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar how interested he would be in adding Hasay to his group.
"The short answer: very interested.
"'I'm hopeful, I would say that,' Salazar said. 'But she would have to sign a contract with Nike first.'"
You and I seem to have different understandings of Alberto's statement. Yours is benign. Mine is not.
If Alberto is truly independent of Nike as an "independent contractor" why would he not want a seamless transition for Hasay to the NOP even before she signed with Nike if there was to be a contract delay? My take on this is that Nike told Alberto that Hasay was not to spend one day, one hour, one f*cking minute with NOP and him as coach unless and until the Hasays agree to a contract on Nike's terms and sign it. Certainly discussions had been going on between the Hasays and Nike competitors. Nike wanted to play hardball and stack the deck against its competitors. Nike was saying to the Hasays the back and forth discussion of terms of the contract are over. You are free to choose but you've got our terms. Take them or Jordan can pack her bags for Colorado or China or wherever the hell you want her to go.
Salazar is nominally an independent contractor coaching Cain. She is compelled to wear either Nike products or risk being cut or neglected by Salazar. The Chinese Wall between Nike and Alberto Salazar, independent contractor, is tissue thin. When Cain ran for Bronxville she taped her shoelaces because Bronxville's coach has all his athletes do this. The tape happened to cover Nike's logo if she wore Nike shoes. Cain did not stop taping her shoes after she ceased running for Bronxville. She stopped when Salazar asked her to stop. Nike tentacles run deep. A photo of Cain taken with her sitting (and sunning) on the Bronxville track in a glamorous pose, her near leg outstretched and her other leg bent at the knee had one prominent feature: the Nike logo on the outside of her left shoe -- and her shoes looked like they had just come fresh out of the Nike box. The photograph was taken with the camera at or near ground level. Shoes not taped. The focus of the composition was the Nike logo, and it was obviously taken by a professional photographer. (I have been in fine art photography shows in New York and Boston, and I know what goes into making a seemingly casual photograph.) A few days later I looked for that photograph again on the internet because its blatant commercial intent shocked me. It had disappeared. Someone had decided it was obvious Mary was posing for Nike, and that would have called into question her amateur status. I think Mary's father saw it and became uneasy -- or went ballistic. He is Vice Chair, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, for a division at CUMC (Columbia University Medical College) and must be hypersensitive to objectionable practices. My guess is Dr. Cain had a few sharp words with Alberto over that stunt and told Alberto to make damn sure Nike no longer would try to exploit his daughter.
When Mary enters college and runs for her school Dr. Cain will probably be pleased some separation between Alberto and Mary is taking place. I have doubts the Salazar/Nike connection with Mary Cain and parents is all sweetness and light.
You could've saved yourself a lot of time and just said, "I have no idea what's going on."
