Refusing adidas Is Far From a Swoosh

So you think Air Jordans are expensive? The pair Marcus Jordan put on Wednesday night cost $3 million.

That's what his school's exclusive deal with adidas was worth. Now adidas has canceled the contract, and UCF athletes may have to play in their Crocs.

If we didn't know better -- and we don't -- we'd say it's all a Nike conspiracy.

It wanted adidas to make a stink over Jordan's feet so it can swoosh in on a white horse. But until that plot is exposed, we'll take this rift face value.

That means only one person can truly save the day.

Come on, Marcus. Put on the adidas.

We promise your feet won't get a rash. What's more, it will show you are ready to let go of daddy's shoestrings.

Judging by Jordan's foray into college basketball, it's not as if the shoes make the man. He played 23 minutes in an exhibition against Saint Leo and was 0-for-3 with three steals. UCF won 84-65, but the stars of the show were Jordan's shiny all-white Nikes, a.k.a. the most expensive shoes in college basketball history.

The extenuating circumstance is that Jordan is the only character in this shoe drama who didn't screw up. He has every right to say he should be allowed to wear Air Jordans. That's what UCF promised him when he was being recruited.

The school should have made doubly darned sure that was OK with adidas. The parties had verbally agreed to a $3 million contract through 2015. That may be what Charlie Weis spends on lunch during a year, but it's real money at a school like UCF.

It got indications adidas would be all right with an MJ Exception. But when the deal went up the corporate ladder, the honchos said no way. By then Jordan was pulling onto campus with a trunk full of Air Jordans.
How are you ever going to escape your father's shadow if you won't even get out of his shoes?

Hello impasse.

To young Mr. Jordan, they're not just shoes. Remember the lengths his father went to in 1992 when Reebok was the official outfitter of the Dream Team? You'd have thought they were making him wear a tutu to the gold medal ceremony.

Jordan draped an American flag over the evil Reebok logo on his warmup suit. One-year-old Marcus must have been in Barcelona taking notes.

He's willing to wear all adidas gear except the shoes. Air Jordan is his family crest.

We get that, but I also get the feeling UCF Athletic Director Keith Tribble would like to go to Jordan's dorm room, shut the door and have a frank talk.

"Look, we know what we promised. But I don't care who your daddy is, you aren't worth $3 million. So stop acting like a spoiled rich kid and wear the stupid adidas."

If he did that, the elder MJ might include Tribble in his next retirement speech. So he should try to turn the father-son legacy in UCF's favor.

This is the perfect chance for Marcus to establish his own identity. Isn't that what going off to college is about?

All his life Marcus has been known first a Michael's son. This would be like Henry Ford Jr. driving around in a Corvette or Bill Marriott checking into a Hyatt. Marcus would no longer be following in his father's footsteps. He'd be showing some independence and individuality.

It's not as if UCF is asking him to wear used Chuck Taylors. The shoes are quality, even if adidas has never learned that in America we capitalize the first letters of proper names.

And the company would look foolish if it tried to turn this into a marketing ploy. Everybody would know the only reason Jordan is wearing adidas is because he's a responsible young man.

He knows UCF is in a bind of its own making, but he's not just there to play basketball. He cares enough about his future alma mater to make a personal sacrifice.

To his teammates, he'd look like just one of the guys. It would be the kind of decision that any father would be proud of.

But the way it looks now, Michael Jordan is going to loom larger than ever. Thanks to him, UCF athletes will probably all be wearing spiffy new Nikes before too long.

If that happens, Marcus should show up in a pair of adidas.

Think about it, kid.

How are you ever going to escape your father's shadow if you won't even get out of his shoes?