Nike hates dogfighting when it suits Nike Nike says it’s digusted by the dogfighting allegations facing football star Michael Vick and has suspended the release of its latest Michael Vick shoe. In a statement, the sneaker giant says: “Nike is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent.” But dogfighting, it seems, may be OK if it can lend some street cred to a Nike commercial. An AdFreak reader points us to a 2003 Nike basketball commercial called “The Battle: Speed,” which includes a short clip of two chained dogs straining to attack each other. Writing for Slate the same year, Rob Walker called out the ad: “Hoops, sneakers, the Neptunes, graffiti, and big snarling dogs that you know on sight you’d better cross the street to avoid. Nike’s brand czars probably know as much about the signifiers of ‘urban edginess’ as anybody on the planet—or at least as much as anybody in the marketing business. They know that they don’t have to ‘support’ organized dogfighting to add a little edge to the brand.” Has Nike simply learned its lesson since then? —Posted by Tim Nudd

July 20, 2007 | Permalink

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Earth to Tim! A TV commercial is not the same as real life! Give Nike a break!

Posted by: Bobby | Jul 23, 2007 5:27:15 PM

Citing this piece of work and relating it to Nike and Vick is a stretch. It looks as though the dogs are on leashes being held by their owners.

Posted by: todd | Jul 23, 2007 8:51:12 PM

Tim is absolutely correct. If it's not exploiting third world labor--then developing agitprop for the gettoe--(transferred to the suburbs)is what Nike is all about.

Posted by: Scottish non-golfer | Jul 26, 2007 10:08:35 AM

I saw this ad in 2003 and spotted the reference to dog fighting immediately. There is no doubt what they were trying to do. I have never been a Nike fan and that commercial cemented my feelings regarding Nike. Until today, I thought I was the only person on the planet who caught this clip but after this search and this article, I am amazed no one has called them out and made Nike apologize for their shallow marketing.

Posted by: D. Anthony | Aug 15, 2009 6:02:06 PM

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