The following is reprinted with permission from The Associated Press. © Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Activists share information about Nike with Dean Smith
Oct 31, 1997
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Former University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith met Friday with student activists who oppose the school's $7.1 million contract with Nike, then spoke in support of the company.
Smith said he was simply trying to seek out more information about alleged sweatshop working conditions at the overseas factories that produce the company's sporting goods. He never intended for the meeting with the student-run Nike Awareness Campaign to become public, he said. "I had some information that Nike was a leader in bringing about change," said Smith, who signed a personal contract with the shoe company before his retirement. "I really wanted to know if they had any new information." Students originally had sent a letter to new basketball coach Bill Guthridge, stating its position.
But Smith, who retired Oct. 9, was the one who responded to the group's letter and set up the meeting with three members of the group and athletic director Dick Baddour. Smith retired as the winningest coach in college
basketball history. For the next five years, the school will receive sporting goods and cash in exchange for North Carolina teams wearing the Nike logo under a contract signed this summer. But Smith said the school's athletic department will continue communications with the group, which is new on campus this year."We had a very cordial meeting and I'm sure there will be dialogue again," Smith said. "I think Nike has been a leader and we will continue to get information from them and from other sources." A spokeswoman for the student group said they were not trying to sway Smith to its side. Instead, they simply wanted to see what Smith knew, where he stood and to deliver its point of view, Marion Traub-Werner said.
"The meeting was about information-sharing," said Traub-Werner. "We found that we basically have the same goal -- preserving the integrity of the university and looking out for human rights." Traub-Werner said the group still plans to stage a rally outside the South Building on campus next Friday and Saturday -- the day before and of fifth-ranked North Carolina's football game with third-ranked Florida State at Kenan Stadium. The student group plans to join FSU students to protest.
Florida State has a $6 million contract with Nike. "We would like to see the university continue communications with Nike and to encourage Nike to improve its labor practices overseas," Traub-Werner said.
Another campus group, Support the Swoosh, also plans to distribute fliers at the football game supporting Nike's efforts to improve factory working conditions, said group spokesman Richard Sheubrooks. "We're not out there to change people's minds," said Sheubrooks, a member of the school track and field team. "We just want to give the other side of the argument.
"I've heard from students what they think of Nike and a lot of them just have bandwagon reasons -- they heard this or heard that," he said. "We want people to know the correct information. The whole issue here is information."
By CHRIS DUNCAN, Associated Press Writer