Soccer Balls
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Soccer Balls

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Nike Soccer Balls

Nike is the undisputed global leader of sports merchandise and clothing. Nike products range from clothing and shoes, to various sports equipment such as Nike soccer balls. As is common with a large company, Nike draws great praise, and great criticism - even over something a wholesome as soccer.

Nike and Soccer

The substantial presence of Nike in global soccer has been a recent development. Prior to 2002, Nike did not maintain a strong presence in the World Cup tournaments or any other large soccer event. In 2002, however, Nike decided to battle Adidas over top billing in soccer promotions. Nike sponsored the winning team, and has been a contender every since. The battle has continued since that time with Nike gaining ground in all areas, even equipment.

Adidas has been the official provider of soccer balls to the World Cup for almost fifty years. Nike soccer balls, however, are gaining ground in quality and reputation. The Nike soccer balls are all designed with the famous Nike swoosh as well as boldly colored stripes. The stripes are touted as being beneficial to goalies trying to determine spin and trajectory of the balls in play. Heavily funded research has also played a part in the creation of cutting edge Nike soccer balls. Unfortunately, however, Nike soccer balls have recently come under attack.

An Ongoing Tradition

New Adidas soccer balls have been developed for every World Cup game since 1970. Adidas pays a millions of dollars to be the official provider of the game balls, in hopes of generating huge demands for their products. Many Adidas soccer balls have been great successes, such as the 1994 ball which added polyurethane coating to the outside of the ball. The coating made the ball faster in flight.

Other Adidas soccer balls designed for the games have been considerably less than successful. One particular design attempted to coat the seams of the ball with rubber, but the rubber came off repeatedly when kicked requiring constant replacements. Regardless of past success or failure, however, all Adidas soccer balls used at the World Cup have followed the standard format of thirty-two panels. That is, until now.

Does Child Labor Create Nike Soccer Balls?

Like all sports balls, Nike soccer balls are created using intercepting panels stitched together, often by hand. Nike, like many other manufacturing firms, has begun using labor forces overseas to create products, such as Nike soccer balls. The globalization of the marketplace has helped developing nations all over the world, but must be monitored carefully to avoid any abuse of power.

Recently items reflecting poorly on Nike soccer balls have received broad media attention. Many humanitarian groups claim Nike has substantially benefited from child labor in Pakistan. Nike soccer balls are created in Pakistan using assembly lines and individual labor. The groups claim that Nike is knowingly taking advantage of children as young as four or five years old to create their products. There are often poignant pictures of young children sitting in sweat shop conditions surrounded by pieces of Nike soccer balls accompanying these news stories.

Opposing viewpoints by various groups and journalists are scattered throughout the internet, but certain things are undeniable facts. Pakistan creates more than half of the soccer balls purchased world-wide, and is also known for its reliance on child labor overall. Pakistan is an impoverished, developing nation, and often children work to provide sustenance for their families. Other times, children are sold into slavery and forced to work in inhumane conditions. The debate rages on about the conditions surrounding the creation of Nike soccer balls.

Nike soccer balls might be assembled in Pakistan, but Nike claims to have no knowledge of the child labor situations. Any Nike soccer balls assembled in Pakistan, or any other developing country, are overseen by Nike contractors, thus limiting Nike's knowledge of and accountability for the situation.