The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Nike and Breast Cancer Awareness

The Good

Nike is one of the founding members of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, a foundation that actively funds research efforts towards the cure for cancer. Named after the late North Carolina State basketball coach, the Kay Yow Cancer Fund also focuses on extending and improving the quality of life for those battling the disease. Concentrating mainly on those affected by breast cancer, the 'reverse' pink ribbon has become the trademark of the company and can be found on thousands of Nike products--predominantly being released during the month of October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month). Nike even extends their pink collection into its partnership with the NFL by offering NFL branded items with pink themes. Doing so creates even more buzz for breast cancer awareness. So, basically the Kay Yow Cancer Fund receives free marketing through Nike's partnership, as well as proceeds from merchandise sold.

The Bad

Although most of the Kay Yow branded Nike products are released in large quantities, such as the NFL logo items, some items are extremely limited and create a stronger buzz in the sneaker world. Many society-conscience sneaker lovers have long talked about how the Doernbecher Collection could raise a lot more money for the hospital if the collection was distributed in larger quantities. Well, sometimes, the same goes for items in the Kay Yow collection. For instance, last year the highly popular KD IV model was released in what was known as the "Aunt Pearl" colorway. Laced with Kay Yow branding on the tongue, the shoe was released in typical 'Quickstrike' amounts. Some would argue that the "Aunt Pearls" wouldn't have been as popular without the limited availability, but the KD IV was a model that sold out in almost all available colorways throughout stores and was rarely available at below retail prices. A more accessible shoe could have led to more sales for not only Nike, but also a larger contribution towards the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

The Ugly

The amount of proceeds from the sales of Nike's Kay Yow merchandise, back to the foundation is astounding...and not in a good way. According to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund website, the foundation received a total of $215,000 of total royalties from Nike in 2011. Yes, $215,000 is a great amount toward such a vital issue that impacts millions of people, but is $215,000 a year enough? In that same year, 2011, the total revenue reported by Nike was $20,117,000,000. So, Nike donated a total of .001% of their total revenue in 2011. Putting that into perspective it's the equivalent of someone making $50,000 a year donating $.50. Yes, that's fifty cents. So, is Nike really as responsible and charitable at it seems? That's for you to decide.



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