The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says plans for recognising and rewarding members of Jamaica’s team to Rio 2016 Olympic Games are proceeding.
“Yes the team has started working and we’re going over the proposals to ensure that we honour and celebrate the achievements of our Rio heroes in the most fitting way in October,” said the Minister Grange.
The Minister has established a special team — the Salute to Rio Sports Ambassadors Planning Committee — to lead the national celebration.
The core membership of the Planning Committee is made up from a wide cross section of stakeholders and practitioners, including the Jamaica Olympic Association; Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies; Sports Administrators and the private sector.
“We have a very competent core team and we’ll be able to co-opt additional talent and skills because our aims are clear: we want to ensure that the salute to our athletes mirrors their outstanding achievements; and that the programme of activities that we develop will serve to unite and inspire the whole country,” said Minister Grange.
If you were A pure bolt of Fire Cutting the skies I'd touch you risking My life Not because I'm brave or Strong But because I'm Fascinated by what the Outcome will be -Nikki Giovanni, Fascinations
He can't run forever.
We knew that.
And yet, that knowledge of the certitude of Usain Bolt's ultimate departure from competitive athletics has hardly dimmed the fascination with him and his exploits.
From Beijing to London and Oslo and back to Kingston, Bolt has blazed a fiery trail of invincibility and irresistibility that has drawn and continues to draw millions into his large, radiant aura.
But, with only one more "big ticket" track meet awaiting him by his own admission - the 2017 London World Championships - and the mild taint of scandal (largely manufactured, if we're honest) lingering from his post- glory hijinks in Rio, Bolt is undoubtedly at the proverbial cross roads.
He will no longer have the stadia of the world at his disposal in the manner which he was used to, striding in like a Colossus, with arms raised, finger pressed to lips and the sundry physical and verbal gestures that have in no small part built his now undisputed legend
He may well have the attention of even larger corporate sponsors than he has at present (the Nike rumours persist), and its almost even money that scripts are being fashioned and scrutinized for the Hollywood-type biopic.
But not even such an epic is truly the right vessel to contain an individual of Bolt's record-setting stature. He's not national hero material, as some are proclaiming. But he has unquestionably contributed to the raising of Jamaica's profile globally, and he's done it with great aplomb and - sexcapades notwithstanding - a certain casual wholesomeness that, in drugs-plagued track and field, has lifted the profile of the sport like no other athlete of the era has been able to do. Adoration for him crosses geographic and generational boundaries.
Bolt then, is a born showman in search of a new show.
But not just any show. A figure such as the world has never before seen needs a correspondingly creative format. Not for the gangly and gregarious giant the deceptively easy grab of the analyst's chair; neither the circus-like itinerary of exhibition meets and special appearances.
Bolt himself is prime time, made for the reality series format like no other athlete before him. He needs to carefully consider his posts competitive future, not least because the money, contrary to popular assumption, isn't finite.
The post-Rio scandal will dissipate, but in its wake, he and his handlers must delicately balance the desire to keep him accessible and the very real need to keep him relevant and relatively wholesome; we know he's no angel, but to be perceived ad a mere Playboy would eventually tarnish his legendary status and hurt his income opportunities.
So what then should be Bolt's main focus post-running? Certainly not seeking a place in the first team at his beloved Manchester United. Nor pursuing his proclaimed first love of cricket.
No, Bolt must now be actively engaged in the search for his successor. He must scour the nation and use his money - and others' - in developing sports facilities nationwide. And not just in track and field. Bolt must put his enthusiasm for sports to work in unearthing the next generation of Jamaican sporting talent, and also to bring the world along for the ride: media, prospective investors, Government officials and well-wishers. He will not only visit schools and community centres, but boardrooms and political assemblies here and abroad, making the case and having fun while doing it as only he can.
Can we do it? The truth is, history affirms it, the future demands, and his legacy is definitely in search of it.
He must, and we must, even if only to see the outcome.
The 2016-17 Premier League season is nearly upon us. Lots has happened already this summer, so our ESPN FC bloggers take a look at how their teams will fare in the coming campaign.
REIGNING CHAMPIONS & TITLE CHALLENGERS
LEICESTER: Leicester City are the defending Premier League champions. And that sentence still takes some getting used to. Now, they're the team to beat and Claudio Ranieri's men must balance a title defence with Champions League football. >>Read --Ben Jacobs
ARSENAL: An injury crisis, frustration in the transfer market and Arsenal haven't even played a match yet. Do you ever get the feeling you know exactly what's coming? >> Read -- Tom Adams
MAN CITY: Pep Guardiola's Manchester City mission involves improving the club's performances in Europe as well as winning back the Premier League title. Widely regarded as the best manager on the planet, the Catalan will enter the campaign under plenty of pressure. >> Read -- Simon Curtis
MAN UNITED: It's sure to be lively in Manchester this season, with Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic going up against their nemesis, Pep Guardiola. Can Mourinho restore United to their former glories? >> Read -- Scott Patterson
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHASERS
CHELSEA: Another season, another high-flying manager in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat trying to satisfy Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's unquenchable thirst for silverware. >> Read -- Mark Worrall
LIVERPOOL: With no European football at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp has fewer distractions this season. Improvement must be measured by the Reds' league points total after two seasons of inadvertent focus on cup competitions. >> Read -- Steven Kelly
TOTTENHAM:It's the final campaign at White Hart Lane and with Champions League football on the agenda, boss Mauricio Pochettino will have to balance matters in Europe with his side's exploits in the Premier League. >> Read -- Ben Pearce
RACE FOR EUROPE
STOKE: Mark Hughes has established the Potters as a strong Premier League side -- now the hunt is on for European football. Read >> --James Whittaker
SOUTHAMPTON: With Ronald Koeman, Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane gone, it has been another difficult summer for Saints. Read >> -- Alex Crook
WEST HAM: The Hammers have signed Andre Ayew but could still be too reliant on Andy Carroll. Read >> -- Peter Thorne
MIDTABLE FINISHERS
EVERTON: Ronald Koeman's era at Everton will get underway at home to Tottenham. Koeman left Southampton to move to Goodison Park earlier this summer, with fans expecting a much better campaign than 2015-16.Read >> --Luke O'Farrell
SWANSEA: Garry Monk lost his job at Swansea as the club flirted with relegation last season so what lies in store this time around? Francesco Guidolin steered the club to safety and will now look to avoid another scrape for survival. Read >> -- Max Hicks
WATFORD: Walter Mazzarri is the new man in charge at Vicarage Road and will be expected to consolidate his side's top flight status. Read >> -- Michael Moruzzi
WEST BROM: With Tony Pulis still at the helm, West Brom look set for another season of dull, percentage football that will in all likelihood keep them in the Premier League. >> Read-- Matthew Evans
RELEGATION CANDIDATES
BOURNEMOUTH: Bournemouth's first appearance in the Premier League ended well, with the club finishing a respectable 16th in the table in 2015-16. The key now is to build on that. Read >> -- Will Kent
BURNLEY: Burnley are back. Sean Dyche masterminded a quick return to the Premier League after relegation in 2014-15, but the Championship winners do not look equipped for Premier League survival without major investment. Read >> -- Jamie Smith
CRYSTAL PALACE: Crystal Palace were challenging the top four in December last year but fell away in 2016 to eventually finish a disappointing 15th. A top-half finish and another cup run would do the trick. Maybe even win it this time. Read >> -- Jim Daly
HULL CITY: Hull City bounced back to the Premier League following victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship playoff final. But can they stay there? Read >> -- Philip Buckingham
MIDDLESBROUGH: Aitor Karanka has masterminded Boro's return to the big time after seven seasons in the Football League, but now he must keep them there. All eyes will be on a rejuvenated team who make their return to the Premier League looking much more primed for action than their promoted counterparts. Read >> -- Catherine Wilson
SUNDERLAND: Sunderland staged another escape act last season, as they once again survived in the Premier League. The challenge now is for new boss David Moyes to develop the club so that late-season scrapes are a thing of the past.Read >> -- Colin Randall
FINALLY! After months of negotiations, L'Equipe claim that Manchester United have finished negotiations for the transfer of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
Although it has taken some time, it appears the transfer is finally coming to an end. The report claims that all three parties have reached an agreement and he will become a Manchester United player.
A price tag is yet to be announced, but it is expected to cost Manchester United upwards of £100 million.
Be happy, United fans. It seems to be happening.
Meanwhile....
Sam Allardyce will be the next man to lead England to disappointing international tournament failure after it was reported he will be announced as Three Lions boss.
Sky Sports believe his appointment will be ratified at an FA board meeting on Thursday and that current club Sunderland have accepted the decision.
The much travelled 61-year-old coach was the choice of a 12-man FA board panel, who also sought fit to offer Steve Bruce an interview in what must have been the world's shortest shortlist for any job, ever.
It has now been '50 years of hurt' since England's glorious 1966 World Cup triumph, and if that drought ends with Allardyce at the helm in 2018, TheSPORTbible will personally plant a big fat kiss upon Big Sam's ample rump.
Hillary Clinton said that Find a Way would stay with her through the general election: “When you’re facing big challenges in your life, you can think about Diana Nyad getting attacked by the lethal sting of box jellyfishes. And nearly anything else seems doable in comparison.”
When Diana Nyad arrived on the shore of Key West after fifty-three hours of grueling swimming across an epic ocean, she not only set a world record—becoming the first person to swim the shark-infested waters between Cuba and Florida with no cage for protection—she also succeeded in fulfilling a dream she first chased at age twenty-eight and at long last achieved when she was sixty-four.
Now, in a riveting memoir, Diana shares a spirited account of what it takes to face one’s fears, engage one’s passions, and never ever give up. For no matter what life may throw at you, or how many times you may have experienced defeat, it is always possible—as long as you commit to living life to the nth degree, no regrets—to “find a way."
About Diana Nyad: For her maverick open-water performance of the 1970s, Diana Nyad was known as the world’s greatest long-distance swimmer. For the next thirty years, Nyad was a prominent sports broadcaster and journalist, filing compelling stories for National Public Radio, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, and others. She is a national fitness icon, has written three other books, is a talented linguist, and is one of today’s most powerful and engaging public speakers.
In March, Under Armour won a minor skirmish in the war for sportswear dominance when it became the first to sell a performance shoe with a 3D-printed midsole. The shoe, the UA Architech, sold out online in 19 minutes. Sure, there were only 96 pairs available, but, as Chief Executive Officer Kevin Plank says one recent afternoon, “Everyone was trying to do it. No one thought that we’d get there first.” Plank is sporting a pair of the $300 Architechs as he tours the Lighthouse, the new home of Under Armour’s innovation division, which is set to open on June 28 in an industrial tract off the Middle Branch of Baltimore’s Patapsco River. Plank’s attitude seems to exist on a narrow spectrum between pumped and superpumped, but the shoes are particularly enthusiasm-inducing. “They’re like two clouds of awesomeness I’m walking on right now,” he says. “I stole that from my 9-year-old, actually. My kids have been watching a lot of My Little Pony, and it’s rubbing off on me.”
The shoes’ most notable feature is a lipstick-red midsole that resembles a whalebone corset. It’s something you squint at and wonder: How exactly did they make that? The short answer involves polymers and a partnership with DuPont. The long answer includes Plank’s plans to reinvent his company’s supply chain, transform the city of Baltimore, and maybe even outmaneuver Nike in the process.
It’s difficult to talk about athletics companies without resorting to sports metaphors. In Under Armour’s case, they’re particularly hard to resist, in part because sportiness is so essential to its corporate culture. Employees call one another “teammates”; 70 percent of them played high school sports. The current headquarters, in south Baltimore’s Locust Point neighborhood, includes a 35,000-square-foot gym and a basketball court that used to be open 24/7, until all the dribbling during work hours proved too distracting. The walls are covered with photos of Stephen Curry and Misty Copeland so large that their beads of sweat are several inches wide. Plank himself, a high-energy 43-year-old with gently graying hair, is fond of inspirational analogies involving fires and races and winning. His employees—sorry, teammates—speak of him in the reverent tones usually reserved for coaches.
The UA Architech with a 3D-printed sole.
Photographer: Ryan Lowry for Bloomberg Businessweek
The phrase “aggressive, young, fearless” is plastered all over the walls. It’s a quote from golfer Jordan Spieth describing himself and the brand, but it could just as easily apply to Plank, whose grit and enthusiasm propelled him from walk-on to special-teams captain of the University of Maryland football program. During his senior year, in 1995, the mid-Atlantic was seized by a record-setting heat wave, and practicing in a sweat-soaked cotton T-shirt felt more oppressive than usual. The year after he graduated, Plank developed a moisture-wicking shirt made from synthetic fabric and began calling up former teammates. In Under Armour’s first year, when the company was still operating out of his grandmother’s basement in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, Plank put more than 100,000 miles on his Ford Explorer driving up and down the East Coast and trying to parlay those friendships with former teammates into orders. “I graduated from college and realized, I know 60 people playing in the NFL who have careers that are going to be somewhere between three and five years,” Plank says. “So the window is about this big. And I either take advantage of it now or lose it forever. I’m thinking, Is there a way for me to give them a gift that would also help me? And it’s that virtuous cycle that really got us going.” It worked better than even he expected. A combination of innovative technology and Plank’s fervor for his own product contributed to Under Armour’s vertical rise, from $17,000 in sales that first year, to $400 million in 2006, to a projection of almost $5 billion in 2016.
An underdog ethic is still baked into company lore, even though last year Under Armour overtook Adidas to become the second-biggest sportswear brand in the U.S. In May, the company signed the largest sponsorship deal in the history of college sports, paying $280 million for a 15-year contract with UCLA. The company has invested more than $700 million in fitness apps and activity-tracking technology, and it hired the designer Tim Coppens, a ready-to-wear rising star, to help snag a portion of the lucrative “athleisure” market.
These days, Under Armour looks like an underdog only when held up against Nike, a company that Plank and other executives refuse to even name. “Five years ago, our largest competitor was 12 times our size,” Plank says. “Then it was 11 times, then 10 times. Today, they’re roughly six times our size. But the fact is, they’re still six times our size. So we have a lot of work to do.” He clearly relishes the idea of the world’s biggest sportswear company feeling Under Armour breathing down its neck. This spring’s NBA finals were the most recent proxy battle, between Nike’s LeBron James and Under Armour’s Curry, the MVP hero to underdogs everywhere. Curry defected from Nike to Under Armour in 2013. It happened after Nike officials mispronounced his name (“Steh-fawn”—twice!) during a recycled PowerPoint presentation that accidentally included Kevin Durant’s name instead of his own, according to ESPN. James won the recent championship, but sales of Curry-branded shoes outpace those of every other current NBA player. Under Armour’s revenue in the category is up 350 percent from last year—a potential “tipping point,” one Morgan Stanley analyst wrote, “signaling the end of Nike’s basketball dominance.”
Plank’s appreciation for the overlooked and underestimated—he’s the youngest of five brothers—is manifest in his affection for Baltimore. On the surface, there may not seem to be much linking the edgy, gritty city of John Waters and The Wire with Under Armour’s performance-bro aesthetic. But Plank sees an affinity between Baltimore’s hardworking, blue-collar past and his company’s relentless striving to be the best sportswear company out there. When pressed further, he just shrugs and quotes Drake: “ ‘All I care about is money and the city that I’m from.’ Maybe that’s human nature—not the money part, but the desire to see the place where you live succeed.”
Under Armour apparel, still in the works and under wraps.
Photographer: Ryan Lowry for Bloomberg Businessweek
Although Plank isn’t technically from Baltimore proper—he grew up in a middle-class family in Kensington, Md., a commuter suburb of Washington—he has adopted the city as his own. Under Armour moved there in 1998, and his personal investments have one criterion: They have to benefit the company, Baltimore, or preferably both. He’s invested millions in supporting Maryland traditions such as horse racing and rye whiskey. In 2007 he purchased a 530-acre horse farm once owned by the Vanderbilt family. “Blowing people’s minds is one of my favorite things to do,” he says. “I bought the farm—literally—because horse racing is an organic part of the culture of Baltimore and because I wanted to bring people here and show them a Baltimore that blows their mind. People like Tom Brady and Colin Powell come up for the weekend and are like, ‘I had a different image of what Baltimore would be.’ And it’s only 17 miles north of the city.”
By 2013, Under Armour was growing at such a fast clip that it was clear the company needed to expand its footprint in Baltimore. There was never really any question of leaving the city or of relocating to the suburbs, Plank says. Instead, he set his sights on a seven-acre parcel adjacent to the current headquarters. But after protracted wrangling with the city, Under Armour was turned down. When he got the news, Plank was in Dubai drinking whiskey with his chief of staff, who saw a silver lining.
“That land you were looking at?” the chief of staff said. “It felt … tight.”
“I just looked up at the skyline of Dubai, and all I could think to myself was that 15 years ago, that skyline didn’t exist,” Plank says. “Until someone with a vision, Sheikh Mohammed, said, ‘I’m going to take this old fishing town and turn it into the economic capital of the Middle East.’ Out of desert and a fishing town. That’s vision. And I’m looking out at it and thinking, Well, what could we do?”
Lasts used to form-fit footwear.
Photographer: Ryan Lowry for Bloomberg Businessweek
By then, Plank owned a five-acre parcel in an industrial part of Baltimore, where he planned to build a whiskey distillery. The land was in a former brownfield site known as Port Covington. That the area was largely uninhabited was part of its appeal, he says. “We wouldn’t be kicking out little old ladies with 30 cats.” Over the next few years, he spent more than $100 million of his own money buying up real estate in the area, ultimately acquiring 266 acres under the umbrella of his real estate investment arm, Sagamore Development.
In April 2015, when Baltimoreans took to the streets to protest police brutality after the death of Freddie Gray, Plank was troubled by national news coverage that made it seem as if the entire city was erupting in violence, when much of it was unscathed. He understood that as a fast-growing company, Under Armour would undoubtedly play a role in shaping the city’s future. But he was also becoming increasingly aware that as an individual with a billion-dollar net worth, he too could have a significant impact. “We don’t have a lot of people doing stuff here [in Baltimore],” Plank says. “I can use the heat and momentum [of Under Armour] and, frankly, my balance sheet, to get things started and keep things moving. Someone’s got to be the first stone in the stone soup. Then someone else will bring the carrots and the poultry. But we’re that first stone.”
“Why is that a bad thing? I love Disneyland. The purpose of Disneyland is to make people smile”
In January, Sagamore announced its plans for Port Covington, which included a 4 million-square-foot headquarters for Under Armour and much, much more. Over the next 20 years, Sagamore intends to essentially build a neighborhood from scratch. Comprising almost 50 city blocks, Port Covington will be larger than Baltimore’s best-known tourist attraction, the Inner Harbor, and one of the biggest urban renewal projects under way in the U.S. If all goes according to plan, Port Covington will be home to 7,500 housing units, a hotel, shopping, two light-rail stops, and a stable for the city’s police horses.
“There aren’t many CEOs who would take their personal capital and deploy it like this,” says Tom Geddes, CEO of Plank Industries, the privately held company that serves as Plank’s personal investment arm. “The one example we look at a lot is Dan Gilbert,” the chairman of Quicken Loans, who has spent more than $1.5 billion buying up downtown property in Detroit since 2010. “He’s someone else who looked at his big company and said, This thing is an engine. If I invest around it and pull together a critical mass, I can really make a significant difference.”
In cities struggling with postindustrial disinvestment and high rates of unemployment and poverty, such investors are often treated as saviors. “I would like to also extend a sense of deep appreciation and true excitement on the part of the city for what we see presented here,” Baltimore’s city planning director, Tom Stosur, said after Sagamore revealed the Port Covington master plan.
Plank’s ideas for Port Covington have also faced criticism that cuts against the savior narrative, particularly after Sagamore announced this spring that the arrangement would seek $1.1 billion in support from local, state, and federal governments, including $535 million in tax increment financing, or TIF, from the city of Baltimore. The TIF money would go toward infrastructure improvements and come from municipal bonds issued by the city, to be repaid by new property taxes eventually generated by the project. MuniCap, a Maryland consulting firm that analyzed the project, estimates it won’t create enough tax revenue to repay the TIF until 2038. More worrying, perhaps, is that the TIF request is so substantial, it would limit the city’s ability to issue other bonds without hurting its credit rating. “Baltimore is a deeply segregated city and has been for the past century,” says Lawrence Brown, a professor of community health and policy at Morgan State University. “A project like Port Covington, where there’s no fair-housing mandate and no promise for living wages, is really a missed opportunity. It’s reifying and intensifying the ‘two Baltimores’ problem we have now.” In its sweeping vision and unprecedented costs, Port Covington is an example of the increasing influence corporations are having on city planning.
Others are concerned about earmarking so much money for a new development company with no experience working at this scale. During a recent meeting, members of the city’s Urban Design and Architectural Review Board pointed out that preliminary designs for Port Covington looked something like a millennial daydream, one that included a whiskey distillery and makerspace, but no post office or fire station or library or school. (A subsequent plan corrected those omissions.) Asked if he is worried about criticism that he’s essentially building a synthetic, Disneyland version of Baltimore—all crab boils and racehorses—Plank says, “Why is that a bad thing? I love Disneyland. The purpose of Disneyland is to make people smile.”
A new Under Armour injection mold technique.
Photographer: Ryan Lowry for Bloomberg Businessweek
The Disney vibe is hard to ignore during the June tour of the Lighthouse, the first part of Under Armour’s headquarters to open in Port Covington. The rest of the area is still largely undeveloped, but the Lighthouse offers an early idea of the scale of Plank’s vision for both his company and this part of Baltimore. Plank is an avowed fan of the “wow” factor, which is presumably why entering the Lighthouse has been engineered to feel a little bit like stepping into a theme park exhibition. Visitors walk into a darkened chamber, where they watch a jump-cut-heavy video that spells out the ambitious idea behind the facility: namely, that as other industries have capitalized on technology, garment manufacturing is stuck in the past. When the video ends, black glass doors slide open to reveal a gleaming, 133,000-square-foot facility full of humming machines and technicians wearing white lab coats emblazoned with the red Lighthouse logo. It’s at once theatrical and inspiring.
This is Plank’s first visit to the Lighthouse with most of the machinery operational, though some massive 3D printers won’t be delivered until later in the week. Plank seems jazzed to see the place up and running. The Lighthouse is not just a new facility but also a proving ground for what Plank calls “local for local” production, Under Armour’s goal of manufacturing its products in the same place it sells them. “Even in a very advanced footwear manufacturing facility, you still have 150 or 200 people touching every pair of shoes that moves down the line,” says Kevin Haley, Under Armour’s president for product and innovation. “It’s basically a highly optimized version of a Middle Ages cobbler’s bench crossed with a Ford Model T production line. It’s crazy.” In contrast, the Lighthouse will allow the company to test streamlined, nimble, tech-centered production lines that may require only a dozen workers and can be set up close to the point of sale.
“Vision” is another big word for Plank. When he speaks about Port Covington, the Lighthouse, Baltimore, local-for-local manufacturing, it’s clear that he sees all his plans feeding into one another. Startups using equipment at the Foundery, a Plank-funded makerspace that’s next to the Lighthouse, will come up with ideas that Lighthouse engineers will incorporate into Under Armour products. Other cutting-edge companies will relocate to Baltimore, wanting to tap all this new energy. Their employees will move to Port Covington and spend, providing the tax base the city so desperately needs. Local-for-local may even bring manufacturing back to the city.
Whether that all proves to be vision or mirage is yet to be seen. In any case, when Plank sits down with Haley and Randy Harward, senior vice president of advanced materials and manufacturing, for an update on the Lighthouse, with a reporter watching, he seems eager to show that he is focused on details. “Five years from today, how long is our lead time on the supply chain?” Plank asks.
“You’ll still have some things taking 12 to 14 months, but you’ll have 30 to 50 percent of your product made within three weeks,” Harward says. “I hate to use the term Lego—but, well, think of Lego blocks. We’re trying to think how [the manufacturing process] can be iterated in small blocks, rather than where the industry has been going with these massive, massive, massive machines. So, not using a huge $5 million machine, but this $9,000 printer that we have right out there.”
Plank leans back in his chair. “But we need to get beyond novelty,” he says. “People say they’ll pay more for something made in the U.S., but they won’t actually do it.”
“They won’t be buying it because it’s a novelty,” Harward says. “They’ll be buying it because we have the right size and the right color and the right design when they want it.”
Under Armour is hardly the only company exploring how to use automation and technology to streamline supply chains and move production onshore. In 2015, Nike said its plans to increase domestic production could create as many as 10,000 engineering and manufacturing jobs over the next decade. Under Armour executives say they’re better positioned to take advantage of a rapidly evolving industry. “Under Armour is at that perfect size where we’ve got enough scale to invest the millions of dollars it requires to take on something like this,” Haley says. “But we’re also small enough that we don’t have a $30 billion supply chain staring back at us, saying, How are you possibly going to turn this battleship around?”
“It’s basically a highly optimized version of a Middle Ages cobbler’s bench crossed with a Ford Model T production line”
For Plank, the revitalization project extends beyond Under Armour. “We have 250,000 people making Under Armour something at any given moment,” he says. “In the next three years, we’ll add another 200,000-plus. And zero of them are pegged to come back to the U.S., because we’re all chasing cheap labor all over Malaysia and the far corners of the earth. It’s a crime. We couldn’t find a way to get 1,000 jobs back here? Or 5,000 jobs? Or 10,000 jobs? When you look at what’s happening in Ferguson, what’s happening in Baltimore—it’s jobs, we need jobs, and we’re shedding all our jobs to other places. The ability for us to bring that back, that’s the big idea.”
It’s a long way to even 1,000 jobs. By the end of the year, the Lighthouse will have just 100 full-time employees, half of them engaged in manufacturing. This fall, Under Armour plans to offer a version of its 3D-printed shoe to the wider retail market; it will be manufactured in a New Hampshire facility that employs only about a dozen people.
Meanwhile, Plank will continue his agitations, small and large, to support the entwined futures of Under Armour and the city of Baltimore. “It is really hard work, it’s really dangerous investing, it’s really costly, and it’s a really big deal—but I think it’s the right thing to do,” he says. “What I really want to do in life is to build the baddest brand on the planet. I would love to do that at the same time as anchoring it in a city that could really use a hug. It seems like such a waste for us not to take advantage of the momentum that Under Armour has right now.”
Recently, Plank was watching the morning news and noticed that the national stations showed the weather forecast for Washington and Philadelphia and New York, but not Baltimore. So he asked the Under Armour public-relations team to call up the networks to ask them to include Charm City, too. “It’s about making sure Baltimore isn’t forgotten about,” he says. “Getting us front of mind, putting us in that conversation. Everything we do is about elevating that brand.”
Swiss watch manufacturer Frederique Constant is the official timekeeper of the 2016 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, one of the most extraordinary journeys that you can do in a motorcar universe.
With its first edition in 1907, The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge is one of the oldest automotive challenges still running today. Bringing vintage sports cars together side-by-side, their route includes driving in some of the world's toughest lands and requires the participants to maintain a demanding rally-time schedule.
Already the Official Timekeeper for the German Bundesliga, MLS (Major Soccer League) in the USA, the 2016 Copa America which will take place in the USA in June, the Chinese Football Association Super League, and the Australian National Football team, TAG Heuer is now also the partner of The Premier League, which is one of the most popular competitions in global sport.
Yesterday, the new partnership between the Premier League and TAG Heuer was being jointly unveiled in simultaneous announcements taking place in London (picture above) and Hong Kong.
Twenty teams, all their matches, and the most followed football league in the world, will now be running on TAG Heuer time, both on English pitches and on broadcasts across the globe in 185 countries.
On the field, the fourth official's boards will now be shaped like a TAG Heuer Carrera watch, and will bear the name of the Swiss watch brand. The referees will be sporting the TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch. Finally, the TAG Heuer logo will appear during Premier League match broadcasts to 730 million homes in 185 countries across the world. Of course, TAG Heuer branding and its brand motto, #DontCrackUnderPressure, will also feature across all of the Premier League’s digital platforms, including its website and social media.
With a colourfully adapted rendition of the National Anthem, performances from Nexxus Group and PM Andrew Holness (shown at left, with FLOW CEO Garry Sinclair and Anglican Archbishop Robert Gregory) and Governor-General Patrick Allen in attendance, the 2016 edition of the JMA-JEA EXPO officially opened inside the National Indoor Sports Centre on Thursday.
JMA President Merry Seaga had exhortations for both Government and his manufacturing sector colleagues; to the Govt, he sought greater use of Jamaican producers, and from his colleagues he sought a recommitment to improving quality in products and processes.
Recently elected President of the JEA Chong spoke of the rich resources afforded the island, including its strategic location in the heart of the Caribbean, natural produce and renowned reggae music, describing them as blessings.
Members of the EXPO Committee, Merry Seaga, Chong and Aswad Morgan declared great pleasure with the outcome. " It's a magnificent effort from our entire team" Morgan said, adding that there was a concerted push towards driving business for Jamaican producers.
The Prime Minister, in his remarks, said trade shows such as EXPO Jamaica, were a source of natural pride for Jamaica. " Manufacturing is still alive and kicking, and Jamaican producers are holding their own amongst their international counterparts." Prime Minister Holiness also announced the pending appointment of special "investment ambassadors" who will be charged with seeking new business opportunities for Jamaica in India, the Middle East and Europe.
Main sponsor FLOW was represented by CEO Gary Sinclair, who spike to his company's longstanding association with the biennial trade show. Sinclair also pointed out that FLOW's involvement, which included the provision of internet connectivity and various related data services was part of its strategic programme of supporting Jamaican business competitiveness in enhancing productivity.
Ahead of the glitzy opening ceremony, buyers from over 26 countries, representing the major markets of the world, converged on the Arena to confer with exhibitors showcasing a diverse array of wares and services. They included commodities distributors from Bermuda, freight consolidators from Guadeloupe and media entities from Canada, the USA, and the CARICOM region.
Telecoms giant LIME (now in the process of a massive
re-brand to FLOW) has "tied on" to the athletics ruling body Jamaica
Athletics Administration Association (JAAA) in a two-year deal announced
Tuesday (Aug 4) at the Terra Nova hotel.
The $28-million exclusive arrangement will see the
rebranding communications company sponsor JAAA-sanctioned events through the
busy sports period up to and just after the 2016 Olympics in Rio. These events
include the popular Jamaica Invitational as well as the closely-watched
National Senior and Junior Trials.
The deal, according to LIME/FLOW Sponsorship manager Stephen
Miller, is the first major sponsorship commitment since the controversial
acquisition of FLOW by LIME's parent Cable & Wireless Commmunications. it
also comes against the backdrop of an embarrassing incident at the last Boys
and Girls Athletic Champs(sponsored by LIME), in which the winner of a particular
event, ripped open his gear to reveal the words "Be Extraordinary"
known as the slogan of LIME's competitor, Digicel.
At the announcement, the sponsorship manager emphasized that
the company's sponsor and branding rights would be "respected and
safeguarded" doubtless a reference to the recent challenge.
MICO University College successfully defends their
Intercol 13's Rugby League title
The fairtayle run of the Excelsior Community College Eagles came to an end yesterday (April 18, 2015) when they loss to the MICO University College Crocs in the final of the Jamaica Intercollegiate Sports Association Rugby League Final yesterday. Playing in their first final, the Roy Calvert Eagles were no match for two time winners MICO Crocs who outscored them 48 - 8 to secure their third consecutive hold on the Intercol Rugby League Title.
MICO University Croc Damone Downer top scored top with 9 kick conversions or 18 points while Mr. Abevia McDonald and Romio Burker both scored 4 points each for the Eagles. Mr. Damone Downer was also named the MVP of the finals.
Third-Place Playoff
In the third place playoff, the 2014 beaten finalists GC Foster Lions defeated the UWI Mona Pelicans 66 - 16. In a one-sided affair, the GC Foste Lions made a light meal of the UWI Pelicans. Ryan Grant from the GC Foster Lions top scored with 3 tries or 12 points while Kemoy Wallace of the UWI Pelicans top scored with 2 tries and 2 goals or 12 points.
For the past 33 years, Scott Smith has fanatically hunted the signatures of anyone who has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The 50-year-old retired investment banker owns the world’s largest collection of signed SI covers — approximately 94 percent of the magazines issued weekly since 1954 — which he values at around $2 million.
These are his experiences with the biggest names in sports.Michael Jordan has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated 51 times — more than any other athlete.
Smith first started getting Jordan to sign covers back in 1982 when it was relatively easy to get access to the NBA legend.
“Then he became the Michael Jordan we all know: a real big-shot, bigger than (the president) or Pope,” Smith tells manmade.com. “He’s almost untouchable (now); he’s very, very stingy with signing autographs.”
It’s left Smith still chasing MJ’s autograph for 16 covers to complete his set.
“I even offered him $10,000 in cash on a golf course in the Bahamas … and he said, ‘No thank you. You’ve got enough,’” Smith says.
Wayne Gretzky
Smith got his first SI subscription in ’73 and got started on the collection nine years later, but actually not with that ’82 Air Jordan cover. A lifelong hockey fan, Smith found out where the away-team Edmonton Oilers were staying when they rolled into Jersey to play the Devils and had his mom drop him off in the hotel lobby. His mission: getting star center Wayne Gretzky’s autograph. After following some of Gretzky’s teammates into the hotel bar and playing Ms. Pac-Man, the Great One finally emerged.
“I pulled out a couple of Sports Illustrateds, and he gladly signed them,” Smith says.Smith says. “He’s always been one of the classiest superstars ever. Back then, it was no big deal to him.”
The swimsuit models
Each year Sports Illustrated has a swimsuit issue and it’s the models who adorn these covers Smith has found the easiest to hunt down.
“Most of the girls have apartments in New York City, they all go to Fashion Week, they all go to Knicks and Rangers games, they all go to some type of charity event throughout the year, so you just need to keep an eye on their Twitter accounts and find out where they’re going to be,” he says.
Kate Upton
Modal TriggerBut there’s one glamour girl Smith had a bad experience with — Kate Upton.
“She’s an absolute nightmare; just an ugly human being,” he says. “I saw her alone, and she said, ‘F*** me,’ as if it was the worst thing in the world to be asked for her autograph. Those were the words she used, as if I was stabbing her in the heart.”
When Smith tracked down Mike Tyson, he was amazed when the bad boy boxer invited him back to his hotel room for a cigar and signed 50 items.
Despite that generosity, there’s one other boxer who tops Smith’s list.
“Muhammad Ali is probably the greatest person I’ve had the chance of meeting,” says Smith, who’s met the legendary boxer 30 times. “He told me it made him happy and one step closer to God every day he signed for people and watched them smile. He’s just a man who just gets it.”
But there’s one glamour girl Smith had a bad experience with — Kate Upton.
