• Cincinnati Enquirer, Monday, December 3, 2007 12 PM

Madison Avenue is now reaching all the way down to the high school athlete level to help Nike sell its stuff, handing out equipment - and logoed uniforms -- to football players competing for a state championship in Ohio. Several high schools in the Buckeye State are at the center of a new trend to commercialize high school sports. The schools' affiliation with athletic companies is saving them a lot of money in uniform and equipment costs, although some educators are concerned about using high school athletes as walking billboards. But Nike has identified high school football as key areaf or building brand loyalty.

The company is in its second season of aggressively targeting schools in states like Pennsylvania, Florida,and Ohio, entering into informal pacts with schools. According to spokesman C.J. Back, it is about targeting the next generation.

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