Jumpman (logo)
The "Jumpman" logo is owned by Nike to promote its Michael Jordan-related merchandise, including the Air Jordan brand of basketball shoes. The logo is a silhouette of Michael Jordan performing a slam dunk there's not a certain dunk it's just that it's a ((silhouette)).
History
The first recorded event of Michael Jordan doing the "Jumpman" pose came in a photoshoot for Life magazine leading up to the 1984 Olympic Games before Michael Jordan had signed with Nike. The photo was staged, with Jordan performing a ballet technique known as a grand jeté to make it appear as if he was leaping for a slam dunk, a movement not actually consistent with Jordan's jumping style. [1][2]
The Air Jordan III, released in 1988, was the first Air Jordan shoe to feature the Jumpman logo, replacing the "Wings" logo, which had been a feature of the Air Jordans I and II.
In 1993-94, Nike ran a series of Air Jordan commercials pairing Michael Jordan with Warner Brothers' owned Bugs Bunny. As a tie-in, Nike created a line of merchandise which featured a spoof of the Jumpman using Bugs' silhouette, combined with a "Hare Jordan" caption. This campaign was followed by the 1996 film Space Jam, which references the Jumpman logo during its climax, in which Jordan dunks from half-court.
Lawsuit
On January 22, 2015, photographer Jacobus Rentmeester filed a suit against Nike claiming copyright infringement over the use of the Jumpman logo. According to Rentmeester, Nike copied a photograph for which he had granted them temporary permission to use for the logo. The suit was brought to a federal court in Portland, Oregon for an unspecified amount.[2][3] The suit was dismissed in June of that year.[4]
Athletic program sponsorships
Michigan Athletics announced in July 2015 that it would switch from sponsorship by Adidas to Nike. The deal at the time had an estimated value of $169 million and was described as "the richest apparel deal in intercollegiate athletics".[5][6] In April 2016, the University announced the signing of an 11-year $127.12 million contract for 31 Michigan sports teams, going into effect on August 1.[7] With the agreement, Michigan Wolverines football became the first football program to wear Jordan Brand attire accompanied by the jumpman logo.[8][9] Within a year, several other athletics programs signed even larger deals with Nike.[10]
In popular song
The Drake and Future song "Jumpman" is named after the Jumpman logo and references it multiple times.
References
- ↑ "History of the Air Jordan Jumpman Logo". http://www.nicekicks.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015. External link in
|website=(help) - 1 2 Rovell, Darren (January 23, 2015). "Nike sued over Michael Jordan logo". ESPN. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ↑ "Photographer sues Nike over Michael Jordan photo copyright". Associated Press. January 23, 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ↑ "Court Rejects Rentmeester's Infringement Claim Over Nike "Jumpman" Logo". Photo District News. June 23, 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ↑ Tracy, Marc (2015-07-15). "Michigan's Nike Deal Among Richest in College Sports". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ↑ Wattles, Jackie (2015-07-15). "Nike lands $169 million deal with Michigan". CNN. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ↑ Snyder, Mark (2016-04-26). "Michigan finalizes Nike contract for up to $173.8 million". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ↑ Chengelis, Angelique S. (2016-07-26). "Michigan players psyched to don Jordan Jumpman uniforms". Detroit News. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ↑ Baumgardner, Nick (2016-08-01). "Michigan players show off new Jumpman cleats, Jordan Brand gear". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
- ↑ Dosh, Kristi (2016-08-03). "Michigan's Jumpman Football Uniforms Unveiled". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-09-15.