Nike founder, Phil Knight, called a "revolutionary" by Forbes Magazine

Di Tulis oleh ; Jim Keady dari Team Sweat

On October 2, 2009, Forbes Magazine published its "Forbes 400 - Revolutionaries." The online piece stated that, "These captains of capitalism built a product, created a market or satisfied a need that touches us all."

Philip Knight $9.5 bil Nike. Beaverton, Ore. 71.

Shoe baron ran track for U. of Oregon, teamed up with coach to create Blue Ribbon Sports 1964; sold Japanese shoes from car. Later renamed Nike, after Greek goddess of victory. Sales: $19.2 billion, largest sports footwear, apparel company in the world. Owns 20% of company's shares after selling off $1 billion in stock last year. Remaining hoard worth $6 billion; shares up 50% from March lows. Reaping benefits from 2008 Beijing Olympics sponsorship deal; Asian revenue grew 15% during past year, U.S. only 2%. Cut 5% of workforce in May; net income still fell 20% during fiscal 2009. Famous for superstar endorsers: Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods. Gave $100 million to U. of Oregon's athletic department in 2007.

What Forbes fails to mention is that Phil Knight, the founder of Nike and the leader of this dubious pack of "captains of capitalism" made his $9,500,000,000.00 by exploiting the poverty and desperation of men, women and unfortunately sometimes children, in developing countries around the world. If Phil Knight lived in the 19th century, he would have been rightly called a robber baron. He steals labor from the poor and marginalized and lines his pockets with the wealth they generate. This is immoral and unjust.