The story behind the swoosh is much bigger than that of just Nike and its corporate policy of treating it's workers as slaves: it's a story that speaks to the working conditions of many of the products that you and I use every day, from iPhones to Droids, from large screen TV's to these new tablet computers Steve Jobs keeps whining about. What is the morally correct thing to do when we learn the truth about the working conditions for the people who make all this stuff we carry and use? I can't answer that for you, that's something you have to figure out for yourself. I'm not here to talk philosophy with you; remember: I am just a doofus. But I think that the very least any of us can do is to LEARN about what's going on in places like Indonesia: just so we can answer the question, as athletes, regarding this aspect of the running shoes you and I wear every day. Think about it: right now you and I select our shoes based on fit, style, functionality, weight, price and reputation….what if we were to add to that list of aspects the adherence to social justice of the manufactures? If, as runners, we focused on just one company: Nike, the leader in sportswear and running paraphernalia, and just learn more about how our shoes are made: that we might consider the treatment of workers in our formula for what we should be purchasing? No one is asking you to ban Nike products, this isn't about you and I: this is all about learning…and I urge you to consider going to Teamsweat.org just as soon as you get back from your run today, and click on the upcoming events link: please, I'm asking this as a friend, and see when Jim Keady is going to be in your area next; in fact: I'll go further: if you attend a College or University, why not contact Educating for Justice at http://educatingforjustice.org and see about getting someone from that organization to come to your school to talk about these issues. This is important stuff, and I'm not telling you this to make myself feel better about myself as a runner: I'm telling you this because I think it will make us better athletes, plain and simple. This is not about me, and it's not about you: it's about the good people in countries like Indonesia who just want a little of the life that you and I enjoy. I'll spare you the angry rant about Nike or my firm belief that they are most certainly evil: but I hope you'll listen to what Jim Keady is saying here, and I very much hope you'll make an effort to go see him; I'm going to list some of the places where he'll be speaking in the near future; he's getting ready to head back over to Indonesia, so it's important that we learn from what he finds there, and that we think for ourselves, using the information we can learn from his findings and those findings of other independent activists. More than anything, I hope that in listening to this small portion of Jim's lecture: behind the swoosh, you will get at least a little: angry. Show Links: http://www.teamsweat.org http://www.educatingforjustice.org http://www.educatingforjustice.org/store_main.htm http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/workers_and_factories.html http://www.brophyprep.org/summit/globalization/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Behind_the_Swoosh.swf http://twitter.com/teamsweat http://www.facebook.com/TeamSweat http://worldwidefestivalofraces.com Free Audible Book download: www.audiblepodcast.com/phedi "Justice Will Roll Down" was by Sandra McCracken; http://www.sandramccracken.com