When people refer to “Beyond the Swoosh,” they are typically talking about the award-winning short documentary “Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh” (2011), or the extensive activist movement led by its creator, Jim Keady.
The project exposes the human and ethical costs of corporate globalization using Nike as its primary case study. The Core Story
The documentary follows Jim Keady, a former ambitious ambitious men’s soccer coach at St. John’s University. In the late 1990s, Keady was forced to resign from his coaching position when he refused to comply with a $3.5 million endorsement deal that required him to wear Nike gear. Because of his Catholic faith and personal conscience, he couldn’t align himself with a company utilizing sweatshop labor. The Experiment
To understand the true reality of the workers manufacturing the athletic apparel he wore, Keady traveled to Tangerang, Indonesia. He moved into an impoverished slum and attempted to survive for a month on the standard per day wage paid to subcontractors making Nike shoes. Key Findings and Issues Highlighted
Behind the Swoosh: Sweatshops and Social Justice / Jim Keady
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