The post Top PUBLIC vs Top PRIVATE?! Javon Freeman (WHITNEY YOUNG) vs DJ Steward (FENWICK) Like Mike Highlights! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The 1st annual Like Mike Invitation (Jordan Brand/Gatorade event) was held at Navy Pier's ballroom in downtown Chicago. Whitney Young faced Fenwick, an elite Catholic school from neighboring Oak Park, IL. Last season's 3A state runners-up, Fenwick started this season 3-1.
Fenwick is led by star-in-the-making 2020 DJ Steward. The crafty, long, lean wing has a scorer's mentality.
Freeman is surrounded by multiple future d1 players at Young like Xavier Castaneda (USF). Fenwick may not have the star power, but they are battle-tested.
In the end, Whitney Young eeked out a 74-73 victory over Fenwick. Javon Freeman finished with 35 points unofficially and DJ Steward scored 31 points.
It's still too early in the season to make any judgements but the debate will continue... Who's better at basketball? Public Schools or Private Schools?
For more high school basketball highlights and mixtapes watch and subscribe to all the Ballislife youtube channels and follow @scottballislife on Instagram and @BallislifeCHI on Twitter.
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
The post Top PUBLIC vs Top PRIVATE?! Javon Freeman (WHITNEY YOUNG) vs DJ Steward (FENWICK) Like Mike Highlights! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post The story behind Michael Jordan leaving Coke for Gatorade & the "Be Like Mike" campaign appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>Check out Dwyane Wade, Paul George (jersey), Jabari Parker, Kareem, Spud Webb and of course Michael Jordan in a new spot from Gatorade celebrating it's 50 year-history as the celebration shower of choice.
Although the sports drink was around for decades before they signed Jordan, it wasn't until 1991 when they released the "Be Like Mike" commercial that Gatorade became cool.
MJ JOINS GATORADE
You can add Coke next to Adidas on the short list of companies that could have enjoyed a long profitable relationship with Michael Jordan but allowed another company to come along and win the MJ lottery.
In the 80s, Jordan was one of many celebs signed with Coke. But when his deal was up, Jordan's super-agent David Falk wanted a deal from Coke similar to the deals they were giving musicians like Elton John and Whitney Houston. Coke refused to give Jordan a 10-year deal like Falk wanted so Quaker was able to scoop up Jordan in 1991 with a 7-figure 10-year deal which became the template for many future Jordan deals.
Now that Quaker had won the MJ lottery, they had to let the world know about it. They ended up hitting a home run on their first marketing campaign.
Here's the story behind the "Be Like Mike" campaign via Sports Business Daily.
BBV Creative Director Bernie Pitzel had recently seen Disney’s “Jungle Book” with his 5-year-old, and the movie became the inspiration for the campaign. Pitzel mixed some Jordan footage from Nike ads with the song “I Want to Be Like You.” The sample ad ended with a message that read, “Be Like Mike. Drink Gatorade.”
Steve Seyferth, then running the Gatorade account for BBV, recalls high-fives being exchanged when the sample creative was first shown to Gatorade marketers. Schmidt loved it immediately and promised to check with Jordan on whether it was permissible to call him “Mike” instead of the usual Michael.
Everyone loved it but Disney, which asked for $1 million to license the song.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s popularity blossomed, as the Bulls won their first NBA championship in June and MJ took home the NBA scoring title as well as both the regular-season and playoff MVP awards.
By the time the agency began shooting in July, some assistance from Falk helped reduce Disney’s asking price to $250,000 — with the provision that the “Be Like Mike” slogan be eliminated. Seyferth remembers getting this news on a golf course with Schmidt. As soon as he repeated the offer, both men shook their heads no.
“‘Be Like Mike’” made the campaign, not the music,” Seyferth said.
Shortly thereafter, Pitzel sat down at Avanzare, his favorite Chicago watering hole, and penned the lyrics for what became “Be Like Mike” on a cocktail napkin. BBV got the catchy Caribbean tune from a commercial music house. “Be Like Mike” launched Aug. 8, 1991.
Coke should have listened to their own slogan: Can't beat the real thing.
To make things worse about Coke losing MJ is the fact that Gatorade was bought by Pepsi in 2001.
JORDAN COKE COMMERCIALS
The post The story behind Michael Jordan leaving Coke for Gatorade & the "Be Like Mike" campaign appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post Jabari Parker Wins Third Pontiac MVP/Title | Ballislife Recap appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>Parker played well in the tournament, but he's still working his way back to the form he showed last year after missing five months with a fractured foot.
He averaged 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in the tournament.
The Pontiac Holiday tournament is highly regarded among Illinois HS basketball fans for the quality of the teams (City vs. Suburban) hospitality of the hosts and volunteers, the diehard, enthusiastic crowds and the old-school Central Illinois gym.
Special thanks to the Parker family, Simeon Career Academy Head Coach Rob Smith & Coach Jeff Duncan, Tournament Director Jim Drengwitz and everyone at Pontiac High School and the Pontiac Holiday Tournament (www.pontiacholidaytournament.com).
For more videos of Jabari Parker and the best Chicago HS basketball, watch www.ebooksnet.com!
The post Jabari Parker Wins Third Pontiac MVP/Title | Ballislife Recap appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>