Jordan Exhibit at the Basketball Hall of Fame a Corporate Affair?

I just came across this article from the New York Times lamenting that the new Jordan exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA was put together with Nike/Jordan Brand having complete control. The exhibit is to honor Jordan's induction, which will take place on September 11. I'm not quite as disillusioned by the whole thing. I'm even considering making a trip to go check it out. Sure, it'd be nice to have some artifacts like his rings or game worn shoes and jerseys, but judging by the few pictures I've seen, it looks to be pretty sweet. And besides, there was no other athlete before Jordan to turn his image into a business like he did with Nike, so it feels somewhat appropriate. I can see where they're coming from in the article, but I'm still interested to see it.

On the subject of corporations honoring Jordan's induction into the hall of fame, here's Gatorade's contribution, created with 19,000 Gatorade bottles in the south side of Chicago.


Photo of exhibit courtesy of the New York Times