 | ||
The "Jumpman" logo is owned by Nike to promote the Air Jordan brand of basketball shoes. The logo is a silhouette of Michael Jordan performing a slam dunk.
Contents
History
Michael Jordan doing the "Jumpman" pose came in a photoshoot for Life magazine leading up to the 1984 Olympic Games before Michael Jordan had signed with Nike. The photo was staged, with Jordan performing a ballet technique known as a grand jeté to make it appear as if he was leaping for a slam dunk, a movement not actually consistent with Jordan's jumping style.
The Air Jordan III, released in 1988, was the first Air Jordan shoe to feature the Jumpman logo, replacing the "Wings" logo, which had been a feature of the Air Jordans I and II.
In 1993-94, Nike ran a series of Air Jordan commercials pairing Michael Jordan with Warner Brothers' owned Bugs Bunny. As a tie-in, Nike created a line of merchandise which featured a spoof of the Jumpman using Bugs' silhouette, combined with a "Hare Jordan" caption. This campaign was followed by the 1996 film Space Jam, which references the Jumpman logo during its climax, in which Jordan dunks from half-court.
Lawsuit
On January 22, 2015, photographer Jacobus Rentmeester filed a suit against Nike claiming copyright infringement over the use of the Jumpman logo. According to Rentmeester, Nike copied a photograph for which he had granted them temporary permission to use for the logo. The suit was brought to a federal court in Portland, Oregon for an unspecified amount. The suit was dismissed in June of that year.
Athletic program sponsorships
Michigan Athletics announced in July 2015 that it would switch from sponsorship by Adidas to Nike. The deal at the time had an estimated value of $169 million and was described as "the richest apparel deal in intercollegiate athletics". In April 2016, the University announced the signing of an 11-year $127.12 million contract for 31 Michigan sports teams, going into effect on August 1. With the agreement, Michigan Wolverines football became the first football program to wear Jordan Brand attire accompanied by the jumpman logo. Within a year, several other athletics programs signed even larger deals with Nike.
In popular song
The Drake and Future song "Jumpman" is named after the Jumpman logo and references it multiple times.