Schumer pressures NBA to drop Adidas

Sen.
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants NBA players to wear jerseys made in the
USA, and he’s going one-on-one against apparel giant Adidas to make it
happen.

The Empire State senator is up in arms over Adidas’s plan to
outsource production of NBA basketball jerseys, currently manufactured
in Perry, N.Y., to Thailand. At stake are approximately 100 jobs at
Perry’s American Classic Outfitters (ACO).

Schumer made his case
on Sunday at a press conference outside the NBA flagship store on Fifth
Avenue in New York City. He accused Adidas of “throwing an air ball,
big time,” by planning to cancel its contract with ACO, and he urged
the NBA to discontinue the use of Adidas jerseys if the company
proceeds with the planned outsourcing.

{mosads}Schumer said he spoke to NBA
Commissioner David Stern, a big donor to the Democratic Party, on the
phone Saturday afternoon. “I told [Stern] that basketball is America’s
game and game-day jerseys the NBA players wear should be made in the
USA,” Schumer said. “Keeping the facility in Perry should be a
slam-dunk.”

Following the press conference, the NBA released a
statement offering to help facilitate a meeting between Adidas and
Schumer. No word yet on whether Schumer will accept the offer.