耐克離了阿姆斯特朗一樣能行

????就像傳奇教練喬?帕特諾一樣，蘭斯?阿姆斯特朗在耐克公司（Nike）氣勢恢宏的俄勒岡州園區（占地192英畝）同樣備受尊崇。園區一個兒童護理中心以帕特諾的名字命名，阿姆斯特朗的大名則用金屬鑄成龐大的印刷體字樣，高懸于一個健身中心之上。

????周三，如同帕特諾一樣，身為耐克產品代言人的阿姆斯特朗被這家體育用品巨頭毫不客氣地解除了代言合約。這種情形實屬罕見。

????我們很難領會，蘭斯?阿姆斯特朗曾經在耐克公司的巨星殿堂中占有多么不可動搖的地位。阿姆斯特朗“堅強生活”（Livestrong）癌癥慈善機構的黃色腕帶曾經在21世紀第一個10年的中期盛行一時。如今，這種腕帶在耐克園區依然隨處可見。阿姆斯特朗的照片依然張貼在耐克辦公室的墻壁上，穿插在數十個運動員拼貼圖之中。耐克公司的所有高管都至少能夠講述一段阿姆斯特朗造訪公司的軼事，這位運動員因為自己的的抗癌經歷在耐克一直是一股鼓舞人心的力量。

????正因為如此，耐克與阿姆斯特朗劃清界線這一幕才這么令人震驚。要知道，這家體育用品巨頭不久前還跟頻繁出軌的泰格?伍茲、深陷性丑聞的科比?布萊恩特和本?羅特利斯伯格，以及言行有失檢點的賓夕法尼亞州立大學橄欖球隊堅定地站在一起。耐克公司的舉動清楚無誤地表明，阿姆斯特朗對其服用興奮劑傳聞的否認是多么虛假且令人沮喪。如果你不相信前隊友的宣誓證詞和無數記者對其罪行的報道，那么耐克公司正在向你講述你需要聆聽的所有事實。

????“鑒于看似不可逾越的證據表明，蘭斯?阿姆斯特朗確實服用過興奮劑，并誤導了耐克公司長達10年以上，我們懷著無比沉痛地心情宣布，耐克已經終止了與他的代言合同。耐克絕不會寬恕運動員以任何方式非法服用禁藥的行為，”在今天發布的一份聲明中，耐克公司如是說道。

????耐克公司將與幾乎每一位經受人生最艱難時刻的體育明星站在一起。在過去，體育明星的性丑聞和暴力事件并沒有嚇倒這家公司。耐克與欺詐行為劃清界線的舉動表明：私生活是你的事，但當你身穿耐克服裝時，請遵守運動規則。

????歷史上，耐克也曾經表露過這種立場。本世紀初，耐克放棄了興奮劑檢測呈陽性的田徑明星瑪利安?瓊斯，以及一位陷入興奮劑丑聞的著名田徑教練和其他運動員。阿姆斯特朗惹惱了耐克公司，這是毫無疑問的。在過去10年中，耐克向阿姆斯特朗及其“堅強生活”慈善基金會投入的資金，可能高達數千萬美元——阿姆斯特朗今天宣布，他將辭去這家基金會主席一職。但對于這家體育用品巨頭而言，為旗下代言明星（比如阿姆斯特朗）糟糕的公關行為苦惱不堪的日子早已一去不復返了。耐克公司的營銷已經演變成一臺更加精細化的機器，遠離博?杰克遜和邁克爾?喬丹時代的耐克公司，對超級明星的依賴程度已經大大減弱。

????如今，耐克公司通過Nike+ running應用程序、FuelBand手腕和社交網絡等創新方式直接觸及數百萬消費者。阿姆斯特朗和其他代言人僅僅是耐克公司25億美元營銷預算的一部分。不同于鼎盛時期的博?杰克遜和邁克爾?喬丹，他們在該公司的營銷計劃中并不占主導地位。

????就這個角度而言，在接下來這段時間里，耐克公司或許將感受到阿姆斯特朗興奮劑丑聞帶來的痛楚。耐克被惹火了，它并不隱藏這一點。但不要指望這家位于比弗頓市的公司會花費大量時間擔心他們怎么才能找到人替代阿姆斯特朗。他們根本沒必要擔心這個問題。

????譯者：任文科

????Just like Joe Paterno, Lance Armstrong was revered on Nike's sprawling 192-acre Oregon campus. Paterno's name adorned a child care center, while Armstrong's ran in big metal block letters across a fitness center.

????On Wednesday, Armstrong followed Paterno into the rare class of Nike (NKE) endorsers to be unceremoniously expelled by the sports giant.

????It's hard to grasp how permanent Lance Armstrong's place seemed in the pantheon of Nike greats. His Livestrong cancer charity's yellow bracelet, which hit peak popularity mid-decade, is still ubiquitous on campus. Armstrong's picture is peppered across dozens of athlete collages in Nike offices. And all of Nike's executives have at least one story about Armstrong hanging around the place and being an inspirational influence through his cancer battle.

????Which is why it's striking to see Nike, which most recently stood by Tiger Woods amid his cheating escapades, Kobe Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger in sexual assault cases, and Penn State with a host of indiscretions, draw the line with Armstrong. Nike's move is the clearest indication yet that Armstrong's doping denials are as fictitious as they are depressing. If you didn't believe sworn testimony from ex-teammates and numerous journalists' accounts of his guilt, Nike is telling you all you need to hear.

????"Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade," Nike said today in a statement, "it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner."

????Nike will stand beside almost any star athlete at their worst. Sexual scandals and violence haven't scared it in the past. By drawing the line at cheating, Nike is saying: your personal life is your business, but play by the rules when wearing the Swoosh.

????It has staked out its position before. Earlier this decade Nike dropped track star Marion Jones who tested positive for drugs, as well as a notable track coach and other athletes linked to doping.

????Nike was burned by Armstrong, there is no doubt. It likely invested tens of millions over the past decade in Armstrong and his Livestrong charity, which he announced today he is stepping down from as chairman. But for the sports giant, the days of fretting over bad PR from one big endorsement like Armstrong's are long gone. Nike's marketing has become an evermore sophisticated machine, and its reliance on superstars is greatly diminished from the days of Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan.

????Today it reaches millions of consumers directly through new innovations like the Nike+ running app, FuelBand bracelet, and social networks. Armstrong and other endorsers are just a piece of Nike's complex $2.5 billion marketing budget. Unlike Bo Jackson or Michael Jordan in their prime, they don't dominate marketing.

????In that way, expect Nike to feel the sting of Armstrong for a while. The company was burned, and it's not hiding it. But don't expect Beaverton to spend much time worrying how they'll replace Armstrong. They don't need to.