The most enjoyable of these readings was with out a doubt the Nike response letter by Martin Espada. Not only did he denounce their offer on general principals, which in his case would have been enough, he went on to point out their company’s faults, as well as rant on the restrictions of the media that they would expect him to follow if he had accepted their offer.

one of the problems with our society that Espada brought up was that teens earning minimum wage are convinced by the media to buy products (like Nike) that they can’t afford. Even though the companys’ know this, they count on the teens’ obsession with ‘cool’ objects and products.

Another thing he brings up is the expectation of the media that artists will jump at the chance to work on an “unusual and interesting project”, especially if it will get them recognition. This is a rather strange notion, since many writers and artists are anti-media to some degree.

In all respects, Espada put the Nike company in their place, whether they chose to acknowledge it or not.