World Cup Update

England's hopes for a World Cup title this summer have grown a bit darker with the broken metatarsal of young phenom Wayne Rooney (occurring in Manchester United's match with Chelsea, which sealed Chelsea's second straight English Premier League championship). The Financial Times notes that a nation's hopes aren't the only ones being played with:

Sir Alex Ferguson said yesterday he doubted Wayne Rooney would play in the World Cup, sending a chill not just through England fans but also through Nike's marketing department.

[...]

Nike, which sponsors Rooney, is investing millions of dollars in the World Cup in an attempt to boost its growing football business and take market share from arch-rival Adidas.

The US sportswear group, which has World Cup sponsorship deals with Ronaldinho of Brazil and Thierry Henry of France, had already built a UK advertising campaign around Rooney and was banking on him playing a starring role.

[...]

Embarrassingly for Nike, Rooney was wearing its new boot - the Air Zoom Total 90 Supremacy - in Saturday's match against Chelsea when he suffered his injury.

The boot, which weighs only 10.5 ounces, features Nike's "air technology" to cushion and protect the foot. It is the latest high-technology piece of footwear from Nike, which works closely with the players it sponsors to develop boots that are custom-fitted to their needs.

But a letter into the Guardian's daily football column, The Fiver, brings up a good point:

"Perhaps Wayne Rooney's broken bone has diverted everybody's attention from the name of his new footwear - the 'Supremacy'. Am I alone in being uncomfortable with walking into a sports shop and asking for a pair of white Supremacies?"