No more Nike (and its not because of Tiger Woods).

Citing labor issues in Honduras, the University of Wisconsin at Madison announced Friday that it is ending its licensing agreement with Nike. Madison, like many universities with lucrative licensing deals, has insisted that companies pledge to meet certain standards, especially in production outside the United States, where workers lack the labor protections provided by U.S. law. The specific incident in Honduras involves a Nike subcontractor for which, under the universitys labor standards, Nike is responsible that failed to pay more than $2 million in required severance payments. The incident has led to calls at Madison and elsewhere for universities to cut ties to Nike, but Madisons action is believed to be the first such move. Biddy Martin, the chancellor at Madison, issued a statement indicating that the university acted only after trying to get Nike to deal with the problems.

via Quick Takes: Madison Will End Licensing Deal With Nike – Inside Higher Ed.

A welcome step that should be adapted by more NCAA and NAIA conferences as well as programs.