Nike Sportswear and The FADER Present Pitch Perfect: A Global Celebration of the Culture Surrounding Football and South Africa

NEW YORK, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Pitch Perfect is Nike Sportswear and The FADER's celebration of the music and culture of South Africa. To billions around the world, football is much more than a game played on a pitch — it's life. It inspires in people a desire to achieve and to represent where they are from to the best of their abilities. To learn more, head to www.thefader.com/pitchperfect now.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100602/NY14482 )

In the first part of the content series, beginning today and leading up to June 11th, six global mixtapes will be released on nikesportswear.com, in addition to www.thefader.com/pitchperfect. The FADER editors have teamed up with six different DJ's from six continents to curate mixtapes featuring global artists from that region, and the music will reflect the celebratory aspects of South Africa this summer. Each digital mixtape will be accompanied by original artwork as produced exclusively by British artist Siggi Eggertson. For the full list of participating DJ's and exclusive artwork, head to nikesportswear.com and thefader.com/pitchperfect.

In addition to the mixtapes, beginning June 14th Nike Sportswear and The FADER Present Pitch Perfect will release a 10-episode mini-documentary series that spans an entire month in South Africa. These videos will focus on the cultural touch points that exist globally around football including art, music, and sportsmanship anchored in that region. Episodes in the series will include interviews and tours of the region led by and with local musicians including BLK JKS and local athletes Kaiser Chiefs; documented road trips through Rustenberg, Durban, Soweto and Johannesburg; footage of celebrations during the football games; and conversations with natives from each location, showcasing each city through the eyes of locals.

"With billions around the globe about to partake in football-mania, The FADER wanted to express what the sport means to us," said Peter Macia, Editorial Director of The FADER. "To do that, we decided to focus on what we know — music, art and culture — and view the game through the creative endeavors inspired by it. We're excited to have teamed up with Nike Sportswear to present this collaborative project, and are looking forward to sharing our discoveries with our readers."

Featured in these documentaries will be a live music event June 16th at Nike's brand-new Nike Football Training Center that will be streamed live online. June 16th is also known as Youth Day, and will mark the 34th anniversary of the Soweto uprising when young people spoke out and marched against the government and its attempts to divide South Africa's people based on the color of their skin. This event will include creative workshops, educational speakers, and the aforementioned concert.

About Nike Sportswear

Nike Sportswear is a product line rooted in the company's passion for sport while at the same time remixing and improving iconic designs with new technologies. With almost four decades of sport history at its foundation, Nike Sportswear seeks to channel the genuine rebel spirit of Nike's roots by crafting product that challenges the expected, asking designers to push athletic innovation to its extreme, remixing iconic designs with new technologies and making the best product for today's needs. Nike Sportswear launched on 8.8.08 with eight iconic Nike products celebrating the legacy of Nike design. It includes: Air Force 1, Windrunner, AW 77 Hoodie, Nike Dunk, Air Max 90, Eugene Track Jacket, Cortez and Nike Sportswear Tee. For more information, visit www.nikesportswear.com.

About NIKE Inc.

NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned Nike subsidiaries include Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories; and Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand. For more information, visit www.nikebiz.com.

About FADER Media Network

FADER Media Network consists of credible music and lifestyle-focused properties that speak to a combined audience of 1,800,000 influential young adults and generates over 3,000,000 impressions monthly. Founded by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen, and led by EVP and Group Publisher Andy Cohn, The FADER Media Network includes The FADER, TheFADER.com, FADER Films, FADER Label, TheTripwire.com, Suite903.com, 1200squad.com, XLR8R magazine, XLR8R.com, EastVillageRadio.com, Insound.com, The Cornerstone Mixtape, The Cornerstone Player.

SOURCE FADER Media Network