Nike's 'Back to the Future' Sneaker Auction Nets $9.4M for Parkinson
After a 10-day auction on eBay, Nike helped raise $4.7 million for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research with the sale of 1,500 pairs of limited-edition 2011 Nike Mag shoes. A $50 million challenge by Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife, Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of personal genetics company 23andMe, brought the total raised to $9.4 million.
The Nike Mag is a replica of the shoes worn by Michael J. Fox in the film “Back to the Future II.” The shoes have an LED panel and an electroluminescent Nike logo on the strap. Fox introduced the shoes on “The Late Show With David Letterman” in September. On the first day of the auction, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research website(www.michaeljfox.org) saw a more than 1,300 percent increase in traffic over last year, and during the 10-day auction, the foundation’s Facebook page added nearly 10,000 new fans.—Alison A. Nieder
