First off, this is one of the better posts on NT that I have read. Every few months, an actually intelligent post comes along and I'm glad to see members coming out of hibernation to make a statement.
I think MonkeyBoy and JJ basically nailed it on the head.
YES - There are possible negative ramifications here for NT, Sneakerpimp and the consumer. I told E that while I could see the IRS possible coming (hope you got every reciept bro if not you better learn to start filing taxes on your earnings) I don't see Nike doing anything legal for their image would greatly be at stake. Who wants to see a multi-million dollar corporation take on a 16 yr. old kid who earned money thru hard work? And as JJ, E and anyone else with a website will confirm, making money isn't as easy as it was depicted in that article.
YES - I do suspect that Nike may start monitoring some of their retailers a little closer. The major ones (i.e. Supreme and others) will either be A.) conviently be missed and Nike will turn the other cheek or B.) recieve a slap on the wrist. As stated, Nike knows Supreme is a money-maker so don't expect them to clamp down on Supreme. Expect some of the smaller mom and pops who do have Nike accounts to possibly lose theirs.
YES - This may prove good for collectors and sellers who go directly to eBay. Nike may begin to really impose the intended structure for store allocations, price and quantities that resellers can purchase. How? I don't know and I'm not sure esp. when it comes to independent stores but with chains they can have an effect.
If they do improve in this area, that means that the avg. cat may be able to go in and get a pair or two of an exclusive without hearing "Man you just missed out cause some cat can in and bought all 24 pairs". And imagine if retailers actually sold at retail or at least close instead of charging $300-500 for Supreme's, Zoo's and Choc's.
Nike's image did take a direct hit from this so expect change to come. Now the business world and the world in general knows what we here knew all along about Nike's business practices. It's like having someone find out a dirty family secret that no one outside the family knew about.
NO - I don't think can actually effect NT. The most damage they could do was remove Ekin's pics. The next biggest thing is to take away the name. Other than that, they need NT to help create a buzz in cities and communities around the world. Not every knows and can recognize the aesthetic beauty or value of an exclusive AF1 but there's always and NTer to explain and drop knowledge.
NO - I don't think any of us who really love shoes will be deterred from getting what we want. There are too many outlets for us to access. That is what NT is about - meeting and sharing info to find out where and how to get the latest exclusives. As K-Town stated, if you're in the know and if your connected, you'll still get what you want. Thru NT and our website, I feel like I have connections all over the globe. I'll be damned if Nike slips an exclusive past me in a size 13.
Gotty