Michael Jordan’s brand has become a dominant symbol for Black athleticism in the world of sports, but what happens when that legacy collides with one of the most white-dominated sports in the world?

By: Janiah Lindsey

NEW YORK - Brian Paupaw, a Brooklyn native, started snowboarding later in life and never imagined it would be the sport for him.

“Growing up in Brooklyn, I didn’t see the outdoors, especially snowboarding, as something that was for me. It wasn’t until I was introduced to snowboarding later in life that I realized how transformative it could be. The feeling of riding down a mountain, the confidence it builds, the peace it gives - it was life-changing,” said Paupaw.

Paupaw is the executive director and founder of the Hoods to Woods Foundation, an organization focused on removing the barriers keeping Black and other underserved children from experiencing the outdoors. Created from the realization that many urban city kids like Paupaw would never get to experience that “life-changing” feeling of coasting down snow-capped mountains unless someone brought the sport to them, he aims to change that.

They started with just four kids in a Honda Civic 16 years ago. Now, they take more than 125 kids a year, all free of charge. The work of Hoods to Woods has been monumental for their community, but it’s still limited in funding and brand development.

That’s why Paupaw is excited about rumors that the Jordan brand might partner with Black snowboarder Zeb Powell. If Powell signed with Jordan, “it would be a massive moment for snowboarding.”

‘Air’ Zeb

Zeb Powell has started to make his mark in the snowboarding world. The 25-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, has changed the way snowboarding is performed at the highest level, blending classic styles with his own flair.

Adopted at five weeks old, Powell was introduced to the world of winter sports early. His parents were big skiers, but Powell was hooked on snowboarding at age seven, trying the sport for the first time during a family holiday.

Powell’s raw talent did not go unnoticed. He won nearly every contest he attended, surprising everyone who watched. Powell recalled during an interview with SLUSH Magazine that several coaches encouraged his mom to enroll him in official training.

Since then, Powell has continued making a splash, becoming the first Black snowboarder to win gold in the 2020 Winter X Games Knuckle Huck event. With dreads and a hip-hop inspired streetwear style, Powell has become a representative for Black snowboarders and youths.

A partnership with the Jordan brand will take that representation to another level.

Fans speculated Zebulon, the nickname Powell created for himself, had signed with the brand after posting a picture of his snowboards on Instagram on Jan. 24 with the caption: ‘BOARD CRISIS 👀 Left or right?’ On April 3rd, Powell confirmed the rumors, posting an Instagram Reel showing the snowboarder surrounded by the Jumpman 23 logo, and the post captioned “Sliding with @jumpman23.”

The confirmed partnership is a huge deal with many are already discussing the impact of the potential deal.

Marsha-Gaye Knight, a clinical assistant professor with the Tisch Institute for Global Sport at New York University (NYU), claims the partnership would do more than encourage representation, it would change the culture of snowboarding.

“They [Jordan] shift culture. They’re not here to slap a shoe or a logo on something, they’re here to authenticate their culture in various spaces,” Knight says. “If my brand is here, that means I have a right to be here, so now we’re shifting the culture of that snowboarding space.”

According to Knight, the Jordan brand is committed to representing Black snowboarders accurately and authentically. Their history as a dominant brand verifies Powell’s presence in the industry and gives him the protection many other Black athletes don’t have in predominantly white sports.

Deirdre Royster, an associate professor of sociology and public policy at NYU, explains the challenges Black athletes face without said protections..

“Sometimes Blacks who are rare in very “white” fields may benefit from some sort of “novelty effects.” But at the same time, they may be resented for encroachment - sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation,” Royster said. “The greater the success of Blacks in these far-afield fields, the greater the likelihood of resentment increasing among whites.”

Pushback is something Knight is sure Jordan would expect, despite Black snowboarders having always been present in the sport. Russell Winfield was the first professional Black snowboarder in 1991, followed by Gabby Maiden who became the first professional Black woman snowboarder in 2006. The National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) has hosted an annual Black Ski Summit since the 1970s.

Yet, Black athletes are vastly underrepresented in snow sports due to systemic barriers blocking their way.

Blocked by Barriers

For years, comedians, social media users, and scientists have debated the myth that “Black people don’t like the cold.” Although no clear origin to the stereotype, it has been repeated often and accepted as truth. Even Black students, when asked about a Powell x Jordan collaboration, echoed the widely held belief.

The myth that Black people are averse to cold weather, and subsequently winter sports, is misleading. The real issue isn’t weather - it’s access.

Ann Morning, a professor of sociology and divisional dean for the social sciences at NYU, breaks down the two components perpetrating inaccessibility for Black athletes.

“So on one hand is this cultural piece, these beliefs that somehow Black people couldn’t be good in certain sports, or that certain sports are natural for white athletes,” Morning said. “And then, there are all the structural questions about who gets exposed to which sports, who is afforded the training, who can acquire the equipment or access to the facilities that you would need…and what is the racial makeup of those places where those facilities are.”

Those “facilities” that athletes would need are found in the Midwest, where Black populations are generally smaller and more present in urban communities. Although home to approximately seven million Black Americans, the region remains over 50 percent white due to a long history of racial segregation and violence.

Fleeing the horrors of the ‘Jim Crow’ South in hopes for better economic opportunity, a massive move known as the Great Migration, the Midwest was an ideal stop for Black Americans. In an era of economic prosperity, the Midwest was largely successful due to factories and in desperate need of labor to keep up. Despite the appeal, Black Americans were met with violence in the form of “sundown towns” and neighborhood racial segregation efforts. Concerned for their livelihoods, many Black Americans left or were pushed out of the Midwest.

This violent and discriminatory history decreased Black presence in the Midwest, halted Black Americans' opportunity to flourish economically, and contributed to racial disparities in accessing winter sports.

Cost, exposure, and transportation are additional hurdles, according to Paupaw. Snowboarding gear is expensive, ranging from $50 to $1,500, and quality matters, adding more dollar signs to an already inflated price tag. Tickets, travel, and competition fees further drive up the cost. For many city kids like Paupaw, this is an unrealistic amount to pay.

Many ski and snowboarding resorts are also far from cities due to spacing, size, and terrain. The largest snowboarding mountains in the country, like Powder Mountain in Utah, is over 8,400 acres and Vail in Colorado, extends over 5,300 acres. Powder Mountain takes up nearly half of Manhattan.

“The industry has marketed to the same audience for decades, and systemic inequalities have made it difficult for Black and Brown communities to break in,” says Paupaw.

Tackling the Future

The rumored partnership is bigger than Zeb Powell and the Jordan brand. It signals a shift toward diversity in snowboarding and a recognition of the impact brands bring to various communities. It also signals to underserved communities that they have more opportunities outside of basketball, baseball, or football.

“It would signal that snowboarding belongs in mainstream Black culture, just like basketball, hip-hop, and skateboarding. It would make kids who never considered snowboarding take notice,” Paupaw says.

But, Brian Paupaw and Marsha-Gaye Knight emphasize that it can’t just be about marketing - it has to lead to real change. This collaboration could reshape how snowboarding would be marketed, viewed, and affect winter sports.

The opportunity for major brands to invest in grassroot programs like Hoods to Woods, Chill Foundation, and Share Winter Foundation champion diversity at the corporate level and make a clear commitment to accessibility. Snowboarding should be a sport open for all who’re interested, not only all that can afford it.

“I want them to continue to do this because it’s changing the narrative about sports that are quintessentially white, quintessentially inaccessible, quintessentially not within our bounds. It’s changing that narrative,” Knight says. “Jordan is helping to shift that by putting itself as a brand in spaces and places that you typically wouldn’t see.”

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