In his discussion of capitalism, the author brings up some examples that point out some of the disadvantages related to capitalism. While we could argue about whether capitalism is good or bad, the author is careful in not really getting into that argument so much as he acts as a cultural critic in how America is not only spreading capitalism around the world (seen by most Americans as good), but also spreading American culture around the world (seen by me at least as not so great).
In one sense, most of the world is by now seeing the effects of American-style imperialism. The book does talk about how some have welcomed this and others have reacted harshly. I think the way that the author sees imperialism here is that America is imposing its culture on other nations. It may be at least somewhat fair to say that the people choose this fate, but economic theory would show otherwise: in a world of large companies and small companies, if a large company decides to compete directly with a small company, the large company will be the most likely winner because it is able to charge lower prices, etc. The same goes for large American companies imposing their business into other nations. Can French cafes compete with McDonalds?
The author also talks about some of Michael Jordan's pitfalls, such as not speaking out against unfair labor practices in Nike factories, or gambling with known criminals. Why did Michael Jordan have such a strong following? Phil Knight himself even observed people bowing down to a life-size statue of Jordan (can we say idolatry?). While Jordan established himself early in his career as someone who "transcends race," his international fame came through an enormous worldwide marketing blitz. While he became known worldwide as an incredible basketball player, the marketing campaign surrounding him made him out to be much more than that. Through it all, Michael Jordan is still human, and so it is, too, that the economic system that brought him fame is built by humans. They both have incredibly strong points, but neither are infallible.
This is not liberal junk. It is merely a book that keeps things in perspective.
I would recommend this book to people that don't yet know that basketball commissioner David Stern packaged the NBA like Disney: "they have theme parks, and we have theme parks. Only we call them arenas. They have characters: Mickey and Goofy. Our characters are named Magic and Michael." But Walter LaFeber, who is known for his exhaustive research skills, relies too heavily on pop culture to discuss the impact of a pop figure. His endnotes are dominated by magazine and newspaper articles (Newsweek, Sports Illustrated) without delving more deeply into how a black man in America became "a god" that transcends cultural boundaries.
"Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism" is a good beginners book on the long arm of U.S. corporations but do not stop there. James Twitchell's superb "Adcult USA: The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture" provides the reader with much more indepth analysis on how Nike and others came to dominate our world.