[Libertine]

that's great- but it was alleged earlier that the stuff wouldn't be free :assuming we're not important enough, like Gonzaga maybe

so how does this benefit us? Seems to me it would be better to go w/ a company that would sponsor our teams for the advertising or marketing itself.

then again, what do I know. Nothing about this stuff- not that it stops me from sounding off.


EDIT: here's the statement to which I was referring:

Apparently, LU entered into a contract and starting next year, all sports will be sponsored by Nike. That means Nike gear for all sports, however, the stuff won't be free like big programs such as UNC or Va. Tech.

It's not free for us and it's not free for Gonzaga, UNC, VaTech, et al. What it means to contract w/ Nike (or any company) is that Nike supplies all apparel and equipment needs. Since they get all our business, they charge us a reduced rate and members of the coaching/athletic staff get X amount of free Nike gear. This is virtually the same deal that larger schools get w/ the exception that at UNC and VaTech, they have more athletes to outfit so the numbers are bigger so the coaches/ADs at those schools get more free stuff than we do. In no situation is all the gear free for the program.

[PAmedic]

understood

thanks

[Purple Haize]

LIB - If that is true, then this is no better deal then we were already getting for some of our sports. (Or some area HS even get) Now the cost we "pay" may be less but that would be the only thing that makes sense. So I am sure there is more too it then that. As for VT UNC et. al. they actually DO receive stuff for free. If you remeber those HIDEOUS VT two color jersey's - Free. NIKE wanted to showcase them, the thought being that OTHER schools will see them and want to buy them thus a nice marketing gimmick. Back in the Glory Days with the GREAT Robert Montgomery Knight, adidas gave equipment to several women's programs for free because that is what BOB KNIGHT wanted as part of the deal. I hear the same thing has happened at other schools, BUT they are just copy cating the GREAT ONE!
As of a few years ago, and this may have changed, NIKE (and the other shoe/apparel folks) went to a "tiered" system in both their Pro and College contracts. In essence, for pro athletes, what they did was break the media markets down by size. You have the Big Ones (New York, Chicago, LA) Small Ones (Salt Lake, Milwaukee, San Antonio) and others in between. Then they paid you to endorse based on not just YOU but the size of the market you played in. In fact, there have been several dozen trades nixed b/c a player was going into a smaller market and it would affect their endorsement deals with a shoe company. The same holds true, to a varying degree, in their college approaches. This is a little trickier and the matrix is much more complex, for instance Notre Dame is HUGE, but South Bend is tiny. Therefore you have the "HAVE'S" (DUKE, Carolina, Penn State ND) who reap tremendous benefits and free equipment because they draw the most eyeballs. Then you have the "HAVE NOT'S" (Stony Brook, LU etc) who have to still pay for equipment but get discounted rates. I have seen deals, but don't know how prevelent this has become, where the manufacturer says "We will give you X number of 'credits" to use to outfit your programs and a discounted rate for the rest" Then the AD decided who gets what and how much.
I hope this helps you out PA. Like I said, I don't know the specifics of THIS deal but if it is as stated above, I'm not sure how we come out ahead. B
(Personally I am an adidas man, because All Day I Dream About ...............SHOES!!)

[Sly Fox]

At Texas, Nike paid the school to switch from Reebok several years ago. They gave gear to the entire athletic program as part of the deal. The shoe companies have different deals for different schools and we would obviously not be getting a Texas or Ohio State-type setup. But the big boys do get their gear for free. I seriously doubt any I-AAs have those type of deals except for maybe one of the HBCUs like Grambling or an Ivy like Harvard.

[Libertine]

Very true, Haize. Nike does have some marketing deals w/ some of the big-name schools but my point was that Nike is not in the business of generally outfitting whole programs for free just for the sake of advertising.

[HarrisburgFlame]

Sly I have to go with you on this one. Tech switched to Nike back in 1998 for three reasons:

1. Nike outfits the football team at no cost
2. Beamer gets a nice check from Nike on the deal
3. Recruiting - some recruits first question is "what shoe company are you contracted with"

I'm sure Nike is not outfitting LU at no cost - but I do think it will help in terms of recruiting if only to say "we're a Nike school".

[LU'sbestmanger]

i agree with the recruiting thing. everytime we have a player on a visit for bball they ask who we are sponsored by and when we say nike they look like this

[Sly Fox]

Adidas is making HUGE inroads against Nike on the grassroots level. But the swoosh remains the king for now.

[qkslvrsrfrboy]

my highschools tennis team was sponsored by gatorade and they gave us free gatorade for the whole season. We sorta had a nike sponsorship but not really, its what you guys were talking about where we got a very large discount on price of gear to put the swoosh on our court signs and match booklets.

[Purple Haize]

Very true, Haize. Nike does have some marketing deals w/ some of the big-name schools but my point was that Nike is not in the business of generally outfitting whole programs for free just for the sake of advertising.

Well YOU were the one that said : It's not free for us and it's not free for Gonzaga, UNC, VaTech, et al. What it means to contract w/ Nike (or any company) is that Nike supplies all apparel and equipment needs. You have US right, but are askew on Gonzaga, UNC and Tech. But that is WHY they give those big schools the "hook up" to market their product.

SLY yOu are also right. adidas is making a huge dent in the BBall market and others. You can think former NIKE and now adidas guru Sonny V for that. He now works for Reebok's and1 brand now if I am not mistaken. Look at what THEY are doing with the whole "Street Ball" deal!! It is the Harlem Globetrotters for the 21st century!!

A last note on NIKE, about 10 - 15 years ago they made a HUGE commitment to soccer, especially Brazil. They have BLOWN UP in that market. If the three of you who watched the World Cup noticed, alot of teams were NIKE. That took some market from adidas, Puma and Diadora. It is a cut throat world out there!

[Libertine]

Very true, Haize. Nike does have some marketing deals w/ some of the big-name schools but my point was that Nike is not in the business of generally outfitting whole programs for free just for the sake of advertising.

Well YOU were the one that said : It's not free for us and it's not free for Gonzaga, UNC, VaTech, et al. What it means to contract w/ Nike (or any company) is that Nike supplies all apparel and equipment needs. You have US right, but are askew on Gonzaga, UNC and Tech. But that is WHY they give those big schools the "hook up" to market their product.

Well, then allow me to add a caveat. Nike doesn't outfit us for free and they don't outfit Gonzaga, UNC, VaTech, et al for free either unless Nike asks and Gonzaga, UNC, VaTech agree to provide extra marketing/exposure/labor for Nike's other butt-ugly products. I think this only emphasizes the point I was trying to make about Nike not giving anything away for free.

[Purple Haize]

So are we saying the same thing but differently? UNC, Duke, et al only wear NIKE (or other competitors) if they have a contract with them. The contract provides free gear for specific teams and those teams/schools are exclusive to that company? I know that there are SEVERAL D1 teams that don't have a bill sent to them from NIKE et al. for their uniforms, shoes, sweats etc. So the do get FREE stuff. Not ALL D1 schools, I never said they did, but the "high profile" schools do. Will this ever happen at LU? Probably not. Unless the Gideons are looking into the Sport Ministry field!!!

[TRBCer]

All-

To my knowledge, most endoresment deals are not "free uniform" deals. I was at the University of Arizona for three years and we are still a HUGE Nike school. They particularly love Lute Olsen & the MBKB program. The free stuff usually comes in the form of coaches packages. Most staff members receive an account...a head coach might get $2000, while an assistant coach or a staffer like me (an ATC) might get nothing or $200 (you get the picture). You then get to select items from the Nike Team Sports catalogs and "spend" your allotment. Keep in mind you get "billed" full retail...like $55 for a polo shirt! Meanwhile, the teams all agree to purchase Nike gear, usually at wholesale cost, sometimes factory direct but usually through a regional team sports dealer For instance, a football only deal might include an agreement by the program to purchase one set of uniforms and an additional $20,000 for other equipment (cleats, gloves, balls, etc) in exchange for incentives packages for the head coach, all the assistants, and all the staffers. Think of it like a credit card rewards program...the more you spend, the more you get. The difference between big schools and ones like LU is that the incentive programs are markedly smaller at small schools. No one is really getting free uniforms, etc., they are simply being greased a bit to single source their athletic uniforms while at the same time lending some "cred" to their department. Hope this helps.

[PAmedic]

thanks to all for the info. I learned more about this topic than I ever thought possible. Now all we need is for someone in the program to actually go PUBLIC with the details of the deal, and end the speculation. I'm betting there's 2 chances of that happening!

[TRBCer]

Jerry's long lost cousins, "Slim" and "None" Falwell will be disclosing the details