UM Athletes asked about sponsorship
Apparently UM Student-Athletes are being surveyed about how different apparel affects their play. I wonder if they have done this in the past? If not, it seems like a great idea. They are the ones who are most affected, so getting their feedback seems key to getting the right product.
Was told that all UM athletes just took a survey regarding how apparel impacts their play, and which brand they would most like at Michigan.
— Ben Fidelman (@bfidelman) March 23, 2015March 23rd, 2015 at 12:06 PM ^
March 23rd, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^
Seeking the input of the enduser? There are still companies out there that could stand to do that more often really, but I am glad to see Hackett tweaking the culture at Michigan a little bit again by doing this here. It would be interesting to know how it ultimately breaks down by brand and/or sport, I think, if the resutls are ever made public.
March 23rd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
March 23rd, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
Or is it 90M cash and then they still give all the apparel free to the teams?This.
March 23rd, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
I think your family member is lying to you...........
I can't speak for MSU, but I'm very certain that Michigan does not have to pay for apparel from Adidas.
I don't know how ND's deal is but they it works for Michigan with Adidas is they $3.8M in cash each year and have a $2.2M budget for apparel. Any apparel over the $2.2M limit is supposed to be paid out of pocket by the athletic department. 3.8 + 2.2 = 6. Which is why you hear about a $6M deal.
Nike has ruined Bauer!
I do think it will be Nike though.
Disagree. Take a peek at Bauer.com's list of NHL athletes. Not only are they very good players, but there are quite a few of them.
Nike did ruin Bauer for a while in the early 2000's. However, Bauer was carved out of Nike by a private equity firm in 2008 and things really turned around after that. To Nike's credit, they had actually started the turnaround before the sale, but to make consumers believe it, you had to get the swoosh off the product. The Bauer brand in the hockey community had huge value, but when combined with Nike, it lost a lot of credibility. The PE firm that bought Bauer added a few additional sports brands to the copmany, including Easton's baseball division and Maverik lacrosse. The Company is now public and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange. I worked on the transaction to carve Bauer out from Nike and toured a few of their mfg and testing facilities. I was surprised by the level of sophistication that went into designing, testing, and manufacturing all of their products. For a while after the carve-out, Bauer focuesed exclusively on serious hockey players. They got rid of rollerblades and low-end Sports Authority type skates and sold primarily through the specialty dealers (brick and mortar and online). They've since added the Nexus product line which is at a lower price point, but their primary focus remains the kid/adult that plays hockey multiple times a week, not the parent that skates 2x per year.
I'm not 100% sure about this, but I believe Nike's only hockey gear these days are uniforms. Nike has gotten out of the hockey equipment business,
If the athletes overwhelmingly want Nike, doesn't that hurt Michigan's ability to negotiate with Nike (and with FOIA & leaks, they will know how the kids voted). This may have been better carried out informally by a BBA or MBA team for an extra credit.
It would also be nice to get the opinion of kids at other, non-Adidas schools.
Nike is the superior product. We're costing ourselves dearly on the field and hardwood with critical footwear, selling our souls for Adidas cash. It's not worth it. Nike. Just do it, Hackett.
All of it. Nike + Harbaugh and there's no stopping us. I really think they're worth about 1 point a game. Maybe 1.5.
I just hope whoever they contract with gets the color MAIZE used in the uniforms instead of the anti-freeze yellow Adidas uses now.
Depending on who you listen to and how much stock you put into what they say, who a school has supply their gear can have a big impact on some basketball recruits.
March 23rd, 2015 at 11:21 PM ^
People seem to love Nike, but Nike pulls the same stunts as Adidas. I hate how each company fits each of its schools with the same template on uniforms with few exceptions. As far as comfort, I have Adidas shoes and an Adidas jacket and both are very comfortable. Nike gear is equally comfortable to me and I've found some of both I like. I'd like to see Michigan stay traditional in uniforms with football. In basketball I like the current uniforms, but my favorite are the fab five era unis. I used to like piping and stripes until it became the rule. Now it's refreshing to see teams with basic templates. I must be getting old.....
March 24th, 2015 at 12:54 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Its good to get the opinion of the people who actually wear the stuff.
A lof better than Brandon telling everyone (fans, players, etc) what they wanted.