Shoes do matter (this time with evidence!)
Sorry for another vaguely apparel related thread, but I recall the long, ongoing debate of "do kids really give a crap about what brand your school has", and found this article, and the quotes in particular, telling. My read of it is that most of the time shoe brand is not THE deciding factor, but it is a major factor.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25…
August 19th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
"Yes! Under Armor and Adidas deliver players to their schools."
Adidas delivers players to their schools? That's news to me...
August 19th, 2015 at 1:54 PM ^
"Stork"
August 19th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
I think the brand makes a huge difference with many players. Having the Jumpman for both of our teams is a big deal.
August 19th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
Personally, having the "jumpman" logo on football uni's will be a bit weird but I think it is pretty cool that it's only with the U right now and if it helps us with recruiting, jumpman away!
August 19th, 2015 at 1:12 PM ^
Only "U" that matters.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^
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August 19th, 2015 at 1:26 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
What? ...You prefer Big Blue?!?
August 19th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 1:14 PM ^
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August 19th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^
As long as Nike doesn't bring that weird stitched collar to Jumpman, I'm all for it
August 19th, 2015 at 12:54 PM ^
was a star basketball player for Michigan in the early 80's. He thinks that the switch to Nike, and the Jordan affiliation in particular, is going to be HUGE for recruiting. He seemed as excited about it as he was when Harbaugh was hired.
He explained it by saying that the school's don't really give their athletes anything (he played before Martin was passing out $100 bills) as the NCAA rules prohibit them from doing so.
The one thing that the kids can get is gear. A lot of it. And since Nike (and Jordan) are far and away the most popular brand, he thinks that more than a few kids will be swayed to Michigan just for the swag.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2015/08/ohio_state_vs_michigan_j…
I posted this link below, but in this article the writer talks about how UNC players were able to get a highly coveted pair of Jordans before they were even released in stores.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
he was talking about. It kind of surprised me actually, as he played for the Pistons and is no fan of Jordan personally.
August 19th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
To the doubters, tell me you can't picture a dumbass kid like Terrelle Pryor making a "pros/cons" list when deciding between Michigan and Ohio State, and including "Nike v. Adidas" on that list. The fact is, it matters. Granted it's a stupid reason to choose a school, but 16-year-old kids are stupid (we all were at that age). And you're full of crap if you say you'd rather not have a kid on the team if the team's equipment brand is that important. You'd root just as hard for Rashan Gary if he came here because he wanted to wear Jumpman.
As for whether the equipment actually causes an athlete to perform better, there's an often dismissed, but very real, psychological aspect to equipment, beyond the physical aspect. There was once a burlesque show director who was asked why he paid thousands of dollars to dress his dancers in expensive french underwear despite the fact that the undergarments would never actually be seen by the audience. His answer: "Because they (the dancers) know they're wearing them." People perform better when they feel confident. Its the same reason the Fab Five wanted to do away with the 1908s-style short-shorts and switch to longer, tendy, more baggy shorts. "Look, Fish, if you want us to perform our best, we need to be comfortable." --18-year-old Jalen Rose to Coach Steve Fisher.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:14 PM ^
I think that the majority of your first paragraph includes a lot of things that its okay to think it, but not a good idea to put it into print where others can read it. Probably not the greatest representation of the University of Michigan and its fanbase.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:19 PM ^
Speak for yourself on that first paragraph.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^
I don't follow. Are you insinuating Pryor chose OSU over Michigan because we switched to adidas?
I'm all for bashing Buckeyes, but atleast present some proof for your ridiculous statements.
August 19th, 2015 at 2:04 PM ^
August 21st, 2015 at 10:45 AM ^
The reference to burlesque dancers in fancy French underwear is kind of weird. I get it, but who makes those connections?
August 19th, 2015 at 1:48 PM ^
it would have been far down the list and well below:
Must play school vs don't have to play school.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:19 PM ^
August 19th, 2015 at 1:22 PM ^
If shoes mattered then Andy Dufresne would still be in prison. FACT
August 19th, 2015 at 1:44 PM ^
Also, 6'5" guy can fit into dress shoes owned by 5'11" guy? Who cast that film, anyway?
August 19th, 2015 at 2:03 PM ^
Those are Caitlyn Jenner's I think...
August 19th, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^
Nicely done.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^
• "There's one player I know I didn't get because of Nike ... and I work for a Nike school!"I wish this coach would have elaborated.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:44 PM ^
Not sure if this was posted here.
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2015/08/ohio_state_vs_michigan_j…
This OSU beat writer seems to think it matters a great deal.
August 19th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
love those shoes in the Jay Harbaugh tweet.
August 19th, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
As my join date and point total shows, I a long-time lurker but very infrequent poster(Lurking since '08 actually). I normally do not post because of several reasons such as not attending UM, not understandin all the board lingo, and quite frankly because I don't have the best grammar or spelling(haha) amongst other reasons. The few times that I do post is when I actually feel I may have some information or insight into the conversation. I feel this is one of those occasions.
Of course shoes matter! Of course being with NIKE matters! And of course having the Jumpman logo is HUGE! I am not a huge Jordan fan by any stretch but I have many friends who are fans and who have children that have been dressed in NIKE/Jordan apparel since they were infants. Things like that stick with kids. It also sticks with them when their uncles, siblings, cousins, and peers are all drawn to the same thing. We have been immersed NIKE/Jordan for years to the point where I do not know anybody that is brand loyal to any other brand for athletic apparel other than NIKE. Hell even all of my shoes are either NIKE(athletic) or Skechers(everyday wear or boots).
Long post being longer, while which shoe company supplies a program may not be in the top 5 reasons(or top 10 for that matter) a recruit chooses a school, I do think it would be naive of us not to think of this as a HUGE boon for this team/program we all love so much.
August 19th, 2015 at 3:16 PM ^
This is what Harbaugh brings. Jordan himself apparently reached out to Michigan to suggest the partnership, which makes sense considering how Harbaugh has been out there in the world of pop culture. You think Jordan would have reached out to Brady Hoke? Hoke is so Adidas, and that wasn't enough at Michigan.
I somehow missed that, the part about Jordan reaching out to Harbaugh on his own. That's actually pretty cool and probably only adds to the base level of attraction where it concerns Michigan. I mean, there have been a few tweets posted here where some prospective targets have mentioned this specifically, so they were right about the immediate impact.
August 19th, 2015 at 8:38 PM ^
I'm excited about the return of Nike as the next guy, but....
I recall we recruited pretty well under Hoke, notwithstanding the logo on our unis.
August 19th, 2015 at 10:49 PM ^
I hope they put the jumpman logo on all the hockey stuff too, just because it would be amusing.