Louisville resigns with adidas - 5 yr $40 million
Louisville resigned with adidas with a 5 year $40 million dollar contract. The $8 million per year is the third largest collegiate apparel deal and puts them just under the $8.2 million per year Michigan makes from adidas. Pretty surprising number that adidas paid for Louisville after letting Notre Dame walk to Under Armour for 10 years and $90 million (although the Under Armour deal includes an option to take payment as stock as well) and Tennessee to Nike for far less than $8 million per year. Going to be interesting to see what Michigan decides to do when their contract is up in 2 years.
April 17th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
Seems like a high price to pay for the 2nd most popular school in Kentucky
April 17th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
Louisivlle is one of the most profitable programs in the nation, and their national perspective has been a better incline than anyone else in the last 4-6 years easily.
Despite the smaller fanbase in #s, their basketball proram makes more than anyone, their football is in the top 25, and they are high in most other sports. They've also been one of the best multi-sport schools in the nation lately as well, regularly having both basketball teams, softball/baseball, both soccer, football, and field hockey ranked in the top 20.
April 17th, 2014 at 12:34 PM ^
Edit: Looks like you beat me to the punch^^
They have 2 programs in big $$$ sports that do very well though (at least in recent years). Their football program is def way better than Kentucky's and basketball is every bit as good if not better in basketball also.
April 17th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
said before on here, since I worked in the suites at the stadium I did get to interact with a lot of student athletes (mainly track & field). a good chunk of them were at U of M for both Nike and Adidas and all of them told me that they flat out hated what Adidas had to offer when comparing to Nike.
one of them told me that it was like pulling teeth to try and get anything from Adidas for the first couple of years and they also did not like how the uniforms that that they were given fitted them. It wasn't until this person's senior year that Adidas finally got their shit together and dropped exrta uniforms and other equipment for them, granted it was all in garbage bags... This person told me that all they had to do with Nike was tell the rep what they needed and they got it.
U of M did get a new Adidas rep at the beginning of last year so things might have changed as the original rep was a huge asshole, I know this because i served the Adidas suite for 3 years and had to interact with both. Rumor has it the original rep was kindly asked to leave by the Athletic Department...
also in the 2012 football season I was told that there were rumors that the Athletic Department was secertly talking to Nike to try and work out something for then the Adidas contract ran out...
April 17th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
The debate is getting old to be honest. Our Adidas basketball uniforms are much better than our Nike one's ever were. I'd like to try Under Armour out personally.
April 17th, 2014 at 12:30 PM ^
Anyone who thinks Michigan is going to turn down a larger offer by adidas is nuts.
Michigan will sign with adidas again, for a larger deal. Probably the largest.
adidas is here to stay.
It's too bad that Warrior doesn't have a full line. They are more of a lacrosse company that recently also started really expanding soccer apparal. I think it'd be cool to have a unique, local company supply U-M athletics. I think there could be a really good symbiotic relationship (somewhat like Nike-Oregon)
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