Sparty deal with Nike: $34 million over 10 years

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

Signed last summer. I guess all the walmart wolverines they like to talk about are worth some actual money, maybe they should get some of their own. 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state-universi…

This is another testament to the power of yes, the Michigan brand. If it was all about football and b-ball success recently, you would not see this huge discrepency in fee. 

 

mGrowOld

July 18th, 2015 at 8:53 AM ^

Nationally recognized university with 100 year plus tradition of athletic and academic excellence beats regional agricultural college with little to no fan base outside of the state they reside in.

Go figure.

Everyone Murders

July 18th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^

I was cobbling together a post as this went up, so now the Irritable Bowel Disease crowd can have at it.  I think it's a really interesting article, giving me information about a rival that I'd not seen before. 

It will also be interesting for recruits to read that article.  If MSU can finish in the top five or so three times in a five year span, and still get less than a third of money Nike gives Michigan (its only real rival), that speaks volumes about public opinion.  I would definitely take that as a data point if choosing between the schools, especially now that we have great coaching in the two major sports.

FGB

July 18th, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^

and the guy didn't miss the point.  He/she was responding to a post that said "how will recruits react when they read that article."

You know how many recruits are reading articles about, and making choices about their school based on, the respective apparel deals of Michigan and MSU?   This matters basically not at all for recruiting, compared to winning on the field.

No one thinks Alabama is a great academic university.  Everyone thinks Cal Berkeley is a great academic university.  There's your data points for the weight top tier recruits give about the value of their degree.

wolverinestuckinEL

July 18th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^

It did?  Please explain what point I missed.  Brand recognition matters to an extent.  Winning and player development matter more.  The end.  Harvard has great brand recognition.  That data point means next to nothing without a competent football team to go along with it.  But MSU is doing pretty well for themselves on the recruiting trail as of late even without a $100 million deal from Nike.  

Sledgehammer

July 18th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^

If that was the case, the academic juggernauts would rule. Teams like Vanderbilt, Duke, Northwestern, and the entire Ivy League would all be top flight programs. Instead of spending crazy amounts of money on athletic facilities and coach salaries, a lot of money would go to improve the non-athletic side of the school. 

Almost every kid thinks they can make it to the NFL. They want the best coaches and the best facilities to train at. 

bacon

July 18th, 2015 at 1:58 PM ^

He said few players make it to the NFL, not no one makes it to the NFL. If you're going to the schools you listed, you're almost certainly not going to the NFL. You go to Michigan, Stanford, USC, ND, you have as good of a shot at making the NFL as anywhere AND you get an education that takes care of you if you don't.

Jon06

July 18th, 2015 at 9:18 AM ^

This is not surprising (see Mr. Drew Carey's post above), but I still find it hilarious. Only interesting apparel deal post ever.

BornInAA

July 18th, 2015 at 9:25 AM ^

“Michigan is a top-five program internationally,” Rovell said. “If I’m walking in New York City and I see a Michigan State hat, I guarantee he or she went to Michigan State. If I’m walking in New York City and I see a Michigan hat, I’m not so sure — that’s the difference. Michigan is a brand that people buy because it’s Michigan or they know someone who went to Michigan. It’s not the same with Michigan State.”

Dawkins

July 18th, 2015 at 9:31 AM ^

This. As I stated in the other thread, perhaps if they weren't such assholes toward non-alumni who want to root for their team their brand would be worth something. Their whole "walmart wolverine" meme doesn't exactly give off a welcoming vibe to Michiganders and others who didn't attend a Big Ten school but want to root for a college football team.