Vols Switching to Nike?

[Herman Hickman]

Tennessee should always take the best deal for itself on this issue.

These latest Adidas jerseys, especially the road whites, have been the best we've had for years.

When I was in Arkansas, Nike had the contract for the Hogs. One year, Nike shipped Arkansas a substantial supply of Razorback gear....in Mississippi State colors.

If you aren't one of their top tier programs, then you will get screwed one way or the other. Every year in the contract, they'll force us into a generic design 1000s of their other programs use. The next, they'll ship us gear in Florida or Clemson orange. They can't be trusted.

We should stick with the company that treats us like we are a number one priority. Going with a brand proposing to give us a generic product at sub-standard service will do more harm than good for merchandise sales.

 

[VolinMichigan]

I have a couple of Adidas UT t shirts and every time I wear them I feel like I'm being choked by a very weak person. I've never has this problem with any Nike shirt I've owned. I look forward to the change if it's going to happen.

 

[Flipdaddy]

Why all the hate on Adidas... lol! I think I can speak on behalf of Adidas. I own

3 different styles of UT warm ups
5 different years of coaches polos
At least 5 hats
4 pairs of adidas shoes
2 sweatshirts
Countless shirts

It's quality is second to none. It last for years and you can't beat the comfort of the shoes. As far as UT jerseys they looked great last year especially the away jerseys. My wife wore Nike for years. I made her buy a pair of adidas and she will not have another pair of Nike. I don't get all the Nike love.

 

[utvolpj]

I have a couple of Adidas UT t shirts and every time I wear them I feel like I'm being choked by a very weak person. I've never has this problem with any Nike shirt I've owned. I look forward to the change if it's going to happen.

UT doesn't have to switch for you to buy Nike t-shirts

 

[DeerPark12]

Both make the stuff in China. You can ship it to where ever you want, but its still cheap Chinese crap. Those two places in Nebraska and Wisconsin are middlemen.

Not for the jerseys. The jerseys are actually manufactured in the USA. Nike jerseys by a company called Powers Athletic, Adidas jerseys by Ripon. They do all of their production in this country. The Adidas Techfit material is imported from Isreal and assembled and lettered by Ripon.

The t-shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, etc are made overseas by both companies, often in the same factories.

 

[Ernest T. Vol]

All Day I Dream About Sex

New Chili Peppers Song: Dream of Volfornication

 

[gunner]

Why all the hate on Adidas... lol! I think I can speak on behalf of Adidas. I own

3 different styles of UT warm ups
5 different years of coaches polos
At least 5 hats
4 pairs of adidas shoes
2 sweatshirts
Countless shirts

It's quality is second to none. It last for years and you can't beat the comfort of the shoes. As far as UT jerseys they looked great last year especially the away jerseys. My wife wore Nike for years. I made her buy a pair of adidas and she will not have another pair of Nike. I don't get all the Nike love.

I own a pair of each, the Adidas are much better quality than than the Nike. If UT leaves Adidas, Under Amour would be my second choice.

I don't get why some are so obsessed with the Vols switching to Nike when Adidas gives them a much better deal and the quality of the apparel is vastly superior to Nike.

 

[Oskie Volum]

Not for the jerseys. The jerseys are actually manufactured in the USA. Nike jerseys by a company called Powers Athletic, Adidas jerseys by Ripon. They do all of their production in this country. The Adidas Techfit material is imported from Isreal and assembled and lettered by Ripon.

The t-shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, etc are made overseas by both companies, often in the same factories.

Ha!!! Nice call out dp. But now u r going to get the anti-isreal folks more of a reason to like adidas. Joke I know..but let's be honest it's a bit true. Ha!!

Thanks for correcting the info.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[Bob Mueller]

Just so we're clear, I'm not saying we're signing with either company. I don't know. I do know that the administration has used leaks to Hubbs to increase chatter to maximize the offers.

Adidas feels good about where they are in negotiations. Nike made an offer. We'll see. A contract has to be in place by May in order to allow the full year needed for the design and ordering process. A deal with either company could be announced any time between now and then.

Two things are very important to note about the relationship with Adidas. Since they began signing schools to all-sport contracts in 1996, Adidas has only ever lost two of their "top-tier" schools. Arizona State changed in 2005. Arkansas took $800,000 less per year when they switched three years ago.

Second, Adidas is also renegotiating with Notre Dame this year, after signing long-term extensions with Nebraska and UCLA last year. Nike is making a strong push for Notre Dame. If Nike gets Notre Dame, Adidas will go all-in even more to keep Tennessee.

darren rovell ‏@darrenrovell
BREAKING: Notre Dame to switch from adidas to Under Armour for all sports

 

[Catbone]

So Adidas will likely pay us more now?

 

[HARTUPM]

I think we should go with LA Gear, Rawlings, or Riddell IMO.

Don't give Hart (who lurks here) any crazy ideas like that, he may run with it.

 

[BearCat204]

darren rovell ‏@darrenrovell
BREAKING: Notre Dame to switch from adidas to Under Armour for all sports

You really wanted to get your point across

 

[AllforTenn]

Well, I originally was opposed because I thought Nike did some stupid stuff with alternate jerseys, but Adidas has quickly caught up with that game. Now I guess I could care less.

If you could care less then you care; if you couldn't care less then you don't care at all. So how much do you care?

 

[iluvsmesumdooley]

Thought we were locked in with Adidas for te next century?

I though we were locked in until Armageddon.

 

[K-town Vol Fan]

I just don't see what effin difference makes. I don't care if our apparel is "cool"

Just win baby.

 

[VOLnMiami]

I just don't see what effin difference makes. I don't care if our apparel is "cool"

Just win baby.

Exactly...Only difference is the adidas logo or a nike swoosh....And thats it....It doesn't change anything and for those of you wanting Nike, Bad news for you, UT signed a long term deal with Adidas for it seems like forever...Not sure why some are so obsessed with Nike.

 

[BennisDrewer]

This doesn't have much to do with anything at all...But Louisville is Adidas right?

I'm pretty neutral when it comes to teams wearing alternates.... but the new UL black chrome helmets are the best looking alternate helmets I've ever seen!

 

[Brave Volunteer]

This doesn't have much to do with anything at all...But Louisville is Adidas right?

I'm pretty neutral when it comes to teams wearing alternates.... but the new UL black chrome helmets are the best looking alternate helmets I've ever seen!

That does look cool. Also, Adidas makes Cincinnati's uniforms and I think they have some coolest looking unis in college football.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

DeerPark12, I imagine that you probably are not at liberty to discuss this, but just how much is Tennessee's contract with Adidas worth financially? I saw the following statement in the article on Notre Dame's decision to go with Under Armour and it piqued my curiosity:

"Notre Dame's deal with adidas began in 1997. In 2005, the German shoe and apparel company signed a 10-year deal that lasted through this school year. When Notre Dame signed the deal, it was the top priority for adidas, but things changed when adidas began providing shoes and apparel for the University of Michigan in 2008. The deal that gives the Wolverines $8.2 million in cash and equipment annually is the largest deal in all of college sports" (Notre Dame Fighting Irish select Under Armour for next apparel deal - ESPN).

 

[DeerPark12]

DeerPark12, I imagine that you probably are not at liberty to discuss this, but just how much is Tennessee's contract with Adidas worth financially? I saw the following statement in the article on Notre Dame's decision to go with Under Armour and it piqued my curiosity:

"Notre Dame's deal with adidas began in 1997. In 2005, the German shoe and apparel company signed a 10-year deal that lasted through this school year. When Notre Dame signed the deal, it was the top priority for adidas, but things changed when adidas began providing shoes and apparel for the University of Michigan in 2008. The deal that gives the Wolverines $8.2 million in cash and equipment annually is the largest deal in all of college sports" (Notre Dame Fighting Irish select Under Armour for next apparel deal - ESPN).

It's public record, anybody can request the terms. The current contract is worth approximately $3.75 million per year in cash and product, which is considerably richer than most of the deals that Nike has with schools. Only North Carolina, Ohio State and Alabama have contracts worth more in money and product with Nike than Tennessee's with Adidas. When signed in 2010, the deal was third most valuable in the country behind Notre Dame and UCLA.

I would say that Notre Dame's situation, while not a surprise to Adidas, makes it more likely that we extend with them. Nike made a strong push for ND, but were unwilling to make them the commitment to make Notre Dame their richest school. Under Armour was willing to d that. It's an ego thing with them and they found a partner willing to stroke that ego. They weren't coming back to Adidas after Adidas gave Michigan the deal they did.

Now, Adidas, a company that has only ever lost a top-tier school once before (Arkansas) is faced with possibly losing two of the first three schools they had in their portfolio when they got into the team sports business in the 1990s. I don't think they're going to sit back and let that happen.

If Tennessee makes a change, they will have to take less money to do so. Probably significantly less. Is it possible that they make a change? Yes. Very possible. It comes down to whether Dave Hart is willing to take $1 million less per year for the sake of change. I don't think that's a responsible stance to take when our budget situation is what it is. Bobby Petrino bullied Jeff Long into dumping Adidas at Arkansas. They got $1.7 million less per year from Nike than Adidas had offered.

Before somebody brings it up, I've seen the "fans will buy enough Nike gear to make up for it." No. No they will not. UT gets a very small percentage of the revenue from selling these items. Less than five percent per item. Less on some items. To make up a million dollar difference, UT would have to sell more licensed products just from Nike than any school sold last year. That's not going to happen.

So, do I think Tennessee will ultimately change? I doubt it. But the administration was and still is very interested in evaluating all of their options and getting the best deal. If they truly feel that it is worth taking $1 million a year less to make a change, then they will do it.

 

[rocktopper16]

When is the deadline Dp?

 

[NashVOL93]

I will say that this year's stormtrooper unis with the orange checkerboard sleeve shirts were damn sharp. Some of my favorites in a while. The all-orange creamsicles also looked very good, better than I remember, though that could be because we got a Top 10 win while wearing them. I have no real complaints about our current Adidas getups except that I could stand to see the weird, unexpectedly visible shoulder patterns go away, especially considering there is an Adidas template that doesn't use them.

 

[DeerPark12]

When is the deadline Dp?

There really isn't one. The current deal with Adidas runs through summer 2015. Nothing will change before then.

Generally, a company needs a full year to design and manufacture gear for the teams and for retail. UT has already ordered everything the teams will wear outside of uniforms for the 2014-15 school year. Some of it has already arrived and will be worn by coaches during spring practice and the spring game. Retailers have placed their orders or will do so in the next few weeks.

In Notre Dame's case, negotiations with Adidas, Nike and Under Armour had been going for more than a year for a contract that ends in July. This is pretty much the last moment that they could have gotten a deal done and have product available for retail. Since Notre Dame is navy/gold, there's a lot of stock stuff that UA can slap a logo on and sell. As part of the negotiation, ND had placed orders for next year in the event the contract was extended.

So the absolute deadline would be a year from now. But UT will likely have something well before then. I wouldn't be surprised if it was this summer before anything is announced, giving a new partner a full year to get things in place or giving Adidas the standard year-ahead cycle.

 

[Dan Federman]

Uni Watch » Uni Watch Fan Appreciation Day, 2013 Edition

Interesting tidbit on Notre Dame leaning towards switching to Under Armour and I thought this spoke volumes:

"With Nike, Notre Dame would be just one more fish in the sea."

I know that is rumor, but if ND feels they'd just be another fish in the sea with Nike, how in the world do you think Tennessee would be treated? I also get they mean in the sense they want to be the top billed program for a brand, but again, if ND thinks this, do you not think UT would be much worse? We don't compare to ND nationally as a brand.

ND wanted 50 million from Adidas, they said no way. They went to Nike and they said no way. UA said yes and that’s why ND is with UA now. I know this because I’m good friends with an Adidas rep.

 

[SDV]

ND wanted 50 million from Adidas, they said no way. They went to Nike and they said no way. UA said yes and that’s why ND is with UA now. I know this because I’m good friends with an Adidas rep.

Wow, interesting