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http://caneswatch.blog.palmbeachpos...i-an-original-nike-school-switches-to-adidas/
Adidas has outbid its competitors to become the new supplier to University of Miami sports, ending the school’s pioneering partnership with Nike.
A source told The Palm Beach Post late Sunday evening Adidas and UM will announce their deal this week, thus beginning the process of replacing a brand connected to the Hurricanes for the last 27 years.
As the Post first reported last month, UM did not renew its contract with Nike, which expires Aug. 31, 2015. Athletic director Blake James said then he wished to explore UM’s value in the retail market.
Adidas and Under Armour submitted bids, both several million dollars richer per year than the Nike-UM deal. UM is a private institution and does not disclose information on such contracts. James did not return a message to the Post late Sunday.
Make no mistake: money is the primary factor in the switch. Adidas’ winning bid is believed to be in the ballpark of the eight-year, $33 million pact it announced with Arizona State last month. That pays ASU $3 million more than its old deal with Nike.
According to an August study in the Portland Business Journal that included contract numbers on most of the FBS schools, Adidas pays the four most lucrative contracts in college athletics. At the top is Michigan, which is valued at $8.2 million per year.
In 1987, UM became the first college to sign an all-sports contract with a retailer — allowing one brand to “own the school,” as former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro called it after he inked the deal.
Aside from no longer being a signature Nike school, UM could face blowback in recruiting – although the impact is often overstated – because some recruits who prefer to play in Nike shoes may not want to switch to another brand.
Adidas outfits 11 of the 65 power five conference schools, including Michigan, Louisville, Mississippi State, UCLA and Wisconsin but not Notre Dame, which is now with Under Armour. Some of Adidas’ latest flashy football designs were on display at the 2015 Army All-American Bowl. It also produced these unique basketball alternates.
Nike outfits 45 power five schools. Under Armour has eight.
At some point in the near future, all Hurricanes athletics teams will receive new uniforms. That means UM will no longer wear the ones unveiled before the 2014 season.
It also means new Nike Hurricanes products may no longer be available in retail stores. A new contract often gives a retailer exclusive rights to official merchandise.
