Do we still hate Adidas?

[cornfed24-7]

I saw this while scrolling through the news today. Adidas jumping into the NIL pool with an atomic cannonball.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/adidas-announces-nil-opportunity-for-college-athletes-at-schools-that-partner-with-company/ar-AAVpSNV?ocid=BingNewsSearch

[49r]

Probably, because you can rest assured that Nike will have something like this if not better soon.  (If they don't already)

 

And, all thing considered equal, I think that non-Nike sponsored athletic departments are always going to be at a massive disadvantage.  Especially in hoops.

[uneblinstu]

Good for them. I hope a lot of athletes benefit from this. 

 

Also, I think adidas has done a good job with NU hoops branding over the past decade.

[Handy Johnson]

So much for having enough money to buy a pizza & see a movie. Remember when that sad little line was trotted out for YEARS as to why Athletes should be paid…

[OmahaHusker]

Adidas made a push a couple years ago to be cool but have delved back to lame again. 

[Crush78]

I have 3 teenagers, and they prefer adidas & under armour over Nike. But they are girls, so maybe it's a gender thing & the boys still go nike?

[thrasher31]

I like Adidas, but I always prefer under armour. 

[cipsucks]

3 hours ago, Handy Johnson said:

So much for having enough money to buy a pizza & see a movie. Remember when that sad little line was trotted out for YEARS as to why Athletes should be paid…

 

The way things are going, 120 grand might get you a pizza and a movie.  No way does it cover the gasoline to get your there and back.  BTW, I love my Skechers.  

[Huskerpapa]

3 hours ago, Handy Johnson said:

So much for having enough money to buy a pizza & see a movie. Remember when that sad little line was trotted out for YEARS as to why Athletes should be paid…

True dat...

But in reality the NIL money theoretically has nothing to do with play (although we'd be foolish to believe that). It has all to do with the NCAA and its member colleges making billions off of kids names, images or likenesses and the kids received books and tuition so to speak.  Many of these kids will never make it at the next level and any chance to make a dollar on their NIL was left at the footsteps of dear old U.

Now, that makes it sound like I love this change.  Perhaps.  Two questions I have...is it working as intended? Is it hurting anyone?

[Handy Johnson]

1 hour ago, Huskerpapa said:

True dat...

But in reality the NIL money theoretically has nothing to do with play (although we'd be foolish to believe that). It has all to do with the NCAA and its member colleges making billions off of kids names, images or likenesses and the kids received books and tuition so to speak.  Many of these kids will never make it at the next level and any chance to make a dollar on their NIL was left at the footsteps of dear old U.

Now, that makes it sound like I love this change.  Perhaps.  Two questions I have...is it working as intended? Is it hurting anyone?

All valid points. As to your questions: it’s too soon to tell, & yes…

[HuskerFever]

The Peacocks could use a little help from Adidas:

 

 

[huskerbill85]

I heard Casey Thompson say we have one of the best NIL programs in college sports. Is that true?

[MitchMcGaryMunchies]

Nike signed their first athlete to an NIL deal (UCLA womens soccer player Reilyn Turner) at the end of last year:

 

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/32865866/nike-signs-ucla-soccer-reilyn-turner-company-first-ncaa-nil-deal

 

Sneaker companies start competing for athletes early on through AAU team and tournament sponsorship, so only makes sense that they'll make a more concerted effort to go after the athletes individually now.  And like their AAU sponsorship, this will no doubt influence which colleges they attend...a kid Nike really wants to sign to a NIL deal is going to be steered clear of any Adidas-sponsored colleges by handlers and anyone else they can pay under the table.

 

Adidas corporate seems to have decided it's marquee schools are Miami, Louisville, Kansas, Arizona State, Indiana, Washington...not Nebraska.  We hardly have any merchandise available on Adidas.com.  Even Mississippi State is getting shown more love.  Hell, Rutgers has TWO jersey colorways available.

 

Adidas really failed to capitalize on the momentum they had a few years ago.  They had a hot new technology but didn't really come out with any design differentiation, and pumping out the same product in higher volumes just made it go stale very quickly.  With the Yeezy line, they have steadily increased production volumes and re-released the same product multiple times, reducing the exclusivity of their highest product line.  Nike does a much better job of controlling their catalog and producing products in a low, mid, and high tier with matching exclusivity.  It's pretty incredible that a basic sportswear brand has been able to make some of their products as desirable as the highest end luxury goods.

Edited March 26, 2022 by MitchMcGaryMunchies

[The Polish Rifle]

The Adidas fan gear is freaking awful. They put out cool stuff for the coaches and players from time to time, but its never available to the fans. I see script huskers, script nebraska, basketball Herbie, baseball Herbie, golf Herbie - all being worn by athletes and coaches - and without fail, I can never find the gear online. Must be allergic to money. 

[basketballjones]

Yes. Only thing they’ve done well are ultra boosts. Which admittedly are the goat

[FredsSlacks]

adidas is better than they were 10 years ago, but nike is still vastly superior.

[AuroranHusker]

On 3/23/2022 at 5:46 PM, cipsucks said:

 

The way things are going, 120 grand might get you a pizza and a movie.  No way does it cover the gasoline to get your there and back.  BTW, I love my Skechers.  

 

Me: skechers, fila, and reebok. 

 

 

[Cazzie22]

I like adidas...no Phil Knight.

[huskerbill85]

Is Adidas the reason why we can't rock the cool Husker cursive jerseys more often?

[CrazyforNUHOOPS]

15 minutes ago, huskerbill85 said:

Is Adidas the reason why we can't rock the cool Husker cursive jerseys more often?

No

[MitchMcGaryMunchies]

8 hours ago, Cazzie22 said:

I like adidas...no Phil Knight.

 

If you ever have the chance to read, "Shoe Dog" I think you'll come away with a lot of respect for Uncle Phil.  I know a lot of people hate Phil Knight because of the blank check he has given to the University of Oregon, but can he really be blamed for this?  His business is completely owed to the school and the relationships he formed there.  Would any of us complain if Warren Buffett had just 1% of Phil Knight's passion for his own alma mater? 

 

Warren gave the DN a whole $100k one time when they were in dire need:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/18/why-warren-buffett-donated-100000-to-the-daily-nebraskan-newspaper.html

 

Gotta offset the many billions he's given to the foundations of Bill and Melinda Gates, and his family members' foundations.

 

I think one of the reasons for Nike's continued success is because they have people that are legitimately passionate about the industry at all levels of the organization.  Phil Knight and Mark Parker were college athletes and have spent the majority of their professional lives in this industry.  The Adidas CEO (Kasper Rørsted) is a child of privilege that was sent abroad to study at Harvard, then worked at in upper management at Oracle, Compaq, HP, and Henkel before being anointed top dog at Adidas.  He is not a Shoe Dog 

[atskooc]

On 3/23/2022 at 2:22 PM, Handy Johnson said:

So much for having enough money to buy a pizza & see a movie. Remember when that sad little line was trotted out for YEARS as to why Athletes should be paid…

Yes, that's why NIL was allowed (finally).

[Handy Johnson]

2 hours ago, atskooc said:

Yes, that's why NIL was allowed (finally).

I’ll always say NIL money was a BAD idea. You can’t measure the value of a College degree or experience in terms of dollars & cents. It changes & shapes the way you view the World moving forward. Not everything has to be transactional by design. We’ve lost something important here that we collectively will never recover.

[49r]

17 minutes ago, Handy Johnson said:

I’ll always say NIL money was a BAD idea. You can’t measure the value of a College degree or experience in terms of dollars & cents. It changes & shapes the way you view the World moving forward. Not everything has to be transactional by design. We’ve lost something important here that we collectively will never recover.

 

I'm afraid you're right.  But it is absolutely right and fair that these kids (who are de facto pro athletes now and have been for decades already) get their fair share.  Blame the media and ESPN for monetizing the college sports landscape, but don't blame the kids.

[Cazzie22]

adidas has another title with KU.