They should dump nike and go with someone else anyway.
Illinois Football Uniforms
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Every designer has had high profile blunders with their uniforms.
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
Adidas makes terrible looking uniforms and Under Armour is a really struggling company. Don't assume the grass is always greener.
Not about looks, just don't think anyone should buy anything from Nike period.
Honestly curious- how is Under Armour struggling?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Well, its stock price is less than half what it was in 2015. And it seems to have receded as a third power in the Nike-Adidas sponsorship wars. Puma and even New Balance seem like they're both as big if not bigger players in that space now.
What's next Reebok making a comeback?
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Reebok did recently become independent of Adidas again, stranger things have happened.
Loved my Allen Iverson Reeboks back in the day, tore up IMPE in those (no I didn't)
#TeamNeverWhitePants
This is my hill, let me die in peace.
This is my hill, let me die in peace.
It’s a shame on UA. Schools I’ve worked at have bought jerseys and shoes from them. Quality similar to or better than Nike and significantly less money. And they offered better incentives for free stuff when you spent certain amounts.
This was all basketball gear though so maybe the football stuff where they make their most money isn’t up to snuff.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
UA is still pretty competitive in the college sponsorship space, maybe that's why.
That seems like one of the three big pillars, with the other two being international soccer (where UA has basically disappeared after making a big splash some years back) and basketball shoes for NBA players (where UA made a big push and seems to have done poorly, Steph Curry's shoes get made fun of on twitter a lot).
There's also of course the pro league apparel sponsorships, where Nike has the NFL, NBA and MLB now, and Adidas has the NHL and MLS.
Fight it all you want, Nike is still the gold standard.
My problem with Nike, as a fan of a Nike team, is that if your school/team isn't one of the select few, you can't find any decent apparel. I don't think Nike even sells Illinois jerseys, in either football or basketball. I've looked, they don't exist. Their website has basketball jerseys for Oregon, MSU, OSU, Duke and Kentucky. That's it. Heck, they have more Iowa gear on their website than Illini gear. If Nike ever gets into the NIL game we are screwed, because they aren't doing us any favors.
Equipment manager Trent Chesnut is 'a staple' of the Illini football program
“The process of putting each stripe on the helmet and making sure the ‘Block I’ decal was straight when a player wore the helmet took hours, but the social media reaction was favorable during a Week Zero game when the new-look helmets officially took the field.”
“The process of putting each stripe on the helmet and making sure the ‘Block I’ decal was straight when a player wore the helmet took hours, but the social media reaction was favorable during a Week Zero game when the new-look helmets officially took the field.”
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
It has been the subject of Federal investigations into its accounting practices since 2015 and those problems haven't gone away. That's a canary in the coal mine for sales struggles. The sharp stock price drop during a bull market is the most important piece of data, as someone else noted.
UA is a big deal in Baltimore and Maryland generally. The founder is a Terp alum and has given lots of $$$ to the athletic programs there.
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
Under Armour also terminated its deals with UCLA and Cal. I think Cincinnati agreed to a buy-out with them that shortens the deal by five years (I guess they still will be outfitted by them for a couple more years). Maybe they have stabilized things in the past year, but I wouldn't expect them to be shelling out a lot of money to non-top tier athletic programs. When most of their deals expire, they may just let them walk.
I get the appeal, because UA product for schools like Northwestern, Wisconsin & Notre Dame is very good. I just don't think it is very realistic that this move is an option for us. Couple that with adidas providing sub-par products, and that leaves Nike as the safest option, as underwhelming as that can be sometimes.
I get the appeal, because UA product for schools like Northwestern, Wisconsin & Notre Dame is very good. I just don't think it is very realistic that this move is an option for us. Couple that with adidas providing sub-par products, and that leaves Nike as the safest option, as underwhelming as that can be sometimes.
Cook
- Richmond, VA
Somebody should check out Syracuse's helmets from their Rutgers game. What I saw were impeccable and may have been painted rather than stickers. Center stripes perfectly matched contours, gaps, and slits regardless of the helmet style or manufacturer and the S was perfectly placed on every helmet I saw.
Seriously, go check it out. I was amazed that a college helmet could be that well done (not the design, just the graphics application). It was remarkable.
Go Nats 88 Illini
Fairfax, VA
That article was a fun read - thanks for posting.
Shame. I know I'm in the minority here, but I always liked us switching up our uniforms every week. To me, it was fun and they looked quite good. Especially the grey ghosts. They were an awesome set imo. Oh well, winning games is more important.
mattcoldagelli
- Script Illinois Enthusiast
Bielema is correct on this
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