In Portland, Matthew Kish noted the Univ. of Cincinnati "got a big raise" when it switched to Under Armour from adidas for its apparel provider. The school will receive $1M in cash and $3.5M in equipment for the "first year of the deal" in '15-16. The 10-year agreement includes more than $11M in cash and more than $36M "in equipment, making it worth" in excess of $47M. It pays "significantly more" than UC's adidas deal, which will pay the school $525,000 in cash and give it $2.1M in equipment and apparel this year (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/15).
ACED THAT TEST: The Univ. of Evansville yesterday signed a five-year deal with Nike to become the exclusive apparel provider for all of the school's 14 sports. Terms of the deal were unavailable. Nike had provided apparel for several UE teams, including men's basketball. All other programs will transition to Nike beginning this summer (UE).
TOP DOGS A Columbus COMMERCIAL DISPATCH editorial stated Mississippi State's profile has been raised by some "forward-thinking efforts in marketing and promotions." MSU AD Scott Stricklin said that "licensing fees from the sale of items bearing MSU's logo and trademarks" are up 62% over last year. Through social media, "aggressive advertising and targeted, effective marketing campaigns such as 'Hail State' and even 'Stark-Vegas' the Bulldogs have become, for perhaps the first time, fashionable, cool, exciting." The editorial stated much of this "can be rightfully attributed" to Stricklin and his predecessor, Greg Byrne, as both men "pumped life in the Bulldogs moribund marketing/branding efforts" (Columbus COMMERCIAL DISPATCH, 4/14).
MAIZED & CONFUSED: In Detroit, Steve Schrader reported Michigan has "issued a cease-and-desist letter to Trending T-Shirts, a company selling a 'Michigan Snipers' shirt." The maize and blue shirt "plays off the recent campus controversy of the showing of 'American Sniper' and features Jim Harbaugh's signature, which apparently led some to believe the football coach had endorsed it" (FREEP.com, 4/14).
