There “was no announcement last summer" when the Univ. of Georgia extended its deal with Nike through June 30, 2024, but new documents show the school is now “completing the first year of a new 10-year deal" worth at least $40.8M over its length, according to a front-page piece by Marc Weiszer of the ATHENS BANNER-HERALD. UGA “has been under an all-sport contract with Nike” since ‘99. Under the latest deal, UGA annually gets an average of $2.88M in product from Nike and $1M in cash. UGA also received a $2M signing bonus. The new deal is $1.3M more per year than the previous agreement. Among SEC schools, only deals for Tennessee at $5.5M in its previous deal with adidas, Auburn at $4.3M with Under Armour and LSU at $4.2M with Nike were more. Nike also “pays performance bonuses to Georgia for football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming, men's golf and baseball.” In football, UGA “receives $10,000 for reaching the SEC championship game, $20,000 for winning the SEC title, $25,000 for a college football playoff semifinal, $50,000 for the national championship game and $100,000 for winning the national title.” The NCAA runner-up finish for women's swimming was “worth $5,000.” If the UGA men's golf team “wins the national title, that's $2,000.” UGA football coach Mark Richt, men's basketball coach Mark Fox and women's basketball coach Joni Crenshaw are “obligated to make up to three appearances a year on behalf of Nike up to 24 hours in duration, including travel time.” The school’s contract with Nike states that UGA teams other than football “should be available to take part in Nike-sponsored tournaments once every three years” (ATHENS BANNER-HERALD, 5/20).
