ECU yesterday announced a 10-year, $16M deal with adidas, and "inherent in the new contract is ECU's freedom to reallocate some of the apparel funds to other areas, most notably to the school's total cost of attendance plan for athletes," according to Nathan Summers of the Greenville DAILY REFLECTOR. ECU's current contract with Nike expires in May, and AD Jeff Compher said that the school will be fully "decked out" in adidas by the '16-17 school year. Compher said that a "major factor in the decision" was his "impression that adidas can best cater to all of ECU's teams." ECU had an "exclusive re-negotiation period with Nike as part of the last deal, but then had conversations with adidas and Under Armour before making a decision" (Greenville DAILY REFLECTOR, 11/5).
LONG-TERM SECURITY: In Portland, Matthew Kish wrote the Univ. of Texas' 15-year, $250M deal with Nike is "notable for several reasons, not just its size." It is "likely to become a template for future deals for elite athletic programs." Terms of the deal "more than double" UT's previous agreement, "a trend that's been seen in recent deals," including those signed by Cincinnati-Under Armour and Arizona State-adidas. Nike also has "quietly locked up several of its most coveted university partners" with long-term deals, including Michigan. The length of these deals "means sportswear companies will have fewer opportunities to woo schools away from competitors." South Carolina's deal with UA "expires next June," and the only other big contracts set to expire in '17 are UCLA-adidas and Oklahoma-Nike. A bigger class "will be up for grabs" in '18, including Alabama, Ohio State, Nebraska and North Carolina. Kish: "The dearth of possible deals likely means pitches will become even more elaborate and involved" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/4).
