Nike vs. Adidas - The End Of An Era

           Nike & Manchester United

     For the past 13 years the only thing that has been more synonymous with Manchester United winning Premier League titles has been the Swoosh adorned Nike kits they have worn while doing so.  In a move that surprised many, Nike decided not to renew their contract with the club, which is due to expire on July 31^st of this year.  According to a spokesperson for Nike, the American sportswear giant, the deal just didn’t make financial sense on their end thus an agreement that both parties were satisfied with was unable to be reached.  This in turn set the wheels in motion for every other brand name company in the sports apparel industry to jump on board to try and lure Manchester United their way.  After all, United is one of the 3 wealthiest clubs in the entire world according to Forbes magazine, with an estimated value of around $3.2 billion.  In the end though, there was really only one company who ever had a shot at landing the 20 Time Champions of England, and that company was Adidas.  The German based sportswear behemoth has long been the standard by which excellence is measured in world football not only with supplying apparel and merchandise but boots as well.  Adidas already represents the wealthiest club on the planet, Real Madrid, so bringing the 3^rd biggest club in to the fold was simply a no-brainer.  The deal works out well for both sides, with Adidas agreeing to a record breaking $800+ million kit deal that will see Manchester United back wearing the Three Stripes/Adidas logo on their kits for the next decade!

     Many fans were happy to see the change, especially long time fans that remember some of the iconic United kits that Adidas produced back in the 80’s and early 90’s.  Others, like myself, have always loved Nike and would have preferred that United stayed the course and kept the Swoosh on their kits forever!  I personally am a Nike guy, always have been and always will be.  Now that doesn’t mean I won’t be purchasing the new Adidas kits, because at the end of the day Manchester United will always be my club and I will always support them and purchase the new kit every single year no matter what companies logo adorns it.  Quite honestly, I’m more surprised with Nike than anybody else in this situation.  From Manchester United’s point of view, the offer was simply too great to pass up.  However Nike in the span of this summer, has lost not only Manchester United, but Juventus FC also chose Adidas while Celtic FC decided to have their new kits produced by New Balance.  That is 3 of the biggest clubs in world football that Nike has seen walk away from them in the past year!  After the huge grudge match at last summer’s World Cup in Brazil between Nike and Adidas to try and prove who was the elite apparel power in world football, I am still amazed that Nike would let 3 clubs with that much power and marketing and fandom worldwide, to just walk away.  And the two biggest, United and Juventus, to their chief rival!  The way it looks now, Nike has Barcelona, and then who?  I guess Manchester City and Paris St. Germain still will don the swoosh but Nike will be the first to admit, neither of those clubs sell anywhere near the amount of kits, nor have anywhere near the amount of fans globally that both Manchester United and Juventus do.  Not only did Nike lose their kit sponsorship with United, they lost the Megastore at Old Trafford, which Nike owned and operated, and licensing for all apparel other than that made specifically by the club itself.  I always felt that because of the lackluster campaign under David Moyes and not having European football this past season at Old Trafford was one of the main reasons why Nike made the decision they did.  But what a difference a year makes, and with Louis Van Gaal at the helm, United is back in Champions League and prepared to splash that Adidas cash this summer in order to contend for silverware next season. 

     I think Nike realize this and realize they may have made a mistake with this decision, and that’s probably what lead to them demanding United take and wear their Nike kits on their Summer Tour of the United States in July.  Technically the contract with Nike doesn’t end until July 31^st, so every match on the summer tour will feature the same Nike kits that the club wore last season.  Adidas won’t fret though, because when the clock strikes midnight on August 1^st, a massive revamp is going to take place at Old Trafford and Carrington.  By the time the players return from the United States, there won’t be any semblance of Nike anywhere to be found other than in pictures from past championships won and celebrations that came before.  Every Nike Swoosh at Old Trafford will be replaced with an Adidas logo and that huge Swoosh in the stands opposite the Stretford End will be the first thing to be removed.  United have a team in place to work around the clock to remove any and all memories of the brand that adorned their kits since 2002.  Crazy to think how different Old Trafford might look, or how the new kits will go over with the fans.  One thing is for sure though, when Manchester United win the Barclays Premier League and UEFA ChampionsLeague in the next couple of years, you better believe that Nike will be wishing they hadn’t given up on the club that had made them so much money over the past 13 years!  With that being said, it’s time for United to bid Nike adieu, moving onwards and upwards while Adidas gets the chance to revel in Manchester United’s newfound glory!