Episode No. 92: Will Rutgers stick with Adidas or switch to Nike?

Episode No, 92 focuses on the shoe and brand deal for Rutgers athletics. After joining the Big Ten as a Nike school, athletic director Pat Hobbs led the transition to Adidas in 2017. With the current deal entering the home stretch, there has been speculation on what will happen next.

Back when Hobbs announced the switch to Adidas, he did state that there would be an effort made to preserving the relationship in the long-term.

“I’m expecting that we’ll be able to sit down with adidas as our partner and talk about an extension down the road,” he told Keith Sargeant of NJ Advance Media in February 2017. “At that point we will have positioned ourselves to do even better (financially).”

With the current deal expiring at the end of the 2023-2024 school year, talks have been taking place between Rutgers and Adidas.

This episode discusses the current deal that Rutgers athletics has with Adidas. This includes a brief overview of financial terms. Points of discussion include whether the contract will be renewed or extended and what the value in doing so is. Specifically, the financial impact, brand impact and also impact of the decision for basketball. Another thing to consider is if Nike is a real option and which brand values Rutgers more. The idea of continuing the relationship with Adidas in the near future while still weighing options in the long run is included as well. Also, the fact that the improved leverage of today versus when the deal was made Plus an update on facilities based on recent quotes from Hobbs.

You can listen and watch this episode below.

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