Adidas has displaced Nike as the apparel and merchandise licensee and uniform provider for the Miami Hurricanes, according to South Florida media.
Citing anonymous sources, the Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post newspapers reported Mondaythe the University of Miami would switch its apparel and merchandize contract to Adidas, ending a historic relationship with Nike. The Post reported the university would announce a multi-year, multi-million-dollar licensing deal with Adidas Thursday.
Nike made history in 1988 when it signed the first all-sports contract with the university. Prior to that, such deals were typically limited to a single team such as football or baseball. Deals that cut across an entire school's athletic department have come to be known as “owning the school.”
The Sun-Sentinel report said Nike now equips 45 of 65 schools in Power 5 conferences. After winning displacing Nike at Arizona State University and the University of Miami, Adidas will grow to 13 such teams in 2015. Under Armour current has contracts with eight such teams.
