VTTW Board Index

per Doug Matthews

Mixed feelings.

No mixed feelings here.  It sucks.  I will never buy Nike shizzle.  Ever. :bird:

It helps with recruiting. That's the positive.

Yep, I don't care either way so if recruits like it let's
go.

BLACK CLEATS, please?!

Kinda like running a red light on Kingston Pike. You KNOW what's coming. You KNOW you're gonna get that citation in the mail. But when it comes you still shout obscenities and kick the dog.

Not gonna lie...I hate it. I know a majority of UT fans are giddy about it. But I hate it.

What difference does it make, really?  I don't understand why people hate it, and I don't know why others love it.    :confused:

I don't understand why others love it, I'm with you there.  :biggrin:

I'm just not a Nike fan. Never have been. If pressed, I probably couldn't give many good reasons (though I do dislike the perception -- and maybe that's all it is -- that Nike influences college athletics by funneling money into the game). But I've passed over Nike gear in the stores since I was a kid. I'll even by Rawlings before Nike.  :biggrin:

I'm not loyal to Adidas; I would've been fine with Under Armour. But I have to admit that I don't like just going along with whatever's popular...which may be a big reason why I've always passed on Nike gear.

It helps recruiting a lot, believe it or not - so it's a good move if you're a Vol fan.

A week before NSD.   :thumbup:

Why do I hate it?  Let me count the reasons:

1. If someone stole your wife or girlfriend, would you want to go to work for them?  Because it's well documented that Nike has meddled in our recruiting, and even swayed a few of our commits elsewhere (Remember Josh Selby?).  Their camps routinely blackball recruits who are committed to Adidas or Under Armor schools.  World Wide Wes is a noted Nike shill.  And now we actually want to wear their logo?  Yes, they'll probably help our recruiting.  Just don't ask why or how.  You probably don't want to know how that sausage is made.

2. I don't really have to detail their shameful history of overseas labor practices, do I?

3. They're responsible for this
(http://saturdaydownsouth.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Georgia-Nike-Pro-Combat.jpg)

And this
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcThSBsxINB9AHTFcf7yy2aHPi6b-DCXOhUhPZZTQr8H2tWLvNqx)

And this
(http://media.katu.com/images/131017-pink-oregon-uniforms-660.jpg)

And this
(http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4df214834bd7c84b30120000-400-300/1-kentucky-wildcats-wore-denim-uniforms-in-1996.jpg)
Yes, that uni is made of denim.  fizzleing denim.

4. Before Earl Woods' body was even cold, they exploited his death to sell shoes.
http://www.youtube.com/v/mUq-ttAcQxg

And a couple years later, when Tiger was dealing with his scandal, they did it again.
http://www.youtube.com/v/5NTRvlrP2NU

Seriously- what kind of evil, soulless corporation does that?

5. Tennessee, Nebraska, and Notre Dame were the original three Adidas schools.  We remain one of their marquee accounts to this day.  If the rumors are true, they offered much more money than Nike even in this bidding cycle.  Do you really think that Nike is going to give us the same perks and attention they give Oregon, OSU, USC, Bammer, UF, or UK?  Or that Adidas is giving us right now?

6. When amateurism in sports is dead (assuming it's not already) and its epitaph is written, it will be noted that Nike played a big role in its demise.  I'd much rather that UT have not been a part of that.  Dave Hart has lost big points with me today. :frown:

My biggest issue with Nike is what they have done with AAU basketball that has made college basketball recruiting such a cesspool of corruption.  I don't really have any issues with the products the produce, other than that their shoes don't fit me very well.  adidas and Asics are pretty much what I have to stay with since I can't find Pro Keds like I used to wear when I was young. 

My personal favorite,  (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXGoJe4T0Ms/UguTizrmUtI/AAAAAAAAAGo/foL_Pewntaw/s1600/Red+Ball+Jets.jpg)

Here's the thing BDV. All of your points are relevant in terms of personal reasons to not like the deal. But we're not recruits. If you or any Vol fan want to see Vol athletics back to relevancy, we have to have whatever we need to get the edge in recruiting. This is just one of those things that some recruits love, and no matter how stupid that may sound, it's a reality. I like the move for that reason only. It will help recruiting, both in football and basketball. That's a fact.

And yet here we sit, with the #2 class in America.  So adding the swoosh to that equation means we should be guaranteed #1 next year, right? 

Notre Dame and A&M, both Adidas schools, are also recruiting very well. 

The best athletic department in the country last year was Louisville, and that's not even up for debate.  They won the NC in mens' hoops, reached the title game in womens' hoops, their baseball team reached the CWS, and their football team smacked UF around in the Sugar Bowl and finished in the top ten.  Somehow, despite their Adidas handicap, they managed to recruit enough athletes in all those sports to contend nationally. 

Sorry, I don't buy it.  This whole deal has a "we just sold our souls" feel to it. :frown:

Well, the more I think about it the more I like it. 

Ainge said Nike footballs are better and the cleats are more comfy, too.  So there's that.

I have no personal beef with Nike, so I'm good.

we'll finish about #6, which is great. Nike/Adidas isn't the main factor to recruiting, but it does help our image with kids.
Check out the schools above us, most are Nike. It's well documented that Nike has the "cool" factor with kids...it's not even debatable. Hell, many of our recruits tweeted immediately how they love the switch.

This. The "it helps recruiting" line as an umbrella excuse loses its luster after a while.

I mean, are there some recruits who would rather play at a Nike school than at an Adidas school? Sure. We're all loyal to our brands, especially those we deem cool. (If I were being recruited by a total outdoorsman team, I'd sign with the one that wore Columbia gear as opposed to North Face.  :biggrin: ) But can we recruit just fine without it? Uh, yeah. I just hate seeing the "it helps recruiting" line for everything...there are probably lots of things we could do under the guise of helping recruit. Treating college girls like professional escorts was a good idea for "helping recruiting" until it wasn't.

I don't really care one way or the other.  I don't like Nike, but my dislike does not extend to not wanting UT to avoid them.

I am kind of pissed about how they screwed us out of some basketball commits, but at least that won't happen any more.

You'll like this, then:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9zYNxtyyrI

Still got a pair of 1952 Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars. Still in good shape with about half the tread still on them.

I like the way Addidas did the football uniforms, espectially the Smokey Gray ones, they looked real real sharp to me. I'm wondering how Tennessee Orange will look when made by Nike and wondering if Nike will be able to come up with a Smokey Gray uniform that looks as good as the one by Addidas?

Why?  Do you think Worldwide Wes will start funneling basketball recruits to Tennessee instead of Kentucky?  I don't see that happening.   UNC has been a Nike school for years and I hate it but the bottom line and the only thing that really bothers me is that ugly swoosh on every one of my UNC t-shirts, jackets, hoodies, whatever.

In this case, "Nike will help our recruiting" means "Nike will stop trying to steal our recruits".  It's kind of like paying "protection" money to your local organized crime syndicate.  Just think of nike as this guy...

(http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Uploads/Graphics/171/06/171-0628094631-godfather-II-don-fannucci-the-black-hand.jpg)

I am referring back to some links posted a few years ago that suggested Nike didn't want a certain recruit (whose name I never quite registered) attending an Adidas school.  So I am guessing they will not do that in the future, but to be honest it was never a story I followed closely.  Just saying that's about the only positive I see...but you CBR, it might not even be a positive.   :biggrin:

Now if I have to have the swoosh on all my UT gear I might get upset, but I don't think that will be the case.  Surely some gear will not have the Nike swoosh.

And besides, my relatives loaded me up with so much UT gear at Christmas I had to ask them to stop.  I am stocked for years to come.   :dielaughing:

LOL- you haven't been in a sporting goods store lately, have you?  If it's made by nike it has the swoosh, and in a prominent location.

You misunderstood my point.  I know Nike shizzle has the swoop all over it.  I'm saying that just because UT signed with Nike I doubt Nike will be on all UT merchandise, nor will they make all our merchandise.   I seriously doubt UT handed over a contract to Nike to do ALL our merchandise.  Or are you saying they did? 

No.  At least I HOPE not.  Because I won't buy it, and my old old UT stuff is going to look pretty ratty by the time this contract is up. :frown:

Not my point.  My point was that one of the reasons I am not jumping with joy over being a Nike school is because of the Nike money influence that has been a large part of the cesspool that AAU basketball has become and its influence in recruiting by buying coaches and, yes, players to certain schools. 

As is Comcast, Nike is the devil. 

I think UT went with Nike about 15-20 years ago didnt they?  I still have some old UT stuff with the logo.  Seems like we went from Adidas to Nike to adidas and now back to Nike? 

First time with Nike we only wore Nike shoes.  The uniforms were made by Sports Belle, a local apparel manufacturer. 

Then when adidas (little a at the beginning by the way - it's the company trademark) got the contract it was for shoes and uniforms and apparel, but Sports Belle still made most of the uniforms, they just put the adidas logo on them.  After the Sports Belle contract expired then adidas began making uniforms and apparel themselves. 

Now back to Nike for pretty much everything.