NFL star Patrick Mahomes introduced information of Texas Tech University’s impending leap from Baltimore-based Under Armour to rival Adidas on his pregame outfit Sunday.
A video the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback posted to Instagram exhibits him sporting a white T-shirt bearing his alma mater’s emblem and the Adidas identify, hand scrawled on what seems to be packing tape.
Under Armour confirmed Tuesday that its almost two decade-long partnership with Texas Tech will finish subsequent 12 months. The sports activities attire and footwear maker signed a deal to outfit the college’s athletes in 2006. In 2020, the college prolonged the contract one other 4 years, via subsequent June.
“We are proud to have been partners with Texas Tech since 2006 and an official apparel outfitter since 2009,” an Under Armour spokesperson mentioned in a electronic mail to The Baltimore Sun. “We wish the Red Raiders all the best after many successful years together.”
An Instagram publish exhibits the reigning NFL MVP revealing the T-shirt earlier than Sunday afternoon’s Chiefs sport in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes, an Adidas athlete and Texas alumnus, mentioned solely “Coming July 2024.”
Neither Adidas nor a Texas Tech spokesperson reply Tuesday morning to requests for touch upon the upcoming deal.
News of Under Armour dropping the collegiate partnership with Texas Tech got here two months after the model reportedly beat out Adidas and Nike on a cope with University of Notre Dame, one of many nation’s hottest faculty soccer applications. Under Armour mentioned in August it prolonged a deal to design uniforms, footwear and attire for Notre Dame’s 26 varsity groups for one more 10 years.
At the time, Yahoo Sports reported that the deal is among the greatest in faculty sports activities, with Under Armour committing to about $10 million a 12 months in money and merchandise.
Under Armour had been pulling again on a few of its endorsement and advertising and marketing offers after struggling via intervals of declining gross sales and inventory value and COVID-related retailer closures in the course of the pandemic.
Most notably, the model backed out of a file $280 million contract to outfit UCLA athletes, which led to a drawn out authorized dispute and ended final 12 months with the sports activities attire maker agreeing to pay the college greater than $67 million.
Under Armour at the moment has its greatest collegiate offers with the University of Maryland, the University of Utah, the University of Wisconsin and Auburn University. It additionally has partnerships as effectively with the University of South Carolina, Northwestern University and the U.S. Naval Academy.
The Under Armour spokesperson mentioned Tuesday thatt the model continues to “believe in the power of our many long-standing collegiate partnerships, which put Under Armour at the center of performance and lifestyle for young athletes.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com