Starting July 1st, ND fans everywhere will have to say “so long!” to the familiar three-stripe designs of adidas and say “hello” to the sleek designs of Under Armour. This week Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, alongside Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, announced a new ten-year partnership between our university and the Maryland-based athletic giant. Many are considering the new deal to be the largest on the collegiate level (ESPN estimates put it at $90 million).
For many, the partnership seems like an unexpected turn for the university- ND has always been associated with tradition and classic designs both on and off the field. Under Armour, with its flashy designs (remember the University of Maryland flag uniform?) seems to be the exact opposite. Consequently, many are asking whether Under Armour will be drastically changing ND’s image.
Unsavory.
Delicious.
It appears that we are dodging massive changes to our beloved blue and gold. According to Swarbrick, the University is maintaining substantial control over uniform designs. Swarbrick specifically mentioned that the traditional football image will be maintained. Under Armour will have the opportunity to design more creative interpretations of the Fighting Irish character in the Shamrock Series uniform, as Adidas had done in the past, and with other varsity team uniforms. Despite this aspect of freedom, Plank has made it clear that Under Armour will “honor and respect the history of the university.” For Under Armour “partnering with one of the world’s most respected and admired universities, it’s really a game‑changing event for our company.”
What is clear is that Notre Dame’s move was highly motivated by high-performance and technologically-advanced fabrics that Under Armour has to offer. Uniform improvements, such as fabrics that allow for football jerseys to be more difficult to grab during tackles, are key to Swarbrick’s new deal. In return, Under Armor hopes to use Notre Dame Athletics as a testing environment for new and exciting products. As Swarbrick describes it, “We want Notre Dame, our coaches and our student athletes, to be an Under Armour laboratory, a proving ground for new technologies.” “We’re committed to helping them do that, and they’re committed to using us for that purpose.” Additionally, the new deal allows ND to retain its tradition yet modernize itself in its new ACC agreement. Lastly, as a plus, ND gained UA stock options in the deal as well.
So what was the Irish Nation’s reaction?? Overwhelmingly positively, it seems. ND football alum Robby Toma tweeted, “ All these tweets about UA sponsoring ND is making me wanna go back for another 4 years.” Fan favorite Kapron Lewis-Moore continued the sentiment by tweeting, “#UA and #ND official! Im SOOO HYPE.” Many students on campus have shown excitement, especially about new, softer sweats, and more cutting edge designs. But some are being a little more hesitant. Some negative reactions include concerns about the sub-par UA footwear and its implications for ND teams such as Track and Cross Country.
As far as I’m concerned, I think the new UA/ND deal is an exciting opportunity for ND to re-invent itself visually while maintaining the aspects of tradition that are most important to the University. Granted, this deal leaves a lot up in the air, so I’m a little hesitant to fully embrace it as some of the media outlets have done thus far. I have a few concerns: 1) Even though the University claims that it will maintain control over the end results, will UA push the University past the point of comfort? As Swarbrick and University officials have already seen in past Shamrock Series and Men’s Basketball uniform changes, there could be intense backlash from Irish fans. 2) Will this “laboratory” that ND is becoming for UA be helpful or harmful for our athletes? Constant new gear could act as a distraction to our players.
At this point, it’s too hard to tell how this new UA/ND deal will play out. But one thing is for sure: big changes are coming and Irish Nation better be ready!