For decades Nike has dominated world sport, becoming become synonymous with the world’s top athletes.
A dorky “dad brand” is shaking up the global sporting market, with the Australian cricket team among a host of stars upending the status quo.From Michael Jordan to Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, LeBron James and Serena Williams — the swoosh has become synonymous with the best of the best professional athletes.
While it remains a juggernaut, other rivals are coming hard to knock Nike off its perch from the top of the sporting and lifestyle fashion empires.Nike certainly remains the dominant sponsor in world sport, particularly in America. The iconic swoosh can be seen on every NBA, NFL and MLB jersey. But even in the professional sports sponsorship market, Nike is fighting off competitors from every angle.
There’s no greater endorsement for the brand’s sporting quality than Cummins — who was forced into the cricket wilderness with heel injuries and stress fractures after his Test debut — wearing New Balance as he sprints up to bowl at 140km/h. “It wasn’t ideal when he became injured for nearly three years. What he went through with his body and stress fractures and having to reinvent his action.It was a sponsor’s dream when Smith turned into Bradman in the mid-2010s and raised his NB emblazoned bat countless times on his return to the Test side in the 2019 Ashes.
Crowfoot wouldn’t reveal the details of Cummins’ New Balance deal but said his contract was “reasonable”.England’s Joe Root is also sponsored by New Balance, who are targeting India as the next frontier for their cricket merchandise.“In India that’s going to be the real challenge, who we get. We’re targeting one of the top three bowlers in the Indian cricket team, potentially an all-rounder.
Glenn Phillips, one of the few Kiwi players who played well against Australia in the recent series in New Zealand, is a New Balance athlete. It’s not just cricket where New Balance is making waves — the company has grown its stable of athletes across the world to include some seriously big names. NBA champions Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray are also sponsored by New Balance, while singers Jack Harlow and Tash Sultana are some of the brand’s non-sporting “tastemakers”.Coco Gauff in her NB gear. Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images/AFP.If you go for a walk down a busy street in any Australian city, you’ll very likely see countless people wearing New Balance sneakers.
“The retro market has worked for a long time and Nike’s had shoes like the Air Force One and the Jordan One just be endless juggernauts of sales. And like all good things, they must come to an end at some point. Woods recently launched his own golf apparel range called Sun Day Red in collaboration with TaylorMade, while Federer is midway through a 10-year A$460 million deal with Japanese retailer Uniqlo.
But labels like New Balance, Salomon, Hoka and Swiss sneaker brand ON Running are becoming increasingly popular among trendy sneaker heads and hardcore runners lighting up their Strava account on their way to their next half marathon.According to Wood, Nike is under siege from rival brands that are starting to take a slice of the sneaker and running shoe pie.“I think Nike’s taking a bit of a pummelling in the proper running shoe market.
“They use the best materials They still make shoes in the US and UK, so they do a lot of things no one else does. “It was the No. 1 apparel brand in the world last year. It’s now the No. 2 apparel brand this year behind Louis Vuitton,” Crowe said.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Pointless and unnecessary’: Nike’s England kit change slammed as ‘wrong on every level’‘Pointless and unnecessary’: Nike’s England kit change slammed as ‘wrong on every level’
Read more »
Nike executive and horse rider Sandra Hore literally jumped hurdles to climb the career ladderAfter sleeping in a horse float and training for eventing, Sandra Hore finds horse riding provides plenty of lessons about life and business.
Read more »
England flag furore feels trivial but football remains a muster point for discontentThis England team are constantly battling toxic politics, so perhaps Nike and the FA should have been more careful
Read more »
England furious as flag wiped from historyBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday waded into a row over a new England football shirt designed by Nike that changes the colours of the St George’s Cross, saying “we shouldn’t mess” with national flags.
Read more »
Socceroos World Cup qualifying LIVE: Graham Arnold’s Socceroos face Lebanon in World Cup qualifierAustralia face Lebanon twice in the next five days and head into their third World Cup qualifier with an unblemished record, conceding no goals and scoring eight.
Read more »
Socceroos World Cup qualifying LIVE: Graham Arnold’s Socceroos face Lebanon in World Cup qualifierAustralia face Lebanon twice in the next five days and head into their third World Cup qualifier with an unblemished record, conceding no goals and scoring eight.
Read more »