Author: Henry Meier
Occidental’s Athletic Department has recently announced that they will be partnering with Adidas in order to meet the demands of an increasingly successful sports program. The sponsorship was worked out by Oxy’s Athletic Director Jaime Hoffman and Adidas’s West Coast Representative, Janet Nichols. While other companies were considered, “Janet and Adidas were far more enthusiastic in serving our needs,” Hoffman said.
The deal itself should be a great break for the financially-strapped Athletics Department that also recently announced the addition of two women’s sports teams in the next year. Oxy sports teams will now get 35 percent off footwear from Adidas and 40 percent off apparel. The department will also receive a promotional kickback of up to $10,000 on retail priced goods, Hoffman said.
While it is impractical to for the Athletic Department to re-outfit all 425 plus athletes immediately, the assumption of Adidas’ products will be made as swiftly as possible.
“Ultimately, it is our hope that student athletes will take advantage of the significant discounts that Adidas offers us and move to exclusivity in attire,” Hoffman said. “Our philosophy will be that new items purchased through our department will be Adidas. We will no longer purchase Nike, Reebok or Under Armour products.”
The success of Oxy’s sports programs will also be recognized in the contract with Adidas, who will help purchase additional gear commemorating conference championships and post-season achievements. “We will now see Adidas throwing in t-shirts for SCIAC Champion teams or sweatshirts for regional champions,” Hoffman said. “This is a nice little perk because our recent success was getting expensive.”
The benefit for the individual sports teams will go beyond just the sports gear that they receive at a discounted rate. “Very few D-III schools have [these] types of clothing and shoe contracts,” Men’s Basketball Coach Brian Newhall said. “This will be a big plus in recruiting: 18-year-olds love Adidas!” As hard as it is to attract academically qualified and athletically gifted student athletes to Oxy, an edge like this should be welcomed by all coaches.
While the agreement with Adidas only extends to varsity sports programs at this point, there are some possibilities for it to be expanded in the future.
“Club sports can certainly benefit from our contacts and discounts, but as a student run organization they are not tied into any agreements,” Hoffman said. “Additionally, I intend to meet with representatives from our bookstore to allow them the opportunity to sell authentic Occidental athletics gear.”
Newhall echoed her sentiments. “Varsity sports, Athletic Department staff, club sports, alumni and intramurals are all going to benefit from being an ‘Adidas school,'” he said.
Along with the Adidas sponsorship, there will be a concerted effort by athletics to unify the look of the department and provide some consistency in the Oxy sports logos and mascots.
“We are working closely with graphic artists on branding our athletics logos across all sports programs,” Hoffman said. “So, in addition to the three stripes that you will see in every athletic venue, you will now see consistency in the Oxy O and the tiger.”
While little things like this may seem trivial, it is a step that needs to be taken as Oxy becomes a national contender in college sports. With Oxy becoming a major powerhouse in the DIII athletic world, this sponsorship should continue to help Oxy Athletics continue its proud tradition.
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