How Adidas could pay Tennessee athletes for NIL
The change from Nike to Adidas could be a divisive decision among UT fans.
During the previous partnership, there were highs like the Vols wearing Adidas football jerseys during the 1998 national title season. And there were lows like the awkward uniform designs during sub-par football seasons late in the Adidas era.
But the lucrative Adidas contract will help fund UT’s revenue sharing pool to pay athletes.
Plus, Adidas prioritizes college sports, so it could open doors to national branding campaigns for elite UT athletes with signature NIL deals. At Nike, most of those opportunities were reserved for NFL and NBA players.
That’s a new concept in the NIL era, where schools can facilitate corporate contracts for their athletes. National campaigns then feature those college athletes in ways they couldn't do in the previous era.
“Obviously, we’ll always have the big school relationship. But it’s great to use different marketing campaigns in and around campus (featuring UT athletes)” said McGuire, an Adidas executive for the past 26 years.
“Some will go national, depending on who they are. Some will be regional campaigns. And if it’s a new football jersey or basketball jersey that needs to be sold, we’ll use athletes there on campus, and they’ll be compensated."
