To be fair, that article compares the new Nike deal to the previous Adidas deal. It does not mention what Adidas offered in this round of negotiations. Nor does it mention any of the issues that Tennessee had with its previous provider.
It also does not mention that the numbers for the amount of apparel provided to teams under Nike is a minimum, where with Adidas it was a maximum.
What I mean by that is that if UT participated in an Adidas promotion where several schools wore alternate uniforms and related apparel, as our basketball teams did in the 2014 postseason, the new/extra uniforms and apparel are deducted from the next year's budget. The past two seasons, the baseball team had special NCAA Tournament uniforms deducted from their Adidas allotment, even though they didn't make the tournament. They held on to them and debuted them the next season, but it prevented them from ordering another set to use during the season. The numbers also included postseason gifts for teams that made NCAA Tournaments and bowl games.
On the other hand, any special or additional uniforms that Tennessee is provided by Nike will be in addition to what is spelled out in the contract. Postseason gifts also do not come out of the budget, they are provided by Nike as a bonus.
The change in royalties is quite significant, particularly when you consider the wider distribution that Nike has in national retailers.
