USATF and Nike, Inc. sign long-term partnership (2017-2040), from release

Mary Cain, 2014 USA Indoor, photo by PhotoRun.net

In a release that surprised some with its length, Nike, Inc. has made it quite clear that they value USA Track & Field, the best track and field team in the world, as a key investment in their sports marketing future. Today, April 16, USA Track & Field announced an extension of twenty-three years, from 2017 to 2040, with Nike as the official footwear and apparel of the federation.

Rumors had been circling that USATF CEO Max Siegel was working on a huge sponsorship deal, and if this does not qualify as such, then, nothing does.

In the past, adidas’s sponsorship package with the Boston Marathon, which was fifteen to seventeen years, has been seen as a long sponsorship. Keen observers of the sport noted, with some consternation, the longevity of the sponsorship.

Our research suggests that NIKE wanted to make it ball park frank that they are committed to the sport for a very long time. That Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, is quoted in the release, is a huge example of how much value that NIKE places in the sponsorship.

We will ask USATF for some details on the sponsorship, as USATF hinted at extended support for various disciplines underneath the USATF umbrella. No matter where you stand, it is a spectacular sponsorship package.

USATF and NIKE Inc. sign long-term partnership

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Track & Field (USATF) and NIKE, Inc. on Wednesday announced an expansion of their partnership that will significantly increase support of USATF programs, athletes and competitive groups.

The new partnership marks an ongoing commitment from NIKE to the sport in a sponsorship that extends from 2017 through 2040. The long-term partnership significantly increases the overall support for Track & Field for athletes throughout the United States.

“This new deal is a game-changer for the sport and what USATF will be able to offer all of our constituents,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “In working together with NIKE, we placed an emphasis on growth as well as scope, so we can broaden the level and breadth of support for all USATF programs. NIKE’s support for USA Track & Field and the sport as a whole is unmatched, and we look forward to this new era of collaboration.”

“NIKE was founded as a running company, and our passion for Track and Field is at the core of our DNA,” said Mark Parker, CEO and President of NIKE Inc.

“We have been a longstanding partner of USATF since 1991 and are extremely proud to extend our partnership and commitment to the sport.”

As USATF National Team Sponsor and the world’s leading creator of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories, NIKE has supported and designed uniforms for the last six Olympic Games. Under the new agreement with USATF, NIKE maintains its status as exclusive sponsor and supplier of products to the World’s #1 Track and Field Team while being USATF’s official sponsor in the footwear, apparel and retail categories, and exclusive athletic footwear and apparel licensee within the running and route tracking/management app and social network category.

New deal, new support

The new partnership will enable USATF to fully support Paralympic and masters track & field teams through official outfitting of current Team USA gear
.

NIKE will continue to sponsor USA Track & Field’s Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships and will outfit all USATF teams in international competitions, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, Pan American Games and World Junior Championships, among other meets.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing
Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit
www.usatf.org.

About NIKE, Inc.

NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly-owned NIKE, Inc. subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes surf and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, NIKE’s earnings releases and other financial information are available on the Internet
at http://investors.nikeinc.com and individuals can follow @Nike.

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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