adidas celebrated history in the making yesterday as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Women’s Volleyball team broke the attendance record for any women’s sporting event in global history
One of adidas’ biggest downfalls has been the inability to capture the college history of the programs the brand sponsors and connect with fans of the brand. In the last week the Three Stripes took their marketing and laid a foundation of support for their colleges unlike any other time in history. They did so by looking towards the “niche” and delivering an amazing event for Volleyball Day in Nebraska. In an event which saw over 92,000 people fill the legendary Memorial Stadium it looked as if the entire state of Nebraska was in attendance to support… volleyball? Yes, volleyball. The Nebraska team competed against Omaha and won 3-0. “Attendees joined for campus games, giveaways and player appearances in recognition of the program’s outsize contribution to women’s sports and inclusive sport culture in the Cornhusker state and beyond.” The event was also a double-header where “Wayne State beat Nebraska-Kearney in a Division II exhibition before the Huskers and Mavericks played.”
The paid attendance event lends credence to a discussion on Track and Field and how niche sports can actually generate interest in the U.S. adidas’ presence was felt throughout the campus and provides the brand with some much-needed positive imagery after a year of turmoil. The historic event surpassed any women’s sports competition in attendance. “The crowd, at what is usually the home of Nebraska football, broke the previous world record for women’s sports attendance — 91,648 — set on April 22, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain, for a Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Wolfsburg.” While Volleyball Day took extensive planning, on a smaller scale and possibly through an arrangement with YouTube adidas could potentially bring incredible energy to the sport of volleyball if the brand decides to follow this up with a concept of some type. The Three Stripes already have delivered on more advertising around their college endorsements with one of the most important moves the brand can make.
Originally rooted in basketball, the Rivalry shoe features a retro ‘80s look with a sleek silhouette that works for everything from the classroom to kickoff. Now, fans and students from Grambling State University, University of Miami, University of Nebraska, Texas A&M and the University of Washington can represent their college colors with their own Rivalry looks. Additional adidas Originals’ collections are slated to drop later this season to give more colleges and universities the chance to rock their school colors.
Source: adidas Originals Unveils First-Ever Footwear Collection Customized for University Students and Fans
In the 1980’s Nike delivered a series of sneakers under the BTTYS label (Be True to Your School). The Dunk, Terminator and various models of Nike basketball sneakers were rolled out for the programs the Swoosh sponsored. Those sneakers have all returned to the marketplace in the last three years as retro versions. The utilization of nostalgia allows Nike to reconnect heritage with fans of today and tomorrow. adidas could have easily done a similar program with their Rivalry and Top 10 basketball sneakers, but in the 80s the Rivalry was dropped in the lap of Run-DMC and Patrick Ewing giving the model a decidedly East Coast, NYC appeal. Today the Rivalry is making waves, but there isn’t a historical aspect. Colleges sponsored by adidas had been given running shoe models like the UltraBoost. Nike does something similar with their Pegasus line-up, but those shoes aren’t as stylish and don’t necessarily get worn as fashion giving the brand crossover appeal. With adidas Originals entering the arena the Trefoil finally gets to make gameday for alumni and current students have as much flavor as those who rock Dunks in their school colors.
Where Nike with their BTTYS Dunks stood out for the color blocking, the drops didn’t have team logos. This could have been a conscious move since it allows more people to purchase the retro models. adidas takes fandom deeply into consideration and delivers logos on the tongue along with varsity jacket inspired materials on the uppers. They’ve created a Rivalry placing the Dunk on notice as the shoe of choice for those who attended their schools. It’s an important move because Nike has dropped Dunks in colorways for colleges they don’t sponsor. Are these two moves from adidas noise or will they become the foundation of a more focused U.S. market? Is the adidas Rivalry College Pack on par with the BTTYS?