(Edited for Day 2)
If you want to check out the standings for the first day of the Grand Slam Track League use this link: https://www.grandslamtrack.com/results
I’m not going to attempt to discuss every aspect of the professional sports league’s first day of live action. Besides, we were at the gym ourselves after missing two days of track practice due to storms across our region. We watched the replay on Peacock and the presentation was fantastic. There weren’t any buffering issues or poor image quality problems.
The team announcing did a solid job although the FCC probably wasn’t happy about the “Shit” dropped by Matthew Centrowitz. Overall, the announcers held the three-hour presentation together.
The event could have easily been reduced to 2 hours flat, but giving some of the runners a backstory wasn’t necessarily a bad thing and providing insight into how the champion of the league will be decided provided clarity.
So, if I’m not doing a huge recap, what do I want to discuss here? The brands who understood the assignment and delivered beautiful racing kits. Why look at something so topical? Blame my daughter, who thought the extra hour of filler could have been replaced by High Jump. She took notice of the racing kits and immediately wanted me to see if I could find the gear.
Who Won the Battle?
First, what in the world was Fred Kerley wearing? This is a question getting asked since Kerley’s ASICS relationship fractured leading into the Olympic season. The answer, Hiracer and the team’s name is the Sharks. This wasn’t the only non-traditional racing kit I spotted in the races.
Most of the athletes wore Nike, adidas, Puma and New Balance, but sneaking into the picture was the upstart Rabbit Brand (Tracksmith was worn by commentator Matt). On Running did make a splash, but where did they land? Where did the iconic Swoosh land? Behind my number 1, which is really my daughter’s number 1. Let’s get to the ranking!
and Puma did the same. Puma changed from the bright orange kit to a calmer purple toned hue. Of the big brands, adidas was the most disappointing:
#1 Under Armour – I said this last year during the professional Ed Murphey American Track League, Under Armour needs to do a better job of connecting. They have some of the best-looking kits, but nothing in track and field is readily available in stores. It’s understandable, but Nike gets that even the niche has to be served. They have track gear everywhere. I dare say, Under Armour’s track gear is the best thing they do. Unfortunately, they haven’t worked out how to land it.
#2 Nike – Nike has adjusted the Olympic themed kit featuring Safari print for a more classic look. The kit shifted styles depending on the event. The standout aspect? The back of the shirts.
#3 Brooks Running – Josh Kerr may not have done what we expected, but that Brooks Running kit looked awesome. There wasn’t an update, but it still retains a distinctive, eye-catching flair that stands out.
#4 Puma – The Jamaican National team gives Puma such an immediately noticeable marketing strategy, that when other teams wear the bright orange kit from last season, it’s hard not to think Puma. To boldly shift the color to more royal purple shades isn’t an easy thing to do, but the women’s singlets were amazing, and the men’s kit looked sharp.
# 5 On Running – On is Yared and Yared is On. The kits didn’t change from previous seasons, but it still looks amazing in the green and red hues.
#6 New Balance – Here is where things kind of dropped off. New Balance should be nailing their kits. They have the two biggest track stars in the game in Gabby and Sydney, but the muted dark palette isn’t exciting. Vernon Norwood’s bright yellow top was eye catching, but number 5 was harder to decided because #6 was equally as flat. They look better than the others below them, but it wasn’t exciting.
#7 rabbit – Was it eye catching? YES! Was it well executed? No. The lightning bolts gave the kit a dynamic feel, but the use of white as the base color cheated the design. Reverse the colors, white lightning on a red background and rabbit would have jumped ahead of On Running. Day 2 Naser dominated while wearing a vivid racing kit. I didn’t update the picture, but rabbit definitely moved up.
#8 ASICS – ASICS’ kits feel presidential… that’s not a good thing. They are clean, precise and measured. It doesn’t pop and isn’t memorable. Does it look good, yep, but it feels safe, just like New Balance.
#9 adidas – I didn’t even take a picture. adidas didn’t update anything. Every kit was one solid color basically. I guess if Noah isn’t competing there isn’t anything new in the pipeline. Oblique Seville was on his hometurf and he did something interesting with the logo by placing his headband upside down to create the emphasis that he is HIM and that was very cool, although Kung Fu Kenny edged him out in the 100m.
#10 Lululemon – Hiltz ran a brilliant 800m, but the one-piece body suit from Lululemon would have looked incredible in splashes of color. Instead it was just a blob of raspberry.
#11 Hiracer – I can almost guarantee Fred will wear something different in the near future.
#12 Sam’s Club – Yep, Sam’s Club. Last year Dylan Beard’s story was all over the place. He had finished up his degree at an HBCU and was working at Wal-Mart while still training. He almost made the Olympic team. Yesterday, in Grand Slam, he moved one step closer to a 100,000-dollar payday while rocking an all-blue Sam’s Club racing kit.
#13 Kiprun – a brand that’s been around as long as On, but without a catchy midsole design, did the same for Mcleod in the 110mH. He wore a basic white compression shirt. You can barely tell it’s branded at all.
