Last month in Glendale, Arizona, the two best college football teams (as determined by computers) met in the BCS National Championship game. The contest featured a fake punt, a fake extra point, a safety, a premature touchdown call by Brent Musberger(we weren’t looking live at a touchdown) and a last second field goal with time expiring which gave the Auburn Tigers their first national title in 53 years. With the confetti falling on Auburn players and coaches, you may have noticed a logo on their jerseys that didn’t immediately register in your mind. It wasn’t the ubiquitous Nike Swoosh adorned by the Oregon Ducks or the three stripes of Adidas.
For the first time in the history of the BCS championship game, one of the participants was sponsored by Under Armour. The company, founded in 1996 by a former Maryland football player, has had an increasing presence among weekend warriors and gym rats in recent years due to the form fitting, moisture resistant nature of the gear.
Nike chairman and Oregon grad Phil Knight was surely disappointed with the outcome of the game, but it’s safe to say he’s not shaking in his Nikes just yet. Under Armour doesn’t have sponsorship deals with athletes recognized only by one name(Kobe, Lebron, Tiger) or controversial commercials that generate talk around water coolers and dinner tables.
That being said, the company is certainly on the move. Earlier this year, they inked a multi-year deal with Tom Brady and their shoes are being worn by NBA player Brandon Jennings. Can they capitalize on the momentum that’s being built by these recent successes and what’s the best path for doing so? While Nike still reigns supreme over all other brands in sports, Under Armour, on a national stage, won the battle of brands on the scoreboard. The battle for supremacy in the marketplace, however, is a story that is still being written.
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