Athletic department gives programs more options for apparel

In the recent months, the Maryville College Athletic Department has had to make some crucial decisions.

As many know, Maryville College is sponsored by Nike Athletics, which means that Nike provides a catalog for each department to order shoes, apparel, and equipment from for the players.  However, sponsorship contracts come to an end and must be renewed approximately every three years.

Adidas, Nike, Under Armor, and Russell all competed to win out and earn a contract with our school.  Under Armor was not able to cover an entire school yet, so they were eliminated.  When asked which brand was preferred, most athletes voted against Adidas, which left the Athletic Department with Nike and Russell.

According to Coach Schram, each program will be able to decide which sponsor they want to choose.

“It makes sense for some programs to stay with Nike while others to deal Russell.  It will be a sport by sport choice”,  said Schram. “It was basically down to the brand name, or getting more stuff.  There are some coaches and programs that live and die by Nike.  However, some were willing to entertain the idea of Russell”.

Some programs want more clothing options.  Basically, an athlete can purchase two Russell shirts for the price of one Nike shirt.  One thing that must be made clear is that just because some programs are switching to Russell, does not mean that all new uniforms and equipment will be ordered.

They will still use the previous uniforms, but when it is that particular team’s turn in the rotation, they will order from Russell instead of Nike.