Nike doing what Nike does.

1979

Professionally, I've been in the footwear and athletic product business since 1997. I grew up drawing Nike, Adidas and Reebok basketball shoes as a kid (along with planes, buildings and cars). But my passion for shoe design became the way I make money...I'm blessed for that.

At one point, I had about 50 pairs of shoes...most of them were Nike...after purging my collection during my time at one of their competitors in the late 90s, I became a consultant...a perpetual free agent, if you will...so I started collecting, and re-collecting Jordans and classic shoes that I once really liked. Everything from the AJ III (I've had six pairs of these since they originally came out) to Nike Air Max 95s to Nike Dunks that were as close to those that my Boilers wore back in the 80s as I could find.

I grew up pretty brainwashed by the swoosh...as have many of you.  I still love Nike gear...and think every now and again (about every two years), they seem to put something on the market that's truly revolutionary for the industry.  BUT, a lot about that brand and its tactics do little more than anger me.

1984

A few years ago, I noticed that many of the shoes that I had purchased over a decade period had all be re-re-released...the market was flooded with retros.  Not just Jordans, but Flight '95s, original Air Max, Revolutions...My collection became boring and seemed like it was little more than a dust collector.  So I liquidated it via an online auction site.  As I looked at my office wall that no longer had Jumpmans and swooshes on it, but just had logos of companies I had done business with, I felt liberated.

Maybe having two kids had changed my perspective...or maybe visiting the factories that churn out "limited" edition shoes by the thousands gave me pause.  Whatever the case, I'm no longer a sneaker head...just a guy in the industry.

But before I liked drawing shoes, I loved Purdue.  When I was a kid, Purdue's helmets were a very dark gold color- kind of a shiny bronze, really...but they didn't seem gold, at least to me. But finding gold unis that weren't brown seemed like a bit of a struggle for the athletic department.

1995...old gold

As the 80s progressed, the gold got a bit brighter.  By the mid 90s, Purdue was truly metallic gold.  But, the licensing department felt like it had lost some control of the colors.  To tidy up the brand identity, they reigned in the colors to name Vegas Gold as the official color. No longer could you find mustard, goldenrod or yellow Purdue shirts in the stores...Purdue's official color was its color.  A lot of older alums didn't like it too much either.

That said, things do need modernization every now and again.  And the Vegas gold really wasn't too far off from what I thought of as gold...it was metallic...just a bit brighter.

2001...Vegas gold

But as time progressed, Purdue's colors went from gold to a metallic beige or urine color. For a long time, I thought the blame was solely on my alma mater...but this past year, I learned a little secret- Nike doesn't give a damn about Purdue...as if there was ever any doubt about that.

A few seasons back, Purdue wanted to honor the '67 Rose Bowl team with retro unis.  Nike gave them two options: use the existing gold (sucks) OR use Missouri's darker gold. Since they had that material lying around, they'd allow Purdue to use it.  Nice of them.  Purdue chose to go the cheap route and use Mizzou's gold- not too far off from the '67 team's color...but not quite right.  No matter, it was just one game.

This past year, I went to a Lids sale on Indy's West side.  they had piles of "Vegas" gold and black dummies.  Golf shirts, jackets, shorts, t-shirts...I thought I'd find Purdue logos on them since I was in Indianapolis.  But, the only logo on the apparel was the Swoosh.  Lids takes generic pale beige coaches shirts, t-shirts and hats with the swoosh and makes them into Purdue's.

2002...beige era begins

So Purdue, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and other schools are all wearing the same stuff.  The fans have kinda been duped.  The colors that we thought were ours, are really Nike's.  Nike calls the shots...and Purdue seems to just accept it.

The redesign of the train is a case in point.  Nike didn't like that the train wasn't symmetrical...for years they had expressed that it needed to be changed...you know, to help them out. So Nike redesigned the train to fit their template...to make it easier on them- And Purdue's licensing department took this backhanded gift with a smile. Everything Nike does is in Nike's best interests.

Now, it's not completely Nike's fault that all of this happens. Purdue's athletic and licensing department seems to be quite content to be their dance partner and enabler.

As many teams in the top-25 were wearing the watermarked basketball uniforms four or five seasons ago, Purdue wasn't.  The little team out of West Lafayette wasn't a priority for Nike.  But, when about every team in the top-50 started doing it a season ago, Nike allowed Purdue to come along. But it really wasn't too cool at that point...just something Nike blessed in an effort to make sure basketball fans knew who was wearing Nike threads.

At least the jerseys are black

Today, on media day, the football team sported slightly-altered uniforms from last year with the new train near the base of the neck.  And Purdue's pre-season All-American flashed the shiny-palmed gloves to the cameras.  As Boise State, Army, Navy, MSU, Georgia, TA&M and the nation's perennially-elite have gloves with their school's logo on the palms, Purdue gets to pimp the Swoosh a bit more as "Nike" is on Purdue's palms.

But worse than the gloves...which are pretty played out already, Purdue's pants are little more than just really tight, pale, khaki pants.

As Nike continues to customize NCAA football uniforms, less-legible, more-rounded numbers are showing up more and more, and more teams are losing their identity as they take what Nike deems as appropriate.  At least Purdue already has black in its uniform...Oregon, Georgia, FSU, Kentucky, Arizona State, Stanford, Rutgers, Texas and many other schools have all thrown out school spirit in favor of Nike's agenda of completely white-washing the landscape of college sports (ironically in shades of gray and black)...one ugly uniform redesign at a time.

"All hail to our old beige and black!"

NIKE Up!

Another Look at Nike's (not Purdue's) New Train

If you break down the old motion train, from a visual standpoint, there's room for revision. The perspective doesn't line up well, and there are some issues in the mark that make it kind of tough to love.  But, I've always, at least, liked it.

I've worked on the licensing side of the business with Purdue...and understand a bit of what Nike's problem with the old train was. It's not a balanced shape, so it's tough to center on hats and shirts and its sharp tail makes it hard to fit onto sleeves and things of that nature. So, I get why Nike would want a revised logo.  I also understand that if the athletic department has to pay $0 for a revised logo, they'll probably jump at that.

But, the new train that Nike is forcing upon Purdue fans leaves a lot to be desired. It's designed kind of lazy in that it's not only balanced, but completely symmetrical (the smoke specifically).  But, much worse, the smoke seems to form a very veiny phallic shape...which is nothing but negative, from my perspective...and if it's not a joke being played on Purdue, it's laziness, once again, that let it by.

I'm a person that hates criticism without a solution being offered...so simply, here is my quick solution- Change the smoke and add the motion P to the front, and I think Nike might have a winner.  As of this morning, in the BTN poll, over 80% of the fans who looked at the new mark disapproved of it...
Here's my solution:

Thoughts?

Yay NCAA!! (A Look at uniform stupidity)

A few seasons ago, Purdue wore uniforms that were ruled to be in violation of the NCAA's uniform rule that states numbers on a basketball uniform must be a contrast color to the base of the uniform:

Illegal!!

Fair enough...gotta play by the rules, right?

BUT, if you watched Duke or Florida play on Saturday, you might have said to yourself, "Self, those numbers don't seem to be a contrast color to the rest of the uniform."

You are correct.

Legal!

BUT, you need to understand, these Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms were not merely some Nike uniform for boring ole Purdue...instead, these beauties were a showcase of new uniform technology for some of the most-exciting and elite teams in all of the land (and Arizona).

Nothing to see here, I guess...as you were.

Thursday Notes

Bucking the Trend
I just read one of the best stories ever on GBI. It's about a young kid who plays his HS basketball for Park Tudor in Indy. The young man, who was once called "the best fourth grader in the nation" by one publication (I have no idea who rates fourth grade basketball players), decided to take two summers off of AAU basketball. He and his Dad decided the pressure had become too great and probably Kevin had simply stopped having fun playing summer ball.

If you've read BS regularly, you've probably heard me bemoan the evils of AAU ball- I know, it makes the players better, but there's a ton of shady business going on as these young men, many well-younger than driving age are deciding to spend their entire summers away from parents and under the supervision of someone else. Sometimes these guys are caring parents or mentors, but most of the time, they're slimy characters looking to wring as much out of these kids as possible.

So am I anti-AAU basketball? Absolutely. Good for Kevin Ferrell for bucking the trend to play basketball non-stop from the time a kid turns 10 to when he heads off to college...sounds like his two-year haitus is paying off. Might the young Mr. Ferrell be fresher, both mentally and physically, than the rest of his counterparts?

You in the market?
The Pacers made the difficult decision of ending the thugged-out era of professional basketball in Indiana quite quietly earlier this week. They decided to pay out Jamaal Tinsley's contract instead of allowing him to collect his salary while getting fatter and slower at home.

So, if you're in the market for a slowish point guard with a lousy attitude who's always packing heat, I know where you can call.

A Handsome Outlook
Alright, I've been a bit critical of Danny Hope's recruiting effort and the inconsistencies from last season to this season...I'll admit it. But I do really like Coach Hope. And, I think this class, like last year's, will probably turn out to be pretty solid- especially if a few guys decide they want to spend the next four years in West Lafayette.

But, one thing that can't be debated is the fact that Coach Hope is saying the right things and sending the right message. I don't know everything that goes on behind closed doors in the offices of Mollenkopf, but I do know a little bit...and his internal image is as positive as the face that he showed to the media in Chicago earlier this week.

Unlike his predecessor, there's not cautionary speak or "managed expectations". Coach Hope believes his team has the ability to surprise some teams...and anything other than utter failure will be surprising to most media outlets.

Plus, he wore a suit during the media meetings...a very refreshing departure from Coach Tiller's golf shirt and khakis look that became the norm. At least the new head boss acts like he wants to impress some people.

Stupid Nike
Something that I've wanted to see for a long time is some is a couple of good retro Purdue football jerseys...specifically a Drew Brees jersey. Well, the request has been answered...kinda.

I know it wouldn't make much sense to sell a retro Brees jersey without his name, but I'd think the Purdue purist would want it to be as close to the original as possible...especially for $79.00. Yikes! Granted, I'm not a big jersey-wearer, but eighty bucks for a lousy knock off seems steep.

Speaking of lousy knock offs...Holy Moly is this awful!
Is Nike really trying to tell me that their offering is the best their talented and large staff could achieve? Nike stinks. Their retro Alstott jersey reminds me of the jerseys people get at Wal-Mart...but the Wal-Mart version will allow you to keep about $65.00 more in your pocket.

Ugly is the new awesome

Nike and Oregon have teamed up once again to create a disgusting uni. The uniforms were unveiled yesterday, on campus at the University of Oregon.

Nike once-again bastardized the traditional colors of the Ducks, but they do have titanium belt loops, so there's that. Oregon's coaching staff says the uniforms are a recruiting tool and the kids love it...and I'm not saying they don't, but that doesn't change the fact that they look like buffoons.

I'll compare it to my own fashion when I was a Freshman in college- I wore a pair of Deon Sanders Nike cross trainers (black, white, red, gold) with red jeans and a sweater vest to class every now and again. I thought it looked great...it didn't. Not only did I not look great, I looked like a clown. But, I was missing the stretch wig and red nose...The Ducks have their own version of the stretch wig and nose with the wings emblazoned on their shoulders and the platinum-finish, carbon fiber pattern-dipped helmet with electrical tape down the center.

Welcome to clown college- Now in Eugene, OR.

mmmm, Gumbo.

Good morning, ladies and gents! Hope your week has gone well.

I have a bunch of thoughts floating around in my head and wanted to put them down on the greatest site in all of the land...Here we go.

MLB
Bud Selig can suck it. That jack was asleep at the wheel during the home run era, and allowed the moon shot increase to be blamed on the mythological "live ball" instead of cracking down on PEDs. Now, we know everybody and their moms in the league was juicing (except about 10% of the players)...and he's throwing A-Rod under the bus.

It is true though, A-Rod admitting he had cheated is very un-baseball like. Why didn't he like repeatedly like the rest of the schleps who have been fingered by various investigators?

I say hats off to A-Rod...and I've already forgiven him. Clemens, Bonds and the rest of you un-repentant liars can suck it.

But Alex, no one will ever forgive you for dating Madonna.

Meggy Tejada- hats off to you for pleading guilty, and begging for forgiveness from the fans. Granted, you shouldn't lie under oath, but he's just protecting the ole boys network of the MLB.

Valuable lessons above- Don't cheat. Don't lie...or bad things happen to you. But if you do, act like a man and admit your mistakes.
EsPN
The Entertainment Programming Network recently suspended Scott Van Pelt for stating his opinion about Bud Selig stealing MLB's money...and he got suspended for a week. Supposedly, Seligs feewings were hurt. It does hurt when you're nailed as a fraud...and you know you're one.

And speaking of frauds, EsPN needs to drop the word Sports from their title for once and for all. Sports Center is filled with more human interest stories than highlights these days...and the only reason they keep their ratings is because there's no serious competition.

Maybe if Van Pelt would handle himself like a professional, a la Chris "stupid pun here" Berman, he'd get somewhere. In my opinion, Van Pelt ranks up there with Dan Patrick, Craigers and Mayne as the best SC anchers of all time. If the Network wants to push entertainment, use Kenny Mayne more!

Much like Patrick, Van Pelt will probably wisely move on soon...I hope he does.

Nike
Some of you know, I am in my profession because I grew up a huge fan of Nike basketball shoes. But, I fell out of love with the footwear and equipment giant back in college. So, my opinion isn't too surprising.

But Nike is a shadow of its former self. Granted, they still have a giant portion of the market share in footwear and apparel, but their focus has clearly changed. On many of their products, a woven label reads:

"Engineered to the exact specifications of championship athletes"

Well, like so many things in the world, that's become marketing drivel. As you heard earlier in the week, Nike bailed on their meetings with Purdue players last summer for no apparent reasons. The meetings were set-up so Purdue captain, Chris Kramer could give his input to Nike prior to their changing of Purdue's uniforms. Instead, Nike will do whatever the hell they feel like...and Kramer and Co. will like it!

As a product designer, the philosophy of designing at the end user instead of for them pisses me off. And the fact that marketing decides Nike's direction instead R&D teams along with athletes is a far cry from Phil Knight's original vision of the company that he no longer runs. No matter, it's time for Nike, like EsPN, to simply stop pushing a pack of lies upon the consumer, and state what they are- a fashion sporty brand. 14 year old girls love their stuff though...so that's positive.

Great Work, Nike.

OK, you're frickin' Nike- The most powerful footwear and sporting goods brand in the world. Do you think you might be able to take more than 15 minutes to design uniforms for major conference teams seeking an update to their old rags?

Unfortunately no. Nike's formula is simple, and it stinks. They continually retread old ideas and pass the high prices on to you, faithful and prone-to-spend sportsfan between the ages of 19 and 35.

Vanderbilt is going to be sporting "new" unis for the '08 season. Here you go:
Take Purdue's crappy Vegas gold jerseys w/ unrecognizable white numbers, put them on Wake's template and you have a new uniform. Perfect.