Bayern Munich sponsored by Nike! From a 1/5/03 NYT mag article: For example, after spending hundreds of millions of dollars to develop itself as a soccer brand, Nike made a pass at sponsoring Bayern Munich, one of the most prestigious German soccer clubs. The team had long been with Adidas, and Nike knew that its competitor could not afford to lose them at any price. A result, according to Mager, was that ''Nike forced Adidas to overspend in Germany, their most mature market. Adidas had to buy a 10 percent equity stake in Bayern to keep the sponsorship, which meant Adidas lost all its free cash flow. They could have used that money in their expansion markets, like the U.S. and Asia, and now they can't. That's what makes it so tough to compete with Nike. They're rich, and they're extremely strategic.'' Imagine Bayern Munich sponsored by Nike! What other clubs have such strong associations with their suppliers that it would be weird to see them with other kit-makers? I must admit that Man U in Nike was a bit jarring at first.
>>>>>MOD NOTE: Nike and Bayern are not becoming partners. Thread title changed to avoid any misleading posts. "Reading comprehension" is definately in the toilet indeed.<<<<<<<
I knew that Nike is NOT sponsoring Bayern Munich since the article said explicitly adidas overpaid to keep the sponsorship. I purposely provided a provocative subject so that people would respond. However, those responses were not the kind I expected. Thanks for your concern about my reading. I read very well. Anyway, I couldn't imagine Bayern with Nike. Nevertheless, I wonder who else Nike's trying to capture. Real Madrid (despite Barca's sponsorship)?
By "provocative", you mean "misleading". I imagine a red shirt with navy blue/white trims, "T-Mobile" on the front, a Swoosh on the right chest and the team badge on the left. I know, I know, there are certain clubs you associate with a certain brand. I've always associated AC Milan with Lotto, Barcelona with Kappa and Rangers with Nike. There was a time when Liverpool, ManUre and Arsenal all wore adidas. When kit suppliers change, it takes a minute or two to get adjusted. Then you get over it. Contract expires. Highest bidder wins. It's business.
Here's a link to a thread on the original article: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29276
It's not quite the same, I can't think of any club so associated with a supplier as Bayern are with adidas. They were wearing these kits when all the British clubs you mentioned had no sponsors or supplier logos on their shirts