http://www.france24.com/en/20080222-nike-wins-french-football-gear-deal-nike-football O_O Well the Nike jerseys aren't bad. but still this is a surprise
Wow at the monetary deal. Shame that this wasn't before 2006, I was in the Nike Store in Times Square during the World Cup. There was footy gear everywhere. Nike's not bad either.
i dont like nike. adidas is way more...cool http://video.eurosport.fr/football/other/2008/video_vid65591.shtml
It turns out that this deal is the most expensive shirt deal in the history of football. Ever. It's worth €42.6m per year, which is four times what Adidas is paying France right now. In contrast, Nike only offered €30m/year to the English FA, and they are currently paying only €13m/year to Brazil. Puma is paying only €13m/year to Italy. Adidas will try to hang on to their individual sponsorship deals with Benzema, Nasri, and Vieira.
The money Nike offered the FFF was definetly worth the switch. Heavy investment can be put into youth academies and the league itself. This is a great economic boost for France and French football. I guess Nike didn't like the fact that they only had one team in WC 2006 final four and none in the final. Also, I bet Brazil will be asking for a "raise" now!!! Ironic that so many French stereotypes have contempt for Americans and their products and now their NT is being sponsored by them.
I don't know if paying so much for the french jersey is a good move for Nike, cause now, they'll have to match that price for Brazil as well, if not top it, cause if they're willing to pay that much for a country of 64 million that only won the WC once, how much can a country of 180 million, which sells more shirts and which has won five WCs, expects ? Anyone knows which countries sell more shirts troughout the world ? I know France sells about 500,000 a year and Germany 1,000000.
worth highlighting. i'm not sure you can compare them that easily. domestically, brazil may be 3 times more populous, but france's GNP is three times as much. worldwide, there is doubtless a lot more auriverde than bleu gear worn, but most of that is lot of that is knockoffs, t-shirts and diverse material that nike doesn't see a penny of. i'm not talking about counterfeits either. you also have to realize that from nike's standpoint, this deal counts double because it's a loss for adidas. and the payoff isn't just the jerseys they sell, it's a brand image war.
I don't think France sells a lot of shirts. They arent exactly one of the most popular national teams. I'm sure Germany, England, Italy, and Holland all outsell them. Spain, I'm not sure.
The best way I can tell is from what I've seen while out and about. When I was in New York a couple of years ago, I saw Brazil shirts everywhere and a few England kits. I also saw a few Portugal kits in the area bearing the name Ronaldo on them, mostly worn by girls unsurprisingly. At home, I have seen more France kits than Brazil kits surprisingly! One guy had Cantona on the back too, a rare sight in Michigan. I've only seen one Germany shirt and one England kit. As for Nike, some of their designs are okay but I like this myself. It would be cool to see something similar to that but in the proper couleurs of course.
it may be a question of fashion; brazil was very hot here too a few years back... but again, what proportion of those shirts are real replica jerseys? i have a "brazil" shirt myself... but it was made by humbro! and don't forget that it's not only about selling shirts, but also balls, shoes etc... and if nike takes over all the big NT's and clubs, adidas will join the ranks of lotto and diadora, which is after all the objective.
Yes, you're probably right about this image "war" and also about a lot of counterfeits and copycats in the brazilian colors. Still i liked most of adidas shirts except the one of 1996 which truly was horrible with the little lace around the neck. Huhhhhh As for Nike shirts, i can't say they're any good either. I just hoe the ugly Brazil, Portugal shirt with numbers around a circle won't be repeated. When i compare shirts whether in football or rugby, two examples spring to mind : our rugby shirt and New Zealand adidas black shirt during the last world cup. Now THAT shirt was class. Nike football so far isn't my thing.
Guignol is right. This isn't just about winning the French team contract, it's also one-upmanship. This is about capturing one of adidas's biggest clients. A team that have been closely associated with adidas for over 30 years. Next to Germany, France is THE adidas team. And it hurts doubly so for adidas because, although a German company, they are French owned. I never wear Nike myself. Sweatshop exploitation. 'Nuff said.
what i would have liked is for the FFF to give the contract to airness, under condition to expand their work in west africa, and ask the quai d'orsay and URSSAF to make up the shortfall 50-50. not only would we have a nicer shirt to wear, we'd be helping the right people.
Eh I've never been a big fan of Nike football gear myself. It wasn't til 94 That i even knew that made equipment for the game, and Ive always been more loyal to the traditional companies of the sport, like Adidas, Puma, Lotto etc. But in the grand schemes of things this means little sportwise. As long as the jerseys don't look atrocious I won't care. I am gonna miss those stripes on the sleeves though. To me, that's what the shirt is supposed to look like.
From a fan's standpoint, Airness shirts aren't wearable. The cut of them isn't proportional and they just don't wear well. I wouldn't be as willing to purchase an Airness replica shirt as I would with adidas or Nike. It will just be weird purchasing a France shirt without the familiar three stripes. Maybe Nike will bring us a plain, classy kit. Adidas seems to be too keen on experimenting with weird patterns and designs lately. And I don't know whose idea it was to release an all red kit, as they've been nothing but trouble in the past.
if nike continues the recent themes since the 2006 jerseys, i'd expect a classic, simple looking kit.