What’s with all the swooshes: The reason behind all the Nike gear
Brayden Allen, Sports Editor
From the newest jerseys to the freshest shoes, having the best gear really can help create a solid presence and turn those teams from dud to stud.
For every athlete, looking clean and fresh is a key part of the game when competing on the field or on the court.
As much of a contributing factor of success as good looking uniforms can be, there are still realities that many athletes face when attending smaller sized schools. The truth is, as result of smaller budgets and lesser financial support, schools with small student populations, competing at lower collegiate levels, oftentimes struggle to provide their teams with the latest gear, with many settling for items that are less than ideal.
However, North Greenville is one of few schools where this issue has not become such a burden.
Many fans would note that Crusader sports teams have been one of many collegiate programs across the nation to don the Nike swoosh on their uniforms. This can be traced back to a real need that the university faced to present itself to the public as a legitimate place of education and athletic success.
“Our teams were all wearing different stuff,” Associate Athletic Director for compliance, Dustin Fuls said. “We needed a provider that would allow all our teams to wear the same brand.”
This need led to a decision that continues to affect our athletes to this day. In 2009, a contract between the university and the Nike corporation was established to provide our teams with high quality apparel.
The ultimate benefit provides the university with a discounted rate when purchasing uniforms for our athletic teams. For convenience, the gear also comes through a third party distributor, BSN sports, that is locally owned and operated.
The contract has led many of NGU’s programs into getting uniforms that continue to impress those at the university and opponents alike. This includes some such as the baseball team’s black and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams red uniforms, all sporting the newly created, “The Ville” script.
In addition, the contract is also to thank for the football team’s highly favored all red uniforms, paying tribute to the team’s origins, which included an all red uniform.
For many of the players on the football team, the introduction of a new, all red uniform was an exciting change.
However, as much benefit as this contract provides to the university, it doesn’t go without stipulations.
In accordance with the contract, all NGU athletes are required to wear Nike gear when competing in athletic events. This does not include practices, as each of NGU’s athletic teams have different requirements for gear during practices.
It can also be noted that the cost of athletic wear and gear is high, especially for college athletes. Because of the discounted price that contract provides, NGU is able to provide adequate gear to each one of its athletes, especially those who are unable to purchase the gear for themselves.
For those who violate the contract there also come consequences.
An initial violation of the contract would result first in a fine to the university. The ultimate consequence would result in the loss of the contract between the university and the Nike corporation, removing all discounts provided.
While a contract with such a large corporation like Nike might seem limiting to some, it continues to provide an opportunity for smaller schools such as North Greenville to provide athletes with the best gear and help them compete at a high level on and off the field.
