Nike will shoe Armstrong’s Team Radioshack
08-17-09, 10:54 AM
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Nike will shoe Armstrong’s Team Radioshack
Ultimately Nike didn’t have anything to gain by flipping the entire bill for Lance’s new Pro Tour team, but the shoe giant will have a major role.
This will be no surprise to anybody but last Thursday Nike has confirmed it will to be the footwear and apparel supplier to Team Radioshack.
Unless team members are stars with their own shoe contract they will be required to wear Nike footwear and apparel in competition and training. This was confirmed by Nike spokeswoman Erin Dobson in an interview with The Oregonian. Nike is based in Portland, Oregon.
The spokeswoman declined to disclose the financial level of Nike’s sponsorship, but it will be minor compared with RadioShack’s. A title sponsor typically pays $10 million of the more than $15 to $20 million it takes to fund a Pro Tour team for a year of racing.
In this year’s 2009 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong sported black shoes with two of Nike’s large yellow swoosh’s on the side… with black socks of course.
This will be no surprise to anybody but last Thursday Nike has confirmed it will to be the footwear and apparel supplier to Team Radioshack.
Unless team members are stars with their own shoe contract they will be required to wear Nike footwear and apparel in competition and training. This was confirmed by Nike spokeswoman Erin Dobson in an interview with The Oregonian. Nike is based in Portland, Oregon.
The spokeswoman declined to disclose the financial level of Nike’s sponsorship, but it will be minor compared with RadioShack’s. A title sponsor typically pays $10 million of the more than $15 to $20 million it takes to fund a Pro Tour team for a year of racing.
In this year’s 2009 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong sported black shoes with two of Nike’s large yellow swoosh’s on the side… with black socks of course.
Does this mean Lance will give up those custom kicks he's been wearing? Seems a bit hypocritical. What if you have your own shoe contract but not considered a star like maybe Frischkorn and D2. Frankly I hated my Poggio III's...not that I'm in any danger of being offered a contract.
08-17-09, 03:37 PM
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I don't get this thread. Nike sponsors "The Shack" and they expect the team to wear their product, unless they have a previous shoe/clothing contract. Lance is now a hypocrite? I must be missing something.
Did we just need an excuse to call Lance a hypocrite? If so can we do it more clearly next time? Just a simple "Lance is a hypocrite, just cuz I say so" will do. Thanks
Did we just need an excuse to call Lance a hypocrite? If so can we do it more clearly next time? Just a simple "Lance is a hypocrite, just cuz I say so" will do. Thanks
08-17-09, 05:22 PM
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I guess finding good riders is far more important than having them wear Nikes. If a great rider is endorsing, say, SIDI, and wants in on The Shack, the last thing LA wants is for him to be unable to join the team because of his shoes!
08-17-09, 05:28 PM
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I don't get this thread. Nike sponsors "The Shack" and they expect the team to wear their product, unless they have a previous shoe/clothing contract. Lance is now a hypocrite? I must be missing something.
Did we just need an excuse to call Lance a hypocrite? If so can we do it more clearly next time? Just a simple "Lance is a hypocrite, just cuz I say so" will do. Thanks
Did we just need an excuse to call Lance a hypocrite? If so can we do it more clearly next time? Just a simple "Lance is a hypocrite, just cuz I say so" will do. Thanks
08-17-09, 06:47 PM
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If Nike pays your company to make something for Nike.....then it is Nike. Just like any other producer. Nike outsources all kinds of stuff all the time. As do many big corporations. Ex. GM sells both the Vibe (Toyota Matrix) and the Aveo (Daewoo?). Both are still GM cars. Lance isn't a hypocrite for making his employees do as he wants. He's the boss. Either way if his shoes are labelled Nike....then they are Nike. By next year he'll probably have shoes made for him anyway. He's simply keeping his sponsors happy by making sure his employees wear the sponsors shoes.
08-17-09, 06:58 PM
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If Nike pays your company to make something for Nike.....then it is Nike. Just like any other producer. Nike outsources all kinds of stuff all the time. As do many big corporations. Ex. GM sells both the Vibe (Toyota Matrix) and the Aveo (Daewoo?). Both are still GM cars. Lance isn't a hypocrite for making his employees do as he wants. He's the boss. Either way if his shoes are labelled Nike....then they are Nike. By next year he'll probably have shoes made for him anyway. He's simply keeping his sponsors happy by making sure his employees wear the sponsors shoes.
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08-17-09, 07:09 PM
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I'm not sure I'm following your logic. If Cervelo were to make his bike, and it was painted up and had Trek decals, would you say he's riding a Trek? It's one thing if there's a business arrangement in place, and you could buy said hypothetical Cervelo labeled as a Trek, perhaps we could agree that - through the miracle of branding - it's a Trek. But if he were to just get one and paint it up for the sake of appearance, it would seem to merely be false advertising.
08-17-09, 07:33 PM
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When Nike started sponsoring Tiger Woods, all he did was wear their logo on some clothes. Now Nike has a full range of clubs, balls, clothes, and bags. Same thing for Michael Jordan and his basketball shoes. It's a little late to jump on the Lance bandwagon for them and develop a full line of bike equipment, but I imagine they might try to expand a bit.
08-17-09, 07:49 PM
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When Nike started sponsoring Tiger Woods, all he did was wear their logo on some clothes. Now Nike has a full range of clubs, balls, clothes, and bags. Same thing for Michael Jordan and his basketball shoes. It's a little late to jump on the Lance bandwagon for them and develop a full line of bike equipment, but I imagine they might try to expand a bit.
08-17-09, 07:51 PM
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This is done all the time in professional tennis. Logo gets strung because the pro can't make the adjustment to the new equipment. The LA bash parade continues....
08-17-09, 08:12 PM
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p.s. - me and Greg are real tight.
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Last edited by USAZorro; 08-17-09 at 08:15 PM.
08-17-09, 08:12 PM
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Lance has no say in what shoes people on his team wear. It's Nike who decides. They're the ones footing a bunch as sponsors. Ultimately, it's up to them to decide whether or not people on the team can wear competitors shoes because of prior contracts, not Lance. I think it was a good gesture to smooth the contracts out, especially considering they're the official sponsors. I think it's pretty standard and some of you guys are making mountains out of mole hills; seriously.
08-17-09, 08:17 PM
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Lance has no say in what shoes people on his team wear. It's Nike who decides. They're the ones footing a bunch as sponsors. Ultimately, it's up to them to decide whether or not people on the team can wear competitors shoes because of prior contracts, not Lance. I think it was a good gesture to smooth the contracts out, especially considering they're the official sponsors. I think it's pretty standard and some of you guys are making mountains out of mole hills; seriously.
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08-17-09, 08:22 PM
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Nike is only involved because of Lance, therefore he has 100% say in it. It could very well be that Nike just wants people to wear Nike sneakers on the podium. I have a hard time believing they're really going to get back in the shoe making business, but then maybe the ones Cavendish and others have been wearing will suddenly hit the market next year.
08-17-09, 08:37 PM
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I'm not sure I'm following your logic. If Cervelo were to make his bike, and it was painted up and had Trek decals, would you say he's riding a Trek? It's one thing if there's a business arrangement in place, and you could buy said hypothetical Cervelo labeled as a Trek, perhaps we could agree that - through the miracle of branding - it's a Trek. But if he were to just get one and paint it up for the sake of appearance, it would seem to merely be false advertising.
08-17-09, 09:13 PM
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So we agree. If Nike calls up whoever supplies Bontrager with shoes....or any other manufacturer for that matter, and says make me a shoe in this colour and in with this logo......then it's a Nike. In fact if Nike called up Cervelo and said make me a thousand RS's in Silver with Nike on them (and Cervelo agreed) then yes it would be a Nike bike. Do you think that Nike actually designs all the product they sell? Or would you agree that John Q waterbottle maker just silk screens the swoosh onto some bottles of with Nike's specifications (replace bottle with gym bag/sweater/golf ball/soccer ball/socks/etc). It's all still Nike. I'm sure Nike is working on next season's shoes right now......
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08-17-09, 09:19 PM
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In that case, Nike will just relent and put their logos on other kits. Heck, who notices the shoes anyway? Its the jersey, front and center, that counts.
08-17-09, 09:46 PM
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https://cyclingshoesonline.com/featur...am-radioshack/
Does this mean Lance will give up those custom kicks he's been wearing? Seems a bit hypocritical.
Does this mean Lance will give up those custom kicks he's been wearing? Seems a bit hypocritical.
08-18-09, 12:19 AM
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I had heard that most pro contracts actually don't require riders to wear a certain kind of shoe, or ride a certain type of saddle. Those are two personal choice items that can seriously affect a rider's performance, and while they might get incentives, they often are not forced to use them.
08-18-09, 12:24 AM
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I refuse to buy Nikes.. What if the cycist finds them uncomfortable. . Pretty head strong for someone not a major sponsor of the team.
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08-18-09, 06:45 AM
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Who says the shoes have to be off the shelf Nike's? I'm pretty sure they will be custom to whatever extent they need to be for the rider . No Professional Team has it in their best interest to have a rider wear anything that will impair his/her performance. . . so the shoe may say Nike . . . but what it's made with and how may not be anything like the retail shoes.
I say it's no big deal they have to wear Nike logo'd shoes . It's underneath that logo that counts.
Who says the shoes have to be off the shelf Nike's? I'm pretty sure they will be custom to whatever extent they need to be for the rider . No Professional Team has it in their best interest to have a rider wear anything that will impair his/her performance. . . so the shoe may say Nike . . . but what it's made with and how may not be anything like the retail shoes.
I say it's no big deal they have to wear Nike logo'd shoes . It's underneath that logo that counts.
08-18-09, 12:25 PM
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Pro teams have done this forever. Guys riding rebranded bikes, wheels, saddles etc to meet their teams sponsors needs has been going on since sponsors first started paying the bills.