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ECU's finances get a boost from adidas

By Brett Friedlander
©2015 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

East Carolina is changing its stripes. Or more accurately, it’s trading in its swoosh for three stripes.

Athletic director Jeff Compher broke the news Wednesday when he announced that the school has agreed to a 10-year exclusive partnership with adidas, effective next July when its current contract with Nike comes to an end.

The deal will provide each of the Pirates’ 17 teams with athletic footwear, apparel and other accessories through the 2025-26 athletic season and is reported to be worth $16.5 million. It will make ECU one of only 11 schools nationwide with a top-tier, all-sport, multi-year agreement with the Portland, Oregon-based company.

N.C. State, Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Texas A&M, and UCLA are the others.

Although there will almost certainly be a segment of the fan base that criticizes the new affiliation and considers it a step down given the higher profile Nike has in the athletic apparel marketplace – especially in basketball – Wednesday’s announcement is yet another example of the foresight Compher has brought to ECU since his arrival in Greenville three years ago.

Those planned upgrades to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium over the next few years aren’t going to pay for themselves, after all. And it’s going to take money, a lot of money, to finance the “full cost of attendance” promise that will help keep the Pirates on an even playing field with their so-called Power Five rivals.

By all accounts, the amount offered by adidas blew Nike’s bid to keep the ECU contract – as well as those from other, unspecified companies – completely out of the water. An added benefit to the increased revenue is the money the Pirates will save on the increased equipment and uniforms included as part of the adidas deal.

“The enhanced value for me is that adidas is equally excited about East Carolina and this agreement is very reflective of that,” football coach Ruffin McNeill said in a statement. “It also represents putting the needs of all ECU student-athletes and programs first, which is always our top priority. I'm also excited to see and be a part of an innovative design for our game and team apparel that will surely impact our recruiting process.”

The lucrative new deal is yet another positive byproduct of ECU’s recent upgrade to the American Athletic Conference, a league that offers increased national exposure through its television contract with ESPN.

It’s doubtful the Pirates’ brand would have been strong enough to generate the same kind of attention had they still been a member of Conference USA.

“We're excited about the direction of athletics at East Carolina University," said Jim Murphy, the director of adidas America’s NCAA sports marketing department. “Our mission is to help athletes perform better and we’re looking forward to bringing this winning attitude to all men’s and women’s athletics at ECU.”

The Pirates will continue to wear Nike apparel until July 2016.

In the meantime, representatives from adidas plan to come to Greenville in the coming months to consult with each team to gauge their individual needs and preferences.

“I’m fired up and really excited that our university is one of 11 schools to have a national brand with adidas,” baseball coach Cliff Godwin said. “Nike did a great job with us, but being a top-tier school that gets the most gear and equipment from adidas is very exciting for ECU and the future of our program.”

It’s a future the Pirates will be much better equipped to face now, as they take their next steps toward national recognition with three stripes on their shoes.

Contact Brett Friedlander

PAGE UPDATED 11/05/15 02:28 AM.

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