On March 21, Nike announced a major coup against its chief rival, Adidas. The latter has been the official sponsor and kit provider for the German men’s national soccer team for 77 years. But now, Nike is taking over the license.
The change in sponsor was momentous for several reasons. For starters, Germany is one of the most decorated teams in the most popular sport in the world — it has the second most World Cup wins, tied with Italy and only behind Brazil, and has gone to the finals more than any other team. What’s more, it’s the Bavaria-based Adidas’s home team. Adidas was reportedly “blindsided” by the team’s decision. According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Nike paid over $100 million for the sponsorship, twice what Adidas had been paying.
The business of sponsoring teams and athletes has always been both a financial boon and a mark of pride for sportswear companies. But as sports continue to grow in popularity, events like March Madness, the New York City Marathon and the Summer Olympics in Paris are becoming bigger brand battlegrounds. One estimate put soccer viewership at around 40% of the entire human population.
Nike clearly sees the partnership with Germany as a huge win. Beginning in 2027 and running through 2034, it will equip the German national team at major events like the Olympics and the World Cup. In 2022, the Summer Olympics were viewed by over 2 billion people. Nike declined to comment directly on the new partnership, but in a statement, Nike CEO John Donahoe called the new partnership “Nike at its very best.”
“We are the world’s leading sports brand, the largest sports brand and the leader in football, the world’s most popular sport,” Donahoe said. “And our ability to expand the game, [by] expanding the women’s football game and inviting youth culture into football, [have] all mattered. It was a remarkable team effort and a great proof point that, when Nike brings out our best, no one can beat us.”
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Other fashion brands have recently partnered with major athletes and teams include Skims, which last year was named the official underwear partner of the NBA and WNBA. On March 18, the brand launched a March Madness-themed campaign featuring six athletes from some of the most competitive teams in the tournament. They include Caleb Love, Donovan Clingan, Hunter Dickinson, Jared McCain, Robert Dillingham and Paxson Wojcik. While the bulk of Skims’ sports involvement has been in basketball, it also ran a campaign last year with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Meanwhile, On Running has become a major player in sponsoring athletes in the competitive running world. Most recently, it sponsored Hellen Obiri just before she went on to win first place at the New York City Marathon in November 2023.
“The Olympics is a huge brand play for us this year,” said Britt Olsen, chief commercial officer at On, speaking with Glossy earlier this month. “[We’re sponsoring] almost 30 track and field athletes at the Olympics this year. We feel like Paris this year is finally our year to make a big, big statement.”
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For its part, Indochino, the men’s suit brand based in Vancouver, Canada, has made a habit of investing in sports partnerships, as well. In addition to dressing athletes for the NBA Draft for the last six years, the brand has also continued adding new teams and tournaments to its list of partners. The latest is the 2025 U Sports Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, for which it will be an official suit partner next year. U Sports is the highest-level league for college basketball in Canada, equivalent to the NCAA in the U.S. Green said sponsoring sports events like the draft led to notable sales bumps that made 2023 the company’s best revenue year on record.
“Sports franchises have been a big push for us in the last decade, year-round,” said Indochino CEO Drew Green. “We’ve sponsored dozens of teams across all leagues, including for the Olympics.” ?
Luxury brands have also embraced athletes and sporting events for promotional purposes. Dior has partnered with tennis player Emma Raducanu, making her the face of the campaign for its new Lady 95.22 bag. LVMH announced in July 2023 that it would be the premium partner for this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, including designing the gold, silver and bronze medals for all competitions.
According to data provided to Glossy by data companies Traackr and Luxurynsight, posts from Raducanu has created more than 40 million impressions and 1 million engagements for Dior throughout the last year.
“The collaboration between athletes and luxury houses became a powerful marketing alliance,” said Jonathan Siboni, Luxurynsight CEO and co-founder. “Luxury brands have always benefited from athletes’ global reach and authenticity, as we have seen for years in watches. These partnerships have now spread to more categories to enhance brand visibility to younger audiences and even spark innovation and exclusive product lines, especially in a pre-Olympic period.”
