IU exploring its options for its next apparel contract

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) – Indiana University is exploring a variety of options for a more lucrative apparel contract as its contract with Adidas nears its end, athletics officials say.

The Hoosiers’ relationship with Adidas started in 2004, but IU’s current $21 million Adidas contract was signed in 2008 and it expires next year.

IU’s associate athletic director for strategic communications and fan experience, Jeremy Gray, said the school has been preparing for its next apparel deal “for a long time.”

“We are very, very deep in the process, and we took this as an opportunity to look at different options,” Gray told The Indianapolis Star (http://indy.st/1LW9zcG ).

Gray said that IU isn’t unhappy with its relationship with Adidas, but the school is using “this opportunity to feel things out.”

Whatever Indiana’s final choice, the going rate for college apparel contracts has grown dramatically in the last several years, including the $90-million, 10-year deal with Under Armour that lured the University of Notre Dame away from Adidas in early 2014.

Nike already counts Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan State, Florida, LSU and Oregon among its clients, and it just pulled Tennessee and Michigan away from Adidas.

IU’s athletics department enjoys significant benefits from the high profile of its men’s basketball program, which often generates big television ratings and is appealing for branding purposes to apparel sponsors. IU’s candy-striped pants are one of college athletics’ most popular school-specific items and the Hoosiers’ alumni base is among the nation’s largest.

“We feel good that providers or potential partners have a good understanding of the size and passion of our fan base,” Gray said.