2014 adidas Michigan gear at M-Den out

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

I do this thread every year. I actually really like the stuff they've got this year.

The Nussmeier visor^

 

 

The Geek

July 4th, 2014 at 12:16 AM ^

the polo's are just ok. Not a fan of the maize stripe across the back and 2/3 of the sleeves. 

I think I could hire my 17-year old son to produce better product than this. I have pretty much refrained from the Adidas/Nike/etc. argument, but this is an awful selection of gear. 

I feel no urge or impulse to purchase any of these items. Any of them.

 

Schembo

July 4th, 2014 at 12:27 AM ^

The white pullover is nice, but the rest is complete shit. It's like their trying to devalue the brand. I can buy better look stuff at Meijer.

MgoRayO3313

July 4th, 2014 at 12:35 AM ^

I know we all have our own unique tastes but I feel like most of this is standard adidas trash. I keep trying to give adidas a chance but ever year the product seems to become more and more generic. Cookie-cutter products. The polos look okay. The white pullover is nice. The hats and visors are terrible. Look like something you could find screen printed at a shop in the middle of a mall, the good, the bad, the ugly.

I apologize in advance if you feel different or indifferent but I think the adidas product (among many factors) contributes to use being held back. Adidas has cornered a solid portion of the market (football products and merchandise) here in the state of Michigan, but I think it is really driven of the University of Michigan. Kids do not care for their gear as much as say, Nike and UA. Get rid of Adidas and recruits will take notice, even if we do not do anything crazy with uniformz. (Which I hope we never touch the home unis)

Obligatory monthly rant about Michigan merchandise and adidas inferiority over.

MgoRayO3313

July 4th, 2014 at 9:19 AM ^

Recruiting has not been a major concern. Call me crazy. Call me conceded. I've coached HS football now for six seasons. I hear the conversations that take place about gear. I see the trends come and go. I remember when mid socks were still something only my father wore.

The truth of the matter is that no, recruiting has not been bad. In fact it has been pretty good. But we have missed out on plenty of big name recruits. Yes I know, I am crazy to think a small factor in these decisions might actually have something to do with the gear the players wear and not just the sub-par play on the field that has become our standard and seemingly calling card. Let's just say Adidas is not helping us.

When these guys are making their decisions, for the most part their parents are saying go for academics, the prestige, etc while the recruit and the recruits friends are saying go for the campus life, the path to the NFL, and the statement/fame. To me, and my hunch would be for many recruits, the Adidas gear is simply not a +1 when making that difficult decision where to spend the next four years. The inverse, say nike or UA, would only be considered a positive and a added benefit.

So to readdress the statement, no recruiting has not been a major concern in recent years under Hoke & Co. However, I would bet if the current players were polled the majority would say they would prefer Nike. It's far and away the most popular brand with the 14-25 year old
Demographic. Raptor claw marks may have been cool in 1995-1996 but that isn't helping our cause now. I'm sure it's much more of a non-factor than an actual factor but if we simply dropped Adidas after the contract we wouldn't have to worry about it at all. I don't care how much they offer.

Wolverine Devotee

July 4th, 2014 at 1:04 AM ^

Compared to last year's, this batch is MUCH better. Last year really made me question adidas.

Perhaps I'm so defensive of adidas because of how much I've invested in their gear. Not just the Michigan gear, but every pair of shoes/socks/boxers/shorts/athletic wear since the change I have bought has been adidas. More days of the week than not, every article of clothing on my body is adidas-made. No days go by where I don't wear something made by them. Zero. Hell, even when I played football in junior high when the change happened, I made sure to get adidas cleats & helmet visor. 

The last Nike thing I bought of any kind was a #86 jersey that was on sale before the switch to adidas became official in 2008 with the first day of fall camp. 

Although, I do genuinely like the stuff this year like the polos and the white pullover. The second hat I like, the others not so much. Hell, I didn't even notice until now that I'm wearing the Maize shorts.

 

MgoRayO3313

July 4th, 2014 at 9:46 AM ^

Last years merchandise was terrible too. Just like in NBA Jam, two terrible terrible years in a row "we are heating up", after a third consecutive year of trash next season maybe we will be "on fire!"

I know we can't get out of the contract until '16 (or whenever), but this product is trash. Please do not renew this contract. Please!

Don

July 4th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^

I recognize I'm being dickish, but you didn't "invest" in Adidas—you spent money on it. None of it will ever appreciate in value.

Given what this stuff looks like, it's a depreciating asset even before it's sold. Fugly.

alum96

July 4th, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^

I just looked at your 2013 link and I like about half the stuff that year versus uhh 1.5 items of 2014.  The grey long sleeve T, the white pullover, and both polos look better in 2013.  And there is actually a hat that while still a bit loud doesn't scream Meijer in the 2013 group. The maize hooded sweatshirt of 2013 is also do-able.  All the stuff from 2013 that sucks focuses on things where the block M is 2/3rds of the real estate on the front.

Almost none of this 2014 stuff is decent.

rob f

July 4th, 2014 at 12:54 AM ^

I wouldn't wear any of those hats if someone gave them to me.

The only two things I care at all for are the white pull-over and the 2014 Student T (which my daughter already got for me for Father's Day).  The rest of it is feces.

taistreetsmyhero

July 4th, 2014 at 1:39 AM ^

the guy at the ann arbor sports memorabilia store on liberty just bought a collection of...i think he said 500 vintage hats. he'll give you a great deal if you buy 4 or 5. i'm slowly building up my collection...

Wolverine Devotee

July 4th, 2014 at 2:32 AM ^

Yes! That shop is where I could spend days. It's all vintage Michigan stuff. Programs, glasses, footballs, buttons, pennants, photos, tickets. I actually bought one of the original wood slabs of seats from Michigan Stadium from him. Still on the metal it was nailed into the concrete with.

GoBlueRandy

July 4th, 2014 at 3:05 AM ^

I understand some people don't really care who sponsors the teams, but I don't understand how anyone can look at this shit and say they like it better than what Nike produces.

FatGuyLittleCoat

July 5th, 2014 at 12:44 AM ^

I see tons of Nike gear made for Ohio State. It's a HUGE upgrade to anything Adidas has ever made for UM. Nike understands how to make an attractive shirt-Adidas is clearly trying its best to lose all of its current contracts with the crap it's producing. Nike makes seriously good looking apparel. Adidas needs to stick to soccer or something