OT - I've converted to Adidas
So, I work for a subset of the athletic department. One of (the?) biggest perks of this is that I get some sweet Adidas swag. Also, since I'm someone who attends a ridiculous amount of athletic events and is a student, I have received a ton of other adidas apparel, (more on the t-shirt end of the swag spectrum).
I had always been a Nike guy, even outside of my Michigan gear. Pretty much every pair of shoes I have bought since I was 12 have been Nikes. Last week, 11 years later, I have bought my first pair of Adidas. They looked better, they felt better, and they were cheaper. It was a no-brainer.
So, I've come to the realization that even though my closet is full of M adidas gear, this was the first time I straight up picked adidas over Nike. And it made me think, and you know what? I kinda like alot of the adidas stuff over Nike. In fact, the only kind of gear I could think of that I still like Nike more than Adidas was soccer gear/apparel.
Anyone else been converted? Or are people still staunch in their Nike belief?
I've recently taken to UnderArmour apparel over both. I've found UA to be more comfortable and durable, though I still prefer Adidas over Nike.
I wear Nike for most of my shoes. Being a runner, I wore the motos for many years, but just recently switched to some shox and I'm somewhat satisfied. And for basketball I've always gone with Nike or Jordans.
is one BAMF.
If nothing else, adidas is taking more advantage of their position at Michigan than Nike ever did.
Before Nike was big, I wore their running shoes as sneakers. But as I grew, my feet got too wide. I had Adidas soccer shoes in high school and a few years IM in college.
After a few years off I learned about the AASA rec league, and my old shoes didn't fit. I've worn Umbro and Puma, but currently have Kelme firm ground shoes and Diadora turf shoes.
Soccer shorts have mostly been Adidas. Under the team T shirt I wear Under Armour, or sometimes Patagonia or 5.11.
I like both, and agree with you on most of your points. I have been getting Adidas shoes for a while, but definitely prefer Nike soccer gear to Adidas. Adidas cleats never seem to be very comfortable.
I think it's a crapshoot. I like the adidas shorts that I have but can't stand the hoodies I have. IME, Nike makes better hoodies and t shirts. I don't know what I think of adidas shoes, but I think Nike makes bad shoes. I bought a pair of Nike running shoes a year and a half ago and have worn them less that ten times. I figured I had break them in, but never was able to. I really don't wear any shoes other than Vans anymore.
For running shoes, I'm honestly not a huge fan of either Nike or Adidas - I prefer Asics. But as far as U-M's apparel sponsor goes, I'm happy to have Adidas. I don't like the relationship Nike has with Oregon; every other school effectively plays second fiddle. And I hate how they screw around with team uniforms. (I'm still trying to forget those awful Ellerbe-era basketball uniforms.) Adidas has made it clear that we are their top priority, and they wouldn't be foolish enough to mess with our look too much.
...and the family feud between their founders, brothers Adi and Rudi Dassler is absolutely fascinating.
Here's a good primer on the feud. The Jesse Owens '36 Olympics angle is something else. The fact that Owens wore Adidas while he embarrassed Hitler is a nice irony.
This Amazon link is for the definitive book on the feud: Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sport.
This Newsweek link is for an interview with the author of the book.
This Amazon link is for the definitive book on the feud: Sneaker Wars: The Enemy Brothers Who Founded Adidas and Puma and the Family Feud That Forever Changed the Business of Sport.
This Newsweek link is for an interview with the author of the book.
The greatest sports rivlary is not Michigan v Ohio State, or the Giants v Dodgers, or any other of those playground "my team can beat your team" fairytales listed on ESPN. No, the greatest sports rivalry revolves around siblings: brothers who created the companies Adidas and Puma. In 1924, in the Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach, two brothers started a shoe business. The older was a veteran of the Great War. The younger, Adolf--or Adi, as his family called him--had used their mother's large washroom to start making shoes in 1920, out of whatever materials he could scrounge.Check out the history section of the Puma site which has a nice (but too slow) slideshow of Puma history. If you get through it, you'll note that like Adidas, Puma always centered its marketing campaigns on becoming the footwear provider for successful soccer, track & field and tennis athletes. Pele, Eusebio, Maradona all wore Puma and made the brand iconic through the '70s for soccer players and fans around the world.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
I just spent WAYY to long watching Friar videos.