Lets Discuss The Industry

[3onpar5]

I thought we could have a discussion on where the footwear industry is now. Ill break it down into companies and discuss. Feel free to add

NIKE- The leader, no doubt, but it also seems that they are the only company out there that is trying new things and bringing new things to market. Some will say that its all gimmicks (flywire, Lunar, etc) but overall they are trying and letting us see new things, keeping it interesting. Their ads are on point now, with the Puppets leading the way.

Reebok- Fading and quickly becoming a brand like Starter. Just another brand. I feel if they didnt have the NFL contract they would really be hurting more than they are now. They have no NBA presence since Iverson is done, and they are bringing nothing new to the table.

Adidas- Still a player but what bothers me about adidas is they seem to have become lazy. All designs are similar, no new tech (well Power web but 80 bucks for a shirt come on), They seem to be just going along, no good advertising, nothing. They just seem to be there.

UA- They were/are coming on strong. But they too seem to have slipped. I think they branched out too fast. They are in everything now. I saw a UA golf bag the other day. They have the hoops shoe with Brandon Jennings (who can flat out ball) but no real campaign to hype him. They obviously have the compression market but NIKE has made a big push for that and is gaining ground (I think. No sales numbers to back it up). I would think if they lost a big share of the compression market they would be in big trouble.

So what do you all think? There will always be players in this game but IMO Adidas and UA really need to step it up or NIKE may run away with this thing. The others will always exist but the gap will be quite substantial.

 

[drewdioxin]

are you coutning JB as nike in general, because technologically they try new things which i respect, but when it comes to design they leave alot to be desired solely relying on bad quality retros.

asics is a brand at least in running is very underrrate outside of hardcore runners. I can;t tell you how impressed I am with their kayano line year in and out.

nike has most categories locked up save for futbol and you can see UA starting to hit hard in domestic football as well. god forbid reebok get rid of the nfl license.

Nike just has the most forward thinking designers, i just believe they are under utilized as a whole.

and Rock will come in and blow this wide open and make what I added here look inconsequential haha.

 

[mp23]

Nice post. Nike obviously is the industry leader in technology and innovation but I also think they have run stagnant with a lot of their retroes and re-mixes of shoes, ala, the Nike Fresh Series, the hideous Jordan mash-ups, and the awful colorways they release, killing classic shoes, aka a brown/white Pippen 1??? The advertising is the best, of course, because of Wieden and Kennedy continually churning out ads that everyone remembers. Let's just say that we all know how well Nike markets its product and that has to do a lot with how kids nowadays view Nike as a product.

Adidas is good enough with their athletes and some technology, but they haven’t innovated since the Feet-You-Wear concept. The mechanical cushioning in A3 has been a major failure as well as the expensive research of the adidas 1, in which their communications officer said it would “will turn the industry upside down," (lol) because the pricing and weight was terrible. I give them credit for excellent trail running shoes but that is just about it. Their designs are lame and not even close to being ground-breaking with the generic three stripes painted everywhere. I haven’t seen anything cool since their runner called the Nightrunner. At least they can make some money on the NBA contract, although we all know that the massive jersey craze has been over for quite awhile. Their best “athlete

 

[3onpar5]

MP23, great post. I think you hit the nail on the head. Do you think that the recent NIKE mash-ups have anything to do with the economy and what I mean by that is they can save a crap load of of money by telling designers to take two older shoes and put them together and you have a whole new shoe. See the kids of today dont know the difference. For instance the new Pippen/More Uptempo shoe. I know those two shoes (Im 37) but my son who is 15 thinks this is a brand new shoe. So they dont have to spend as much R&D on these new shoes.

But they are still putting out enough "new" stuff to keep me interested, Lebron VII, Kobe V, Lunar Glide, etc.

As far as Jordan goes I would like to see them be able to borrow some NIKE tech. I think some Chris Paul shoes with Flywire would be crazy, or maybe some D Wades with Lunar or maybe a Jordan Foam!!! I think that would give Jordan the shot in the arm that it needs for new stuff. Hard to be innovative with mesh, leather, and patent, as your only upper materials.

 

[mp23]

That's an excellent point about the recession, I never even thought of that! That is true, the kids of today have no clue that these are not "new" shoes, just bastardized mash-ups of usually classic shoes, even when Nike puts the 360 Air bag on the uppers of old running shoes and such. No R & D at all used for those. I agree, and its funny you mention the new product because those three shoes are great shoes and I love them all, especially the Lunarglides, because the Dynamic Motion Control platform is amazing.

I agree with the Jordan tech, Air technology is getting old. At least they tried to innovate with IPS.

 

[crooklyncon]

Interesting post. I'll take a different spin on this, if you go to some other countries the idea of running in a Nike shoe is almost laughable, however that has started to change. Nike as a company demands respect, they know when their customers stop purchasing their shoes. Perfect example, the bowerman series, real runners just stopped running in Nike shoes all together and stuck to Mizuno and Asics. I can't remember the last time a Nike running shoe was rated as being better than Asisc's or Mizuno's high end models. What I find interesting is that people are starting to run in Nike shoes that are NOT part of the Bowerman series, specifically the lunarglides and the lunarswift. As it was mentioned before, the dynamic support system is amazing, kudos to Nike on such innovation.

New Balance just brought out an update to almost if not every shoe in their line and let's just say those shoes are collecting a lot of dust on the shelves.

Brooks and Saucony are losing ground extremely quickly in the running scene. (This is purely from an anecdotal standpoint, I have no statistical evidence to back this up)

As far as Reebok and Adidas go, they have and are continuing to lose a lot of their spark. Not much can really be said of them except for their CEOs need to be on Eric Avar and Tinker Hatfield's voicemail constantly.

 

[energycube]

Nice topic. I was thinking of posting a "state of the Union" type topic for people to share. It ties in with Obama supposedly making a State of the Union speech sometime soon.

What are your thoughts of the shoe game today? maybe as compared to years past? etc.

I suck at writing but would love to hear peoples thoughts. Especially those of you that have been doing this for more than a minute.

 

[crooklyncon]

Originally Posted by energycube

Nice topic. I was thinking of posting a "state of the Union" type topic for people to share. It ties in with Obama supposedly making a State of the Union speech sometime soon.

What are your thoughts of the shoe game today? maybe as compared to years past? etc.

I suck at writing but would love to hear peoples thoughts. Especially those of you that have been doing this for more than a minute.

I think most of it has been said already, as a result of the recession people are not buying shoes like they used to. I think the fact that a lot of the shoes coming out are mash ups instead of new designs sort of discourages some older sneaker heads from buying some shoes. Think of the Jordan fusions, I personally don't know any jordan heads with a pair because they don't do the original shoe justice. Perfect example the fusion 8's and fusion 13's make me want to throw up. When I first saw them I was like,

, and I know a lot of people had that same impression.

The shoe game of the past is completely different from what it is today. Today its more profit over quality, just think of a lot of the retros that look fake and/or imperfect. I've only worn my spacejams once and I don't even want them anymore because of the quality.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[3onpar5]

I think the problem with other shoes companies (not NIKE) is nothing "jumps off the shelf anymore. JP said it on one of his videos for the Lebron VII that tech, he believes, is coming back. So you can get a little crazier. This is how it was in the 90's, the more outrageous the shoe the better it sold. I think that adidas and UA, I'm leaving out Reebok bacause they have no relevance anymore, need to let a designer or two just go and do whatever. Say make us a shoe lets see what ya got. THey have to try something new. When you go to a store it seems to me that NIKE is the only one that uses colors and tech, consistently to visually grab the shopper.

I'd like to see some more wide ranging ads from NIKE in other sports. As said above the Puppets are dominating, but we need some football and maybe some golf (since the Masters is ramping up), maybe some running stuff. Show me what ya got NIKE and I will go buy it.

 

[rockdeep]

Originally Posted by DrewDioxin

are you coutning JB as nike in general, because technologically they try new things which i respect, but when it comes to design they leave alot to be desired solely relying on bad quality retros.

asics is a brand at least in running is very underrrate outside of hardcore runners. I can;t tell you how impressed I am with their kayano line year in and out.

nike has most categories locked up save for futbol and you can see UA starting to hit hard in domestic football as well. god forbid reebok get rid of the nfl license.

Nike just has the most forward thinking designers, i just believe they are under utilized as a whole.

and Rock will come in and blow this wide open and make what I added here look inconsequential haha.

I literally LOL'd

I like the topic... but as Drew said I could go write an essay and then some on this.  I think I'll sit this one out though and appreciate all the other input .. Im surprised its not more.  I basically write the same stuff over and over all the time anyway..

 

[3onpar5]

Oh come on Rock you were one I was looking for. Also hoped DMX Fury would check in, if hes still here and a couple other "old heads" If you dont step up this will thread will die and we will be left with the 700 page Kobe 4 thread.

 

[biglefty23]

I worry about Under Armour. Their shoes feel like the cushioning is made of concrete, their cleats feel worse, and their designs look like transformers. I'm not sure if their training shoes are going to turn into a tennis racket or something.

On another note, it saddens me that people fall for their gimmicky marketing and settle for sub-par shoes. I see freshmen on campus wearing UA shoes and I just think to myself "why would anyone put that on their feet, they hurt after just minutes of walking around in them". It doesn't make sense to me to pay $75-85 for a pair of shoes and have them feel like hell. Most of the kids wearing UA shoes need a lessen in zoom or max air.


Beyond anything I've written above, I look beyond Nike for running. I've bought $60 pairs of Asics that have lasted longer and feel better than $90 Nike running shoes. In my opinion, Nike can't match the comfort or durability of a serious running shoe. When Nike comes out with something that won't go flat after 4 months of wear, I'll be there to try them, but until then I'm Asics all the way for running.

 

[rockdeep]

^^ Ok ok. You pulled my leg. lol

I'll go backwards for drama and effect......just joking.

Edit:  I'll Add more spacing and Bolding to keep interest for the A.D.D. lol

UA- I have to admit I am disappointed with UA. They have the potential a Father tells his son has but fails to see it themselves. UA is at a distinct disadvantage not having the Technology an Adidas or Reebok has let alone a Nike. However for me, that means they get to push the envelope EVEN more. I believe if UA actually stepped outside the box a little more like they did when Kevin created the company they could continue to scare the likes of Nike.. but they need to reorganize and refocus on what their core target audience is going to be as well as Core Products.

They are too small to spread themselves thin like they have. If Stocks continue to be the way they are and have to do another set of cut backs you then stress those folks who are left to handle ALL facets of your business and some of them aren't even well versed on what they are doing on their original discipline let alone taking on more work.

They need not go after the NFL contract, because it wouldn't be advantageous for their bottom line. Jerseys aren't sellers like they used to be. Ask the NFL and NBA. Especially with Fake Sellers selling them for a mere fraction of the price.

I'd usually post a Solution with every problem, but I;ve been to places that use your solutions and dont give credit for them or pay you for them... so I'll leave that alone for now. But I will say UA can REALLY be a player in the Market place if they just refocus their strategy and Mission Statement. The Team Concept is a great one, however it needs to be utilized more effectively and directed at the demo's you are trying to reach alot better.





Reebok- Do they still make basketball shoes? lol No really. With AI seeing the door soon, they can live off Retro's for a while but how many retro's could they really make money from? Reeboks seen their best days as Nike used to back in the late 80's and early 90's. As its been said before. Nike gives Gimmicks.. but at least they give us new one's with Marketing campaigns that leave us wanting more.... well at least they used to. (I'll get to that later)




Adidas- Obviously tied to Reebok in business, I am surprised they are still acting like two different companies. This to me is having an anchor pull you down , unless you are giving them resources and ideas to pull them up to where you are. Again I only speak in terms of the Basketball Industry, because Adidas is doing well in other segments.

I agree as said above. I really do think Adidas has made great strides over the years in design ( I know Coach Hubie i.e. DC would be surprised I said that. I miss that dude! lol) HOWEVER.. as its been mentioned, too many of their designs have appeared similar as if the same designer or PLM is managing the entire line. I think they are almost there in getting over a hump but I believe they too can push the envelope more since they dont have the technology for their shoes that Nike has.

I truely believe MANY of these shoe companies have ideas not out there yet they can push thru on Patents that Nike has not TOUCHED. Nike doesnt even let all new ideas from their Designers see the day of light when they create new concept for Tooling and Technology. I suppose its the old adage (if its not my idea, its not good enough). Again. I'll save that.

Adidas should really focus on not having their Stripes be the overbearing design on their kicks, and focus more on the design itself. I believe the Swoosh is the ONLY comapany that can place a logo on a shoe and it improve that design ten fold. Other companies dont have that luxury. So integrating the logo into the design and have it forced onto the Sneaker is unappealing...altho its worked nicely on a few designs I would admit.




Peak / Li Ning - Many of you may not realize these guys are doing WORK overseas. As mentioned before, these guys can come to the states and REALLY make a bigger splash than Nike AND Adidas. They can give folks every thing the other two aren't and if they can just steal away a few players that actually matter and have some sort of a following, they would immediately get Stateside credibility.

They could lower their pricepoints to beyond competitive and they could have all urban distributors across the state as well as Smaller department stores. Sure it removes some of the "it" some folks prefer when placed in a dept store. They have the freedom to do alot and not have Variant Nation copying their stuff off the bat taking away from their bottom line. Their Options are limitless




APL - These guys in my eyes are now on their way to UNLIMITED success.... some say "who"? I say go check them out. First they have one of our own, and my of my good buddies on their roster now. Cody Harris aka BP. In my opinion these guys are what the Industry needs. They can push the envelope where Nike wont. They can snag good talent where maybe other companies have been aprehensive. They just need that openness and willingness to have that Prodcut Line person who develops the Design Concept in a much more integrated way.

Status quo is for a Designer to design. Marketing to Market. and Engineers to do what they do. Everyone believes they are best at what they do, and as true as that may be in some instances... everyone must be willing to listen to the other to make the end result the best it can be not just for the sake of the Product itself but the company as a whole.

Whats good is it when Marketing takes a design and completely changes the story and concept life of the original design? What good is it when a Product developer doesn't understand the design concept and ONLY makes changes the way THEY see fit? Its counter productive. It should always be a Team Concept. A designer may hit a wall at times as far as Inspiration and ideas go. Its up to EVERYONE to pitch in and help. A Product Developor may have an idea for retail, but may not be able to draw a stick man.

When that happens taking it to only one designer may not be what you need, as a Designer hears what they hear and how you explain it may sound differently to each person. Hence you take that idea to several designers until that idea is almost where you need it to be. You bring Marketing in and explain to them what you did how you got there and then have them put their spin or expertise on it. I could go on forever with this... but APL has the ability to do this and make a mark on the industry with Form, Function and longevity without gimmicks.

Let Function and the Design drive the company not Marketing.




Nike- Hmmmm. What could I say that I haven't said already? Everyone knows how good Nike is. Everyone knows how powerful it is. Do you realize how much MORE of those two they could be if:

They actually let their designers have more creative control from Concept to Retail? If they werent as worried about the Profit margins? If they actually marketed the Inspiration behind the Footwear and not always create a story unrelated to the Product? Believe me when I say. There is Always a Story behind the shoes we see at retail. I would stake my house, my checks and sell my first and last born if I couldn't increase the bottom line for Nike by twice their normal growth if I ran the Basketball Division for a year.

I think Nike got away from what was working when they went away from the different faces and personalities of Lebron. I have pitched that Lebron is now a businessman and still has several faces which can be represented in his line.

I believe Lebron could have a Very successful Football line. Dont just create a cleat which could fit HIM, but create a few cleats which could fit the different games of Lebron. The Powerful Lebron. The Slashing Lebron. Lebron the Finisher who needs something lighter when he seeks to get to this ultimate goal.... a ring.

Jordan was on to something when they retro'd the Jordan Signature line as cleats...few of them were perfect for football. Some were just for looks and weren't really as functional as they could have been. instead of retroing all the Jordans.... Mark Smith was onto something when he changed the tooling on them. I say update the Technology. Some of their kicks have Zoom.. some Double stack and others just air. Imagine if some of those early models had Full Zoom.. Or a 360 max bed?

I think not trying to be like Nike is hurting Jordan in some regards.

Lunar? Its ok. But I also think Nike got away from a great idea they had with the Team Elite line. Giving different tooling Options. However I dont think that exploded like it could have because of the upper. Give that option on some more flattering uppers and you have GOLD Jerry GOLD. Imagine the Hyper Line with a Max, Zoom and Double Stack option? Forget Fly Wire as your seller. if its not a GImmick thats fine. I still think it is.. but I say use the Plastic panel or switch to the panel I know that has been pitched which is light and breathable. The Aeron Chair Strands. its functional it breaths..and its light.

The lightest shoe isn't always the best shoe. Some of us like knowing our shoe is on our feet and we can feel it. I think the focus has been too much on making the lightest thing out instead of the BEST thing out. Why was the 90's good for us? We had function and style and there was more weight. Why cant a 270 lbs dude have a shoe which weighs more than 3 ozs? lol

I could go on and on... but all in all.. Nike's going to be on top... but the others cant see that as a disadvantage to them.. they have to see it as a chance to push the envelope.

 

[rapido27]

Cliif notes rock?

 

[rockdeep]

lololol.. I told Drew...

Its why I skip Lines.. lolol

I forget I need pics with my disertations. lol

 

[engoi]

Originally Posted by 3onPar5



Reebok- Fading and quickly becoming a brand like Starter. Just another brand. I feel if they didnt have the NFL contract they would really be hurting more than they are now. They have no NBA presence since Iverson is done, and they are bringing nothing new to the table.

Reebok is apparently successful with easytone and the next will be jumptone.
You should keep in mind that they had to turnaround their image and be again more of a sports company
than a label for rappers which is sold at a discount.

 

[firepower23]

I agree with some of your points, however, your post seems to only take into consideration America, basketball & the NFL.

In Europe, Adidas outsell Nike by quite some distance, mainly due to them having a huge share of the lucrative football market. Their European advertising campaigns are excellent too, utilising some of the best known celebrities & sports stars such as David Beckham.
Their 2009 "house party" commercial was absolutely huge in Europe (Nike's puppet commercials weren't even shown in the majority of European countries)


As far as Reebok retros go, their Pump releases seem to have gone down extremely well with sneaker enthusiasts -the Pump 20 collab campaign was largely a sucsess, the Twilight zones are virtually sold out & the future relases set for 2010 look promising.
Tech-wise, I think it's unfair to say reebok aren't at least trying to push things forward, Paul Litchfield is still coming up with some pretty interesting concepts, whether they will take off or not is another matter, but that can be said about any new design.

Reebok "select ride"

In the UK at least, Reebok classics are the biggest selling athletic shoe on the market -outselling all other brands by 2-1. As well as having a very strong share of the European football market & cricket in India.

As a basketball fan, I agree that Nike still rule the roost, but their retro quality sucks compared to a lot of the other major players. Yes they, have the best & most forward thinking designers (they can afford to)
However, I woud disagree with the marketing side, & I know I'll take some flack for this -but I actually think Nike's marketing is the worst it's ever been. I hated those puppet commercials!
When I think of the Mars Blackmon days, lil Penny or "Bo knows"

I will give them props for this one though ....

  
  

 

[flintgrey]

OP, good thread. I am glad everyone can come in here to discuss.  Whileactual sales numbers (word to Steez) always help in backing updiscussions like this, I also enjoy reading people's thoughts on brands

Originally Posted by 3onPar5

Ill break it down into companies and discuss. Feel free to add

Well, you neglected to add New Balance, which not onlyputs out high performance running shoes, but also some very popularlifestyle (retro) shoes here and in Europe. 

Just ask Footlocker/FinishLine exec....a few years ago they werekicking Nike's butt because they were one of the only brands putting out comfortable shoesin the $50-70 price range.  Regular Joe consumer didn't care if theirNB574 had no bells/whistles...they bought it because it felt good,looked good and was the right price at $59.99.  Nike finally got with it and started putting our runners & cross trainers in that price range (like re-introducing their Nike Air Edge series) that didn't suck.

Originally Posted by 3onPar5

NIKE- The leader, no doubt, but it also seems that they are the onlycompany out there that is trying new things and bringing new things tomarket. Some will say that its all gimmicks (flywire, Lunar, etc) butoverall they are trying and letting us see new things, keeping itinteresting. Their ads are on point now, with the Puppets leading theway.

While Nike tends to push the envelope on the norm, I personally think the MVPuppets campaign is terrible....but to each his own!

Originally Posted by 3onPar5

Adidas- Still a player but what bothers me about adidas is they seem tohave become lazy. All designs are similar, no new tech (well Power webbut 80 bucks for a shirt come on), They seem to be just going along, nogood advertising, nothing. They just seem to be there.

adidas has taken big strides in recent years -- I think they have come a long way from just a few years ago.

Originally Posted by crooklyncon

Perfectexample, the bowerman series, real runners just stopped running in Nikeshoes all together and stuck to Mizuno and Asics. I can't remember thelast time a Nike running shoe was rated as being better than Asisc's orMizuno's high end models. What I find interesting is that people arestarting to run in Nike shoes that are NOT part of the Bowerman series,specifically the lunarglides and the lunarswift. As it was mentionedbefore, the dynamic support system is amazing, kudos to Nike on suchinnovation.

You are correct about the LunarGlides.  Iwas amazed at the sheer number of elite runners that wore LunarGlidesin the Chicago Marathon last year.  Dozens.  I was shocked.  I own a pair but not sure I'd endure an entire marathon in one.

But I have to disagree with your comments about Asics/Mizuno alwaysbeing rated ahead of Nike Bowerman series models.

I know in 2006 Iknow the Pegasus won "Shoe of The Year" by Runners World over the regular heavyweightsAsics Kayano and Mizuno Wave series.  The Nike Structure Triax andEqualon seires have also won "Editors Choice" awards over the pastcouple of years.

While I still put the Kayano as the industry standard, I have to say Nike runners are stillworn by real runners.  I ran a marathon in the Nike Zoom Elite 2 &I still prefer that shoe to any model Asics or Mizuno puts out & I abuse my running shoes

Originally Posted by crooklyncon

Brooks and Saucony are losing ground extremely quickly in the runningscene. (This is purely from an anecdotal standpoint, I have nostatistical evidence to back this up)

As far as Reebok and Adidas go, they have and are continuing to lose alot of their spark. Not much can really be said of them except fortheir CEOs need to be on Eric Avar and Tinker Hatfield's voicemailconstantly.

Not necessarily true.  In the running community Brooks & Sauconyare well respected brands.  You can go to any real running shoe andthey keep these brands in their stock on the norm.  Trust.

And adidas' runners aren't that bad either.  Their higher end modelsare actually quite comfortable.  I had a gift certificate to use at alocal runner shop (I am a neutral runner with a slight pronation).  Iusually fit myself but I tried on three models fitted by a runningspecialist (one Asics, one adidas, one Saucony).  You know which onefit me the best?  The adidas model was the best fit & cushion - Iwas shocked.

 

[rockdeep]

FIREPOWER

I think we actually agree. When I speak of this topic.. I only consider the states... Hence stateside.

I also think Marketing for nike leaves alot to be desired... but then again you may not have been referencing my comments.

I do think there is so much that be done to build NEW Sole products for Basketball, Football and Soccer. I hate feeling like Im standing on the Screw ins when I played football.

 

[3onpar5]

Guys, all of you thanks for adding to the discussion.

I did not include Asics, Saucony, New Balance etc, because I wanted to focus on the major players. These are GREAT running brands, but that is really where it begins and ends. No hate toward them as I said they are great at what they do, but this also tells me how good NIKE and adidas are because they make products that compete with them and running is not their only focus.

Some dont like the Puppet commercials, and thats fine but are you maybe "thinking like an adult" to much. My son loves them, thinks they are great. Not that he is the be all end all but he is in that younger generation that the companies covet so much.

FirePower23, I actually like those reeboks that you put up but who has seen those? They are not marketed correctly. That is while they will fail. Look at the new eastbay how many reeboks do you see? Maybe 2-3.

I did focus on the US because this is what I see the most. I know things are different overseas but I know NIKE is attacking that market very heavily.

I am just curious (because i really dont know) what tech is adidas doing tech-wise that is great and new? Last thing that comes to mind is the bounce concept. Which came out after shox and seemed like a rip-off of the shox tech.

Rock, good stuff, thanks for adding to the convo. I also agree with the stripes logo. Its freakin everywhere on their stuff.

 

[3onpar5]

double post

 

[firepower23]

Sorry Rock, I was actually referencing the op,

I agree with you on the Nike marketing side of things though & it would be nice to see the actual designers have a say in the final advertising, putting their own inspiration behind a commercial.
Like you said, there is a reasoning & a story behind nearly all designs, that doesn't always get carried over to the public ....sometimes it doesn't have to, but personally I would find it more appealing as a consumer to know the story behind a shoe & then be able to relate that to the player.

But I guess Nicole is just as appealing .....as that vid proved

 

[flintgrey]

Originally Posted by BigLefty23

I worry about Under Armour. Their shoes feel like the cushioning is made of concrete, their cleats feel worse, and their designs look like transformers. I'm not sure if their training shoes are going to turn into a tennis racket or something.

On another note, it saddens me that people fall for their gimmicky marketing and settle for sub-par shoes. I see freshmen on campus wearing UA shoes and I just think to myself "why would anyone put that on their feet, they hurt after just minutes of walking around in them". It doesn't make sense to me to pay $75-85 for a pair of shoes and have them feel like hell. Most of the kids wearing UA shoes need a lessen in zoom or max air.

Beyond anything I've written above, I look beyond Nike for running. I've bought $60 pairs of Asics that have lasted longer and feel better than $90 Nike running shoes. In my opinion, Nike can't match the comfort or durability of a serious running shoe. When Nike comes out with something that won't go flat after 4 months of wear, I'll be there to try them, but until then I'm Asics all the way for running.

Agreed - their footwear is pretty bad.  I tried on all their running shoes and thought their fit/quality translated to something I'd find in a brand at Target or Wal Mart. 

Their workout/training gear is solid....I think there is no disputing that.  But their running/crosstraining shoes need a lot of improvement. 

The basketball line is too be seen, since they do not have any models out yet.  And we'll see if Brandon Jennings will be their only endorsee as of next year; I'd assume they will have a handful more. 

On a side note - I went to the UA store in Aurora. Terrible.  Complete mis-use of space.

I will say this....while they are not a stalwart like Nike/adidas/Reebok/New Balance, they have taken their share of the industry.  Not only do they sponsor schools that used to be former Nike regulars (U of Maryland and the U, Miami), they also have dipped into the pop culture world, sponsoring "athletes" in the "MTV Real World/Road Rules" Challenges. 

But yeah - take a peek at your local gym - men AND women alike are draped in UA apparel & footwear nowadays & Nike surely has taken notice.
 

 

[3onpar5]

Flint, Rock, would NIKE be smart to dip their NIKE Pro and dri fit clothing like $5-10 and just blow UA away. Again if UA's apparel goes down, they are done. Or what if NIKE just took over UA, their stock is at $26.52, couldnt they just overatake UA? Or do they like the competition?

 

[23karlaknafel45]

QTIP says "Industry rule #4080...."