USC and Nike agree to extend apparel deal for 10 years
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The Swoosh is staying at USC for the foreseeable future.
USC and Nike agreed this week to a 10-year extension of their all-sports apparel deal through 2036, the school announced on Tuesday.
Their partnership was already among the longest-running apparel deals in college athletics. Now it’s ensured to carry into its fifth decade.
“USC and Nike have grown together for more than 30 years,” athletic director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement, “and we are thrilled to continue one of the great partnerships in college athletics.”
At the time that USC first signed exclusively with Nike, such corporate sponsorships were a relatively new revenue stream for the school. Now, in the revenue-sharing era, they’ve become a ubiquitous — and essential — part of operating an athletic department.
This new deal should look a bit different than the last few times that USC extended their apparel deal with Nike. For one, it includes an NIL component, with select top-tier Trojan athletes slated to score their own NIL deals with Nike.
In the new era of revenue sharing, particularly because of NIL rights, student athletes have benefitted. USC’s athletic director explains why.
As part of the extension, USC’s new Bloom Football Performance Center will become the first facility in the nation fully outfitted with Nike strength equipment. Nike also agreed to design “custom uniform collections” for the USC men’s and women’s basketball programs and to renovate the USC Bookstore.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Other Big Ten schools signed with Nike signed during a stretch between 2015 and 2016 that became an apparel arms race around college football. Ohio State signed a 15-year, $252-million deal with Nike in 2016, while Michigan inked an 11-year, $174-million deal with Nike and Jordan Brand.
