ON THE FIELD
A BRAND NEW BRAND
Georgia Tech athletics embraces the “Three Stripe Life” in its new partnership with Adidas that adds some swagger to the Institute’s time-honored traditions—and its bottom line.
Fall 2018 Vol. 94 No. 3 | BY TONY REHAGEN
Taquon Marshall noticed the difference almost immediately as he stepped into the locker room at Bobby Dodd Stadium. And when the Yellow Jacket quarterback and team co-captain arrived for pre-season training camp in early August, he knew there was more than just that start-of-the-season buzz in the air.
Sure, he felt the joy of reuniting with his teammates, as well as the perennial optimism for the clean-slate season ahead. But there was something else, something new. And it was as obvious as the pristine practice and warm-up gear hanging in each football player’s locker.
The interlocking GT logo on the uniforms was refined and the Georgia Tech Athletics Association had a new wordmark based on the classic T-E-C-H sign atop Tech Tower. Everything featured a new color, called Tech Gold, which was revealed last spring but harkens back to the Institute’s storied days of John Heisman.
However, the most significant change on the uniforms and training gear was relatively small—the new brand emblazoned on every shirt, shoe and pair of running shorts. It was the iconic three stripes of Adidas. Earlier this summer, the Athletics Association completed a new multi-year, multi-million-dollar partnership between the athletics department and the omnipresent German apparel manufacturer.
It was the dawn of the “Three Stripe Life” at Tech.
For student-athletes like Marshall, that means more than just seamless streamlined jerseys and lightweight cleats. It also means a new image and attitude.
“Adidas brought some swag with it,” Marshall says.
And that swagger isn’t contained to the football field or the basketball court. “The fans are getting a better variety of things,” he says. “I think they enjoy the switch as much as we do.”
But the Yellow Jackets’ brand new look is about more than just a feeling. Better equipment enhances on-the-field performance. Fashionable threads not only sell out at the Tech book store, but they also help sell the nation’s top young recruits on coming to Tech.
“College athletics is an arms race,” says Simit Shah, CmpE 99, Tech’s assistant athletic director for brand and ideation. “It’s all about facilities, staffing and budgets. When you are going into recruiting, they want to see what you have, what you’re training in, what you’re traveling in. For recruits, that’s one of the top three things they look at.”
More than anything, this new era enhances the Institute’s overall brand reputation. After all, college athletics is big business.
“It’s about athletes, students, alumni and ticket holders,” Shah says. “We want Georgia Tech logos to be on the best quality products. Now we’re aligned with one of the best brands in the world. Adidas is both established and emerging, on the cutting edge of innovation. That’s what Tech is doing, too. We’re kind of like long lost twins, in a way. And we’re finally coming together.”
HOW THE DEAL CAME TOGETHER
Tech’s search for an apparel partner began in late 2016. The athletics department knew that their previous five-year agreement with Russell Athletic would expire in the summer of 2018, and Russell had already begun to de-emphasize its presence among Power Five conference athletic programs. That left Tech’s options wide open.
The timing was ideal. Todd Stansbury, IM 84, had just returned to Tech to take over as athletic director after occupying the same position for two years in Oregon State, a region where both Nike and Adidas base their U.S. operations. Stansbury had contacts throughout the apparel business, and he was eager to lead his alma mater into in finding its future look. “Finding the right partner is incredibly important,” Stansbury says. “While it’s definitely important for our fans and alumni and our overall brand, I think it’s especially important to perhaps our two most important constituencies: our student-athletes and recruits.
“It’s important to our student-athletes to have apparel and equipment that not only looks good, but also is made of state-of-the-art materials and design that allows for maximum performance. And in this day and age, your gear—believe it or not—plays an important role in recruiting.”
In addition to on-field performance and image, there were also some practical concerns that would need to be addressed by the new suitors. Russell had been a fine partner when it came to jerseys and wrist bands, but the company didn’t make shoes or baseball equipment—Tech always had to look elsewhere for those needs.
Stansbury and his administration wanted the new supplier to be a one-stop shop. Several candidates immediately emerged, including Nike, Adidas and Under Armor. Initial overtures were made and reciprocated. “It’s a little bit of a dance, as contracts at other schools expire in the same time frame,” Shah says. “There’s a mutual courting process, and everyone is trying to find the right match.”
Tech hardly had to take the lead during this courtship. As a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), considered one of the top five athletic conferences in the country, the Yellow Jackets were a prized prospect. “When we look at our elite schools—our Power Five conferences—we’re looking for partners that we can really amplify in the marketplace and have an integrated partnership with,” says Jim Murphy, Adidas sports marketing director for NCAA. “Our job is to really go in and understand what makes Georgia Tech so unique so we can then articulate that and really start to tell their story and ours together in the marketplace.”
When a team of Adidas reps arrived in Atlanta in the spring of 2017 for the multi-day pitch meetings with Tech officials, the two parties hit it off almost immediately. Murphy and Shah agree that both parties share core values—particularly the Institute’s dedication to being on the cutting edge of technology.
“A big part of Georgia Tech’s values revolves around innovation, community and moving the world forward,” Murphy says. “Adidas, being a global brand, we pride ourselves on being a leader in innovation and using innovation to make the world a better place.”
The six-year contract was officially announced on Aug. 22, 2017. Every year through 2024, Adidas will provide $3 million worth of apparel and equipment (Russell had supplied $1 million in gear and $1 million in cash) to the 400-plus Yellow Jacket student athletes across 17 varsity sports.
This includes more than just uniforms and shoes. The three stripes will be on workout pants, wrist bands, coaches’ visors and support staff polo shirts. Even Buzz, the beloved mascot, has received a new pair of custom Adidas shoes. “We are making sure our athletes are getting everything they need,” Shah says.
PUTTING THE PARTNERSHIP INTO ACTION
Once the agreement was finalized last summer, the real work began. The athletic department set toward conceptualizing its new look. It formed focus groups consisting of alumni, students, athletes and fans.
For aesthetics, administrators looked to mesh Tech’s storied past with its drive toward the future. They then took the idea to Adidas, who then cemented its reality. For instance, the new logo and wordmark were inspired by the old-fashioned block font of the Tech Tower lettering, but then infused with a sleeker bent. The serifs were angled to resemble a yellow jacket’s stinger. The new color, Tech Gold, was a nod to the paint scheme of the Ramblin’ Wreck—and it also comes in a metallic variation.
The first batch of fan gear—t-shirts, polos, water bottles—hit stores in April. Shah says some apparel sold out in less than 24 hours. “I was actually shocked that we’ve gotten such overwhelmingly positive feedback,” he says. “It’s such a historically hot-button topic—especially the uniform design. Adidas is hyper-focused on the social media response, and we’ve gotten a great response to the stuff we put out. I love the enthusiasm.”
Having passed the initial fan test, the new gear next faced the scrutiny of the football players, who finally got to try on their new game uniforms in August. Marshall especially liked the form-fit of the jerseys, making it tougher for opposing tacklers looking for something to pull on. The fabric remains light even when soaked in sweat. The cleats are likewise light-weight and durable, with a solid grip on the soles. And Marshall’s offensive linemen say their pants are less restrictive.
But of course, underneath the shiny new helmets, the players are just like most college students. For them, function doesn’t completely trump form.
Senior co-captain Brant Mitchell is just as excited about how the clothes look. The seamless jersey with tight-cropped sleeves. The new “Stinger Stripes” running down the side of the pants. The new “White Out” kits with blue numbers and white jerseys, pants and helmet. “It’s something to be proud of,” Mitchell says. “You can be proud of the name on your chest. Overall, the morale of the team is better—you look good, you feel good, you play good.”
He’s equally pleased with the workout gear he’ll get to wear on campus. It provides that “swag” that his teammate Marshall referred to. “You walk into a classroom, you want people to know who the athletes are,” Mitchell says. “You want them to stand out for how hard they work and what they do for the school. So when you get those pants and that hoodie, you can be proud.”