In college and professional sports, fans have grown accustomed to the brand logos on their favorite athletes’ uniforms. Each year, brands pour millions of dollars into merchandise and apparel for athletes in exchange for sponsorship from the teams. Adidas, a brand commonly associated with schools such as the University of Miami, Louisiana Tech University and Rutgers University, has recently signed an agreement with the Lynbrook athletic department. 

During the 2018-19 school year, athletic director Jennifer Griffin contacted and spoke with representatives from both Under Armour and Adidas. After evaluating each brand and consulting the coaches of Lynbrook sports teams, she ultimately made the decision to go with Adidas as it seemed to provide greater benefits for Lynbrook. The agreement was finalized and signed over the summer. 

The effects of the agreement can already be observed. Each team has an individual online store which allows athletes to place orders for apparel and sends the final orders to the company. Adidas apparel and uniforms are already available on sports’ online stores, however, Lynbrook students may still order apparel from other companies through the online website.  If a team chooses to purchase an Adidas design, it will receive a 40 percent discount from the original price of the item, due to the new agreement.

Some sports, such as football, have already been taking advantage of this with their online store containing Adidas apparel. Football’s store has already opened and closed, meaning athletes have already made their purchases. For other sports like cross country and water polo, stores opened in the week of Sept. 16 and orders for new apparel are currently being placed.  

“It will be really beneficial because we won’t have to collect money [for apparel] as a team,” said senior and varsity field hockey captain Amy Tse. “It will just be easier for players.” 

The agreement has a more long-term effect on team uniforms. While apparel tends to change every year with personalized designs created by members of the respective sports team, uniforms stay the same until they are replaced. The discount due to the adidas deal allows teams to purchase new uniforms more frequently. Many high schools, nearby such as Gunn, Palo Alto, Saratoga and Monta Vista, also have such agreements with brands. 

“By signing this agreement with Adidas, our Lynbrook student-athletes are now guaranteed to have quality, good looking uniforms when they are in the community representing Lynbrook,” Griffin said. “I want our student-athletes to be proud of the school they represent.” 

As long as the agreement remains active, Adidas will produce all of Lynbrook’s new uniforms. Adidas has several models of uniforms, and Lynbrook coaches have the option to choose which one they want and the design will be customized to the school’s requirements. Purchasing uniforms for all sports from a single brand will allow athletes to receive new uniforms on a five-year cycle, so there will no longer be problems with having outdated and worn out uniforms. 

“New uniforms every five years will keep the team looking put together and intimidating, allowing players to focus on the game rather than the unfortunate state of their uniform,” Tse said.

Although all teams will receive new uniforms eventually, not all uniforms will arrive this year. So far, water polo has received new caps, and boys basketball and boys volleyball will be receiving new uniforms this year. The teams with older uniforms, such as field hockey and football, are being replaced first, and the rest will be replaced every four to five years.

There are three types of uniforms a team can have: consumable, consumable by choice and non-consumable. If a uniform is consumable, athletes purchase new ones every year. Non-consumable uniforms are not replaced until the school purchases new ones. Sports with consumable uniforms include water polo and swimming while sports with non-consumable uniforms include basketball, soccer and volleyball. Teams that have had consumable uniforms by choice in the past are being given the option to either remain like that or change to non-consumable uniforms. Regardless of when a uniform is replaced, whether it be replaced every year or when the school decides to purchase new ones, they will be from Adidas. 

    While the discount on Adidas apparel will help teams receive apparel for lower prices, the new uniforms are more significant to to Lynbrook athletes. Many sports have not received new uniforms in years; field hockey, for example, has used the same set of uniforms for 11 years. Other sports, such as football, face similar issues. 

“[The football jerseys] seem really old and are too big,” said sophomore and JV football player Abishek Iyengar.  “Next year we can get jerseys that fit us.”

    As the Lynbrook athletics department follows the example of other schools and begins to explore the benefits of its agreement with Adidas, student athletes are eager to see how it works for them. Adidas’ discounted apparel and new uniforms represent a step forward for Lynbrook athletics.