The Under Armour shoes that Notre Dame's men's basketball team debuted during its Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title run remind senior guard Pat Connaughton of yellow highlighters.
The team loved them, he said, but there was some concern about how they would fly at the history-rich South Bend university.
"At the end of the day, if you're winning ball games, I'm pretty sure no one on the team or coaching staff cares what's on your feet," Connaughton said.
Under Armour Inc., which has a best-in-company-history six schools wearing its shoes and jerseys in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, definitely cares. Founded as a sports-apparel maker and forging a path in a sneaker industry dominated by Nike Inc., the company is gaining traction in basketball - one of footwear's fastest-growing segments - helped by the devotion of consumers known as sneakerheads.
Under Armour, which sold its first shoe in 2006, last month debuted its first basketball sneaker tied to a specific player, the National Basketball Association's top All-Star vote-getter, Stephen Curry.
"It's really important from an athletic credibility point of view to have the teams that win or do well in college sports," said Matt Powell, an analyst for researcher NPD Group Inc. "It's a smart move."
Under Armour endorsers include the tournament teams such as No. 4 seed Maryland, for whom Kevin Plank, the company's CEO, played football; and No. 3 seed Notre Dame, which in January 2014 signed the richest apparel deal in college sports history. Founded in 1996, Baltimore-based Under Armour outfits 32 basketball programs at the highest level of college play and the entire athletic departments of 15 schools.
Shoe culture[/B]
"In the business of basketball, it's clearly all about the shoes, but it is a culture," said Adam Peake, Under Armour's executive vice president of global marketing. "At some level, you have to be invited to that conversation. We've been working for a while to be that brand."
Sneaker culture addresses issues of masculinity and status through dress and has been dominated by Nike since the 1970s, according to Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. It dates back to the mid-19th century with lawn-tennis and yachting shoes.
The museum's "Rise of Sneaker Culture" exhibit will be on loan to the Brooklyn Museum from July 10 to Oct. 4, featuring all 23 Nike Air Jordan models and one Under Armour product, the Speedform Apollo running shoe that debuted in January 2014. Semmelhack said she chose that shoe because of its technology, as Under Armour worked with a bra manufacturer to create a lightweight, form-fitting and virtually seamless heel cup.
"Nike is obviously an incredibly big part of this story and that's why 55 out of 150 shoes are Nike," Semmelhack said in a phone interview. "Under Armour is a new player and so they are represented, but with the single shoe."
Basketball credentials[/B]
Under Armour needs to have credibility as a basketball-shoe maker to reach its goal of becoming a global athletic brand, according to Chen Grazutis, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. While running shoes are a bigger category, basketball garners more attention and hype, thanks to the abundance of websites and Twitter handles feeding content to the eager sneakerhead community. This corner of the Web acts as a de facto marketing arm for brands such as Nike and its Jordan Brand.
"All that exposure trickles down to buying the sneakers," Grazutis said in an interview.
Adidas, which last year was surpassed by Under Armour in total U.S. sales, said on Monday that it won't continue as the NBA's official jersey outfitter after the 2016-17 season, setting up a possible bidding war between Nike and Under Armour.
UA Flagship Team
The team loved them, he said, but there was some concern about how they would fly at the history-rich South Bend university.
"At the end of the day, if you're winning ball games, I'm pretty sure no one on the team or coaching staff cares what's on your feet," Connaughton said.
Under Armour Inc., which has a best-in-company-history six schools wearing its shoes and jerseys in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, definitely cares. Founded as a sports-apparel maker and forging a path in a sneaker industry dominated by Nike Inc., the company is gaining traction in basketball - one of footwear's fastest-growing segments - helped by the devotion of consumers known as sneakerheads.
Under Armour, which sold its first shoe in 2006, last month debuted its first basketball sneaker tied to a specific player, the National Basketball Association's top All-Star vote-getter, Stephen Curry.
"It's really important from an athletic credibility point of view to have the teams that win or do well in college sports," said Matt Powell, an analyst for researcher NPD Group Inc. "It's a smart move."
Under Armour endorsers include the tournament teams such as No. 4 seed Maryland, for whom Kevin Plank, the company's CEO, played football; and No. 3 seed Notre Dame, which in January 2014 signed the richest apparel deal in college sports history. Founded in 1996, Baltimore-based Under Armour outfits 32 basketball programs at the highest level of college play and the entire athletic departments of 15 schools.
Shoe culture[/B]
"In the business of basketball, it's clearly all about the shoes, but it is a culture," said Adam Peake, Under Armour's executive vice president of global marketing. "At some level, you have to be invited to that conversation. We've been working for a while to be that brand."
Sneaker culture addresses issues of masculinity and status through dress and has been dominated by Nike since the 1970s, according to Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. It dates back to the mid-19th century with lawn-tennis and yachting shoes.
The museum's "Rise of Sneaker Culture" exhibit will be on loan to the Brooklyn Museum from July 10 to Oct. 4, featuring all 23 Nike Air Jordan models and one Under Armour product, the Speedform Apollo running shoe that debuted in January 2014. Semmelhack said she chose that shoe because of its technology, as Under Armour worked with a bra manufacturer to create a lightweight, form-fitting and virtually seamless heel cup.
"Nike is obviously an incredibly big part of this story and that's why 55 out of 150 shoes are Nike," Semmelhack said in a phone interview. "Under Armour is a new player and so they are represented, but with the single shoe."
Basketball credentials[/B]
Under Armour needs to have credibility as a basketball-shoe maker to reach its goal of becoming a global athletic brand, according to Chen Grazutis, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. While running shoes are a bigger category, basketball garners more attention and hype, thanks to the abundance of websites and Twitter handles feeding content to the eager sneakerhead community. This corner of the Web acts as a de facto marketing arm for brands such as Nike and its Jordan Brand.
"All that exposure trickles down to buying the sneakers," Grazutis said in an interview.
Adidas, which last year was surpassed by Under Armour in total U.S. sales, said on Monday that it won't continue as the NBA's official jersey outfitter after the 2016-17 season, setting up a possible bidding war between Nike and Under Armour.
UA Flagship Team
