The company signed an agreement giving them official endorsement of on-field and sideline personnel apparel as well as fan gear rights from 2012 onwards. Nike is replacing adidas-owned brand Reebok, which paid $300 million for a 10-year deal that expires next season.
Buffalo-based hat maker New Era also signed a five-year deal to become the official cap supplier, while Under Armour retained scouting combine rights.
Additional licensing rights were also made with GIII, VF, Outerstuff and ’47 brand. Reuters reports the six deals could be worth a combined $1 billion.
But a Supreme Court ruling this year in favour of headwear company American Needle, which challenged the league’s legal protection to sell merchandise rights on behalf of all its teams, may have set a precedent for other companies to question the new agreements as antitrust violation.
