Bama and Nike ink historical deal
If you’re an Alabama fan, things can’t get much better for you these days. This past football season, fans witnessed Mark Ingram become the first ‘Bama football player to win the esteemed Heisman Trophy and saw ‘Bama win their 13th national championship in football. People in Tuscaloosa haven’t been this excited since Paul “Bear” Bryant and Broadway Joe Namath graced the sidelines together in Denny Stadium. As if the Tide’s recent gridiron success wasn’t enough, ‘Bama and Nike just inked a contract extension that will bring the Crimson Tide $30 million through the 2018 college football season.
This new Nike deal will net Alabama just over $4 million annually, the largest such deal ever by Nike in college football. Not only will ‘Bama be the beneficiary of this new lucrative deal, but they’ll also earn a 12% royalty rate on all Nike Alabama merchandise sold.
The rich just keep getting richer. While receiving a free education for football players at Alabama is worth its weight in gold, one can’t help but think that they’re getting the short end of the stick when money like this is being reeled in by the university because of their performance on the field. Oh well, that’s a topic that deserves its own post. Congrats ‘Bama, it’s truly good to be king.
