How Nike Dropped the Ball on Nadal

So Rafael Nadal has decided not to adopt a new look at the U.S. Open after all -- and this after Nike went to the trouble of getting a story about the tennis champ's supposed makeover planted in The Wall Street Journal yesterday.

I find it mind-boggling that Nike's sponsorship-marketing department, whose entire raison d'être is working with athletes, didn't see this coming. Jocks are notoriously superstitious, and Nadal is about as superstitious as they get. Did the Nike folks never observe his meticulous on-court rituals -- the drinking out of the two carefully-positioned water bottles during each side change, the hopping, the toweling-off, the wedgie-picking -- and think, "Maybe this is not the kind of guy who's going to feel great about introducing a wild-card into his game right before the last major tournament of the year"? I was half-kidding yesterday when I say that a Nadal loss in the Open would be on Nike's head -- but only half.

Also: Why bother? Maybe I'm missing something here, but does Nike really stand to gain all that much by dressing all its top endorsers in identical polos and shorts? Doesn't it also make money from sales of muscle tees and clam-diggers, too?

Comments

[David Barsan:]

Whenever I'm in a Nike store, the Nadal pants are always on sale (weak demand). I would also say that while he is a favorite of tennis fans, Nadal's look is not necessarily something people want to emulate...maybe a fanboy few. He is by far my favorite tennis player, but I have no desire to stop sporting my old-school short shorts and polo shirt. I think Nike stands to gain far more by appealing to more people, but I also hope Nadal doesn't switch anything up because whatever he's doing is working!

2008 Aug 26 03:59 PM

[bbzz24:]

it is all about charging $65 for sleeveless shirts just as much as for federer's polos. think about it, what goes into this 'product': $1-2 of material, $1 of labor and taxes combined,$2 for shipping from vietnam/china, the rest is fat profit margin for the retailer and the company.

2008 Aug 26 04:37 PM

[oldshoedog:]

Can anyone explain why this matters in the slightest?

Tennis is a non existent sport in terms of apparel sales. What Nadal wears or does not wear has absolutely nothing to do with NKE's well being.

What a silly stupid post

2008 Aug 27 08:35 AM