Michigan back to Nike??? Part 2

Hackett briefly addressed the issue last week on the conference call with the players.

Nothing firm was said, and there aren't any quotes or anything that have come out of that call (The Fort may be back, folks. They ran this search like an undercover FBI investigation.).

That being said, as I have said in other posts, Nike has already publicly stated that while they would love to have Michigan back on the roster, they will not match what Adidas is currently paying.

So, the question becomes is Michigan willing to sacrifice dollars to appease the players (and recruits...because they want Nike too)....and that's hard to answer.

Easy to say "not a chance...not when we're about to start paying our HC nearly $8M/per plus another $3-4M/per for the rest of the staff."

But don't forget the looming renegotiation of the TV contracts. And there is a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE factor at play when that happen: B1G football is just about the only damn thing left to purchase for these networks. Everything else (MLB, NFL, other major conferences in CFB, etc.) are all at the beginning or only in the middle of long-term deals.

It's going to be a very interesting bidding war for B1G football following next season. We may be saying goodbye to the ESPN/ABC partnership that we've grown so accustomed to. Remember, the Big Ten Network is a subsidiary of Fox. And with the emergence of FoxSports1, we may see Fox Sports make an all-in push for the rights to B1G. They have the space (networks and programming availability) to own the contract.

That all being said, ESPN has the most money, and they'll purchase whatever the hell they want. Will just be a matter if they want to get into a dick swinging contest with the other networks (and I'm sure they will).

What does all that matter? Well, B1G schools are about to start making even more money on TV deals. Since the last negotiation, the conference has added Urban Meyer, James Franklin and now Jim Harbaugh. People want to see that. And networks need high-demand programming.

With more money coming in from various places (TV contracts, increased ticket sales and donations, increased merchandise sales, etc), perhaps UofM could stand to lose $1-2M/year on an apparel partnership?

Why take a loss unless someone is certain it helps recruiting? Under Armor seems like a good possibility too.

Nike does know how to market- but I have bought them all at one time or another and Nikes running shoes are nowhere near the best.

I heard this on Cowheard yesterday while driving so TIFWIW but he did bring up a good point that the BTN will be renegotiating it's contract (either next year or the year after, I can't remember) and the teams are expected to get 40 mil per year from the contract.

I think currently they are making 22 or 26 mil each per year. either way it's a big jump if true so UM might actually consider Nike if they take that BTN money into consideration.

that's just me thinking out loud though because admittedly I have no clue about the ADs finances. I just know their pockets tend to be some of the deepest in the nation.