BCS Championship: The Other Game, Nike vs. Under Armour

Last night’s National Championship game was more than just Oregon vs. Auburn for the all the marbles. This game was the first in what may be the best rivalry in football for years to come, Nike vs. Under Armour. Nike has been the big player in the football apparel game since they begot “the Swoosh” and took the world by storm in the 1980's.

Under Armour of late has been making moves to "beat" Nike on the world stage, especially against Nike's "pet project" the Oregon Ducks was huge last night. Oregon came in clad in highlighter yellow socks with new Nike Alpha Zoom Talon cleats and exclusive Nike Jerseys that were so elite that I myself attended their release event in Dallas, Texas.

Under Armour, Auburn's sponsor, was really against the wall in this one as Auburn is a traditional school that wears the same jerseys year in and year out. They did however release a new cleat for the game, the "Micro G" cleat that wont be available to the public until the spring.

On a side-note the commercial for the "Micro G" cleat had an athlete that looked eerily similar to Cam Newton with the exact same wristbands, cleats, socks and even his exact helmet in the background. The big picture is that Under Armour is gaining ground against the monopoly-like control that Nike has over the college football Diaspora.

Competition is good, the greater the competition the better the jerseys, shoes and accessories. Under Armour has put out a great product in the last four years and has pushed Nike to new heights. Why didn't we have Nike Pro Combat in 1998? I bet it was because Reebok was never competition, and Adidas is comfortable with their market share dealing with the Tennessee's and Notre Dame's of the world.

Under Armour has pushed Nike to new heights because it is obvious they have Nike in their cross hairs. Ray Lewis is a nice spokesperson for Under Armour but I wonder what if Under Armour signed Cam Newton? What if he is the catalyst for UA that Jordan was for Nike? Last night was Auburn's second national title but it was Under Armour's first. It is just a thought but something to keep an eye on the next few seasons in what could be the best rivalry in sports Nike vs. Under Armour.

P.S. Advice for Cam Newton don't sign with Reebok like Vince Young did. It was definitely Vince’s shoes that have caused all his problems in his career thus far. Although Under Armour is cool, Nike makes legends so I say sign with “the Swoosh boys”.

Your boy,

Quick Claude

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