As Penn State enters ‘new era’ with adidas, fans have mixed feelings about change
After a 33-year relationship with Nike, Penn State is officially a three-stripe school. A pop-up shop opened Wednesday morning at Pegula Ice Arena, marking the school’s transition to adidas as its new apparel partner.
Shoppers started waiting outside the arena as early as 7:30 a.m., and when the shop opened at 9 a.m., a line of nearly 40 people snaked inside. In the lobby, some paused to photograph mannequins sporting new adidas football uniforms.
One shopper, Herb Wolfe, described the event as “the start of a new era.”
Penn State announced adidas would become its official footwear, uniform, apparel and sideline partner last September, after signing a 10-year agreement with the brand. The deal is worth around $300 million and covers cash, apparel, considerations of Name, Image and Likeness and other benefits, multiple sources previously told the Centre Daily Times.
Wednesday morning’s pop-up celebrated the start of that deal, with shoppers adding three-striped caps, quarter zips and dress shirts to their wardrobes.
The 800-plus student-athletes at Penn State stand to benefit from the transition, said Leah Beasley, deputy athletic director for strategic engagement and brand advancement at Penn State. Beasley emphasized the brand’s commitment to customizing gear to enhance the performance and safety of Penn State’s 31 teams.
“Student-athlete centric is how we play,” Beasley said. “Adidas knows that.”
In general, the price of apparel will stay the same, though Beasley said some products may become more affordable through adidas’ flash sales.
Meanwhile, the price of Nike merch has plummeted in recent weeks, as State College stores have been selling the former partner’s apparel at significant discounts. Student-athletes are no longer allowed to wear Nike-branded apparel, and Penn State plans to donate many of those items in accordance with state laws, Beasley said.
As Penn State sheds old gear, many fans plan to hold onto their Nike-branded apparel.
“I’ll keep wearing it because there’s too much stuff to get rid of,” Luke Anderson, who works at Penn State, said.
Anderson, who described himself as a longtime adidas fan, is enthusiastic about the school’s switch to a new apparel partner.
For others, that transition represents the loss of a cherished tradition.
“I would rather them stick with Nike,” Jacob Boliek, a Penn State student, said, noting that he plans to keep repping Nike merch at football games.
Cindy Boliek had joined her son at Wednesday’s pop-up shop, and bought a dress shirt for her husband, who works at the university. Jacob Boliek, meanwhile, left empty-handed.
“We’re a family divided,” Cindy Boliek joked.
Among the hottest items Wednesday morning was a long-sleeve quarter zip with a retro Nittany Lion logo on the breast. Caps were also going fast. Staff at the store were unable to disclose the number of sales, but they were already restocking certain items by 9:30 a.m. In the first few minutes of opening, several dozen people filled the store.
Some came to browse. Others were hunting for specific items. Ten-year-old Isaac, who came to the store with family, wanted a football jersey. Jake Huber, who was among the first in line before the shop opened, was looking to expand his collection of hockey jerseys.
Most shoppers came decked out in blue and white Penn State attire. Karen Christman came wearing homemade gear — a rhinestone-covered baseball cap with a blue “S.”
For Wolfe and his sister, Christman, the store’s stock left something to be desired.
“We’d like to see the pink and black football uniform,” Wolfe said, referring to the school’s colors in the late 1800s. He showed a photograph of a pink-and-black football Christman had bedazzled.
Both shrugged at the school’s transition to a new brand.
“Not all breakups are bad,” Wolfe said.
Here’s the schedule for the next series of pop-ups at Pegula Ice Arena:
- July 2 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- July 8 from noon to 5 p.m.
- July 9 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- July 10 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- July 11 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- July 12 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
