Does Adidas make a difference in recruiting?
- Thread starter vascosg
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To some recruits it'll matter. Other recruits could not care less.
True.
For kids that don't have a lot of great options it won't matter.
In my observation it's less of a factor with middle class kids who live with both parents.
But it's not just recruits.
AAU Coaches are under lots of pressure to keep kids "in the family".
I was one and still am the biggest skeptics when it came to leaving Nike for Adidas, but there is more Adidas related stuff for basketball on the recruiting circuit that can help in some places with recruiting....If there is an edge that a school has and you are aligned with the AAU program, it cannot hurt at all...it can only help...:100points:
Since I'm not close to today's bball, explain to me why a recruit would care if a school is Adidas, Nike or Thom McAnns?
It's free advertising for the shoe companies to have these athletes wear their clothing or shoes...on the AAU (or Babe Ruth level of basketball when you are beyond Little League), every program captures sponsorship from shoe companies, if they can attract enough talented players....those kids are considered more popular within their circles and display that gear and shoes to others that then are more likely to buy that shoe, shirt, sweatshirt/pants etc....it's the equivalent of landing some of these kids now, could influence them to continue to wear their shoes/clothing at the next level of Pro Basketball (NBA specifically).
His AAU coach is getting tons of swag and I assume cash from those shoe companies. The AAU coach is where the influence comes from. If a kid is a stud and plays on Nike AAU sponsored team, Nike will put pressure to steer him to a Nike college.
Without the great swag, the AAU program can't attract the best and financially rape the families of kids aspiring to get a college scholarship.
Hopefully, that works in our favor for Montez Mathis who I believe plays for an Adidas affiliated team.
Because the average HS kid thinks that Nike has the best shoes, gear, uniforms etc. Most of them grow up wearing Nike & don't want to wear anything else.
I was the same way back in the day. My favorite school wore Nike so I wore Nike and only Nike for 30 years.
And again, it's not just the kid. Almost no kid picks a college without input from some adult around him.
Limit the money that Nike and Adidas throw around. Is there really a need for High School kids to travel all over the country playing basketball games ? As players you want to play against the best....but, has it gone too far?
I remember being part of a AAU type team while I was in Middle School, but, our travel was all local within Union and Essex counties in New Jersey.
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Painting with a broad brush. Unfortunately a few shady people can make an entire industry look bad. AAU basketball is no different than other aspects of society.
And lets be real, football recruiting isn't exactly rainbows, flowers and fresh fallen snow.
It's not different than any other spect of society. Much of society is very shady
Never said football recruiting wasn't shady .
I think many of us fans really don't understand the ins and outs of the recruiting games and deals that are made. If we do, who knows we might not be fans anymore.
I know you never said football recruiting wasn't shady, I was just throwing that out there for context.
I personally think that spring AAU Tournaments should be eliminated. Kids are missing school on Friday, sometimes Thursday, and some miss part of Monday.
When I hear about incoming freshman not qualifying I think of all of the class time missed traveling across country in April & part of May. Some regional events even start in March.
Adidas moved past Under Armour in U.S. market share but is a very distant second to the swoosh.
The Adidas U.S. market share is 10%, Nike is 45%.
I think you should do it. Adidas is a great brand to align with. I want to convey that I prefer Adidas shoes with my workout leggings than any other brands at the moment. But you should consider your path, the clubs you would like to go with and their affiliations.
AAU isn't going anywhere unfortunately and if the NCAA isn't careful the 7 on 7 HS football tournaments and travel teams will become the same deal.
I don't buy the " it's only the actions of a few which give it bad name theory ".
There's an agenda with most of the guys .
I don't buy the " it's only the actions of a few which give it bad name theory ".
There's an agenda with most of the guys .
I tend to disagree here. If these kids have a chance at a playing D1 then I don’t see the harm in skipping a few days of school to increase that likelihood by getting more exposure. The ROI on its own is enough to make that call easy. There are a myriad of scenarios where it is ok to miss two days of highschool.
You must be old. Adidas is where it’s at today if you walk around any HS or college campus.
My age has nothing to do with it lol.
I'm at a HS at least 3x a week and college campus at least 2x a week. The average HS kid thinks that Nike has the best shoes, gear, uniforms etc.
I know kids who play for Adidas sponsored AAU teams and they show up to AAU practice in Nike shoes.
I was at the practice of an Adidas AAU team the day before they were flying to Dallas for a tournament. Following practice, when they were handing out Adidas socks and other accessories, the director of the program had to specifically announce "Only bring your Adidas shoes to this tournament. If you bring any other shoes you will not play."
Meanwhile I've never seen a kid who plays for a Nike AAU team wear Adidas shoes in his spare time or to his AAU team's practice.
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Nike is the norm but Adidas is hot right now. Nike also has a lot more product. I see the Yeezy style sneakers everywhere. I also work in the healthcare industry and deal with a lot of high school kids.
I'm not disputing that Adidas has some momentum right now. But the average HS kid still thinks Nike makes the best shoes.
Not sure about Montez Mathis' AAU affiliation, but his high school, The John Carroll School, is an Under Armor school.
SMU football had great success in the early 80's through the use of inducements that Adidas may be able to provide. According to some in Dallas, with incentivized recruiting, Jerryworld will be packed with SMU fans on Saturdays very soon.
His AAU team was sponsored by Adidas. His HS coach was not very involved with his recruitment.
It doesn't really happen that way in college football because football cleats only have one purpose, while some basketball shoes are a must have "fashion statement".
In football the inducements comes from boosters and sometimes coaches. If you haven't already done so, buy a copy of "A Payroll to Meet: A Story of Greed, Corruption, and Football at SMU". It is a great read on what happened at that school.
Or watch the ESPN 30 for 30: Pony Excess which is a pretty good Cliff Notes version of the book.
They will make a difference if they still have a slush fund for schools to bribe 5 star recruits with.
The 30 for 30 on SMU was on this morning. Interesting that an SMU dropout and two-time Texas Governor was Chairman of the Board of Governors at SMU as the scheme began to unravel. He attempted to cover things up. An oft-injured offensive lineman from Pennsylvania began talking and the Pony Express limped into infamy.
Greatest game ever played was the 1980 Holiday Bowl with BYU making a miraculous comeback against SMU. SMU had probably the best backfield in college football history with Dickerson and James. It is pretty clear that the payments to players began in the 70's...so it's no wonder SMU had such great backs.