Opinion
Nike instead of Adidas Why the excitement surrounding the DFB deal is completely exaggerated
Just two weeks ago Adidas presented the new DFB jersey for the home European Championship. Now Nike is killing the PR coup
© Revierfoto / Imago Images
The criticism of the DFB equipment deal with Nike is unfounded because there is no alternative. For Adidas, however, this is another warning shot.
Did you know that there is only one sporting event in the world that is nearly as big as a World Cup? It’s the Olympic Games. Up to four billion people watch the event, which also has an average TV market share of 15 percent in Germany.
How does this fit in with the end of the partnership between Adidas and the German Football Association? It’s simple: The logo of the US giant Nike, which will equip the DFB from 2027, has been on the German Olympians’ jersey since 2005. This deal was not the end of the Olympic team, which shows that the excitement over the equipment deal is completely overblown. Back then, in 2005, no one came up with the club of “local patriotism” – which is now being used by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).
Now, of course, football and athletics are not the same thing. Football is more emotionally charged because it is always a battle of nations – much harder than at the Olympic Games, where participation means everything. That’s why it’s not surprising why the end of the 70-year partnership is being discussed so hotly and by the highest political ranks.
Change of supplier
Adidas and the DFB – an era is coming to an end
The Adidas relationship is mercilessly heroized
But the question is how much calculation is behind the excitement by politicians. Nobody will disagree with the fact that Adidas and the DFB are emotionally connected for many people. Sure, if some politicians gratefully accept this free PR. Above all, Markus Söder, who referred to the successful 1954 jersey under “X”, even though it wasn’t made by Adidas but was made by the Pfullingen company G. & A. Leuze.
The 54 jersey is just one of countless examples in which the relationship between Adidas and the DFB is mercilessly heroized. There were always arguments between the two – especially over money. The DFB had several financially attractive offers from the competition, but always chose Adidas. Probably also because he feared the media echo that would now rain down on him.
After all, the DFB now has such strong numbers on its side that it can sell the move as “no alternative”. This was not the case with the last tenders. And it is actually to be welcomed if economic reason sets in at a certain point at the DFB. Yes, the DFB is a registered association and is therefore not committed to the classic economic maximization of benefits. So to a certain point it is understandable if tradition, morality and such soft words as “local patriotism” outweigh the last million.
But if the numbers currently circulating are correct – Nike offered 100 million euros annually, more than twice as much as Adidas – then staying with Adidas would simply have been negligent. And this applies not only because the DFB campus in Frankfurt, which has run out of control, has to be financed somehow, but also because the money ultimately ends up with the grassroots. They have been complaining for a long time that there is no money for important projects such as new small fields, performance centers and training. This is also a reason why fewer and fewer young people in Germany are playing football, they say. In the long term, the Nike millions are the best chance of ensuring sporting success.
And, if we’re honest: there’s little to complain about about the Nike products themselves. Of course, jerseys are always a personal taste to a certain extent. But there is a reason why Nike is so successful globally: the company simply sells its story well, the quality is ok. It would be different if a Chinese dumping manufacturer signed up with the DFB to sponsor Qatar. The change is as manageable as it always has been in club football.
Of course, Adidas has to ask itself whether they were perhaps too naive (once again) – keyword: Kanye West. Nike’s interest in the DFB has been known for many years and a company headquarters in the middle of nowhere in Bavaria (Herzogenaurach) is just one of many arguments. In the end, money still rules the world. And a look at the upper end of the income range shows: Where there is money, there can also be love.
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