McKena Miyashiro |
The iconic "P" saturating campus with UP's image will look a little different come October, and will be joined by a new secondary logo.
On Sept. 2, UP and Nike agreed to an eight-year contract extension of Nike as UP’s official athletic footwear and apparel brand for all 15 varsity sports. This contract will run through the 2021- 2022 school year, marking the 20th anniversary of the partnership.
Nike first became an official partner of UP in 2002. Prior to that, Adidas was UP’s official sports apparel provider.
A large part of college athletic merchandising agreements revolves around providing equipment and gear to student athletics. But UP’s relationship with Nike goes beyond just jerseys and socks.
With Nike’s headquarters located 20 minutes from campus, UP and Nike have strengthened their partnership over the past decade. Nike first helped UP rebrand about 10 years ago when they switched out UP’s old logo – a ship’s wheel – for the distinctive stylized “P.”
Scott Leykam, director of athletics, said Nike has provided UP with many resources throughout the years.
“From the product testing they do here, to commercial shoots over the years, Nike has been really integral on a deeper level, aside from just being our marketing and apparel partner,” Leykam said.
As part of the new contract, Nike is doing a brand refresh of UP’s current logo and designing a new secondary logo. In October, UP will present the new logos created by Nike’s graphic identity group at a big reveal, according to Jason Brough, associate athletic director. The details of the logos will be kept secret until the reveal, Brough said, but the "P" logo will be refreshed with some minor adjustments.
As a part of the brand refresh, UP is also looking to sell merchandise at places such as Fred Meyer, the Portland International Airport and the Made in Oregon store.
Leykam said part of the goal of the brand refresh is to connect UP’s identity with the Willamette River and Portland.
“With the river property coming into development some point in the future, what we really talked about is, ‘How do we get our logo back to this?’” Leykam said. “We represent the city, and I think that’s a unique attribute and something that we want to be more active with.”
Leykam appreciates how UP is able to collaborate with Nike’s designers, who have worked with top athletic programs across the country. At the end of the day, however, UP will ultimately define the brand.
“They’re a tremendous resource and they can bring a design team to ask about your history – who are you, and who you want to be – and they can help craft that with us together,” Leykam said. “We’ve built the UP brand with them.”
In addition to branding, Leykam hopes to be more intentional about holding events on the Nike campus. Leykam is looking at having UP’s student athlete end-of-the-year awards in the Nike theatre this year. In the past, UP athletes have practiced and played on Nike’s athletic facilities. Student athletes also helped Nike with product testing.
“It’s a neat opportunity for our student athletes to wear some of the newest models and be part of it, Leykam said, “but it’s also an opportunity for Nike to come into an actual D1 facility and see how these new designs and concepts work.”
Women’s basketball coach Cheryl Sorenson said her athletes love practicing and competing in Nike gear.
“The relationship with Nike enables us to outfit our players and high quality gear that they feel comfortable competing in,” Sorenson said. “They feel comfortable when representing the University when we’re traveling on road trips or when we’re going to community service events.”
McKena Miyashiro is a news reporter for The Beacon. You can reach her at miyashir17@up.edu.
