Federer’s new Nike contract........Am I missing something
- Thread starter kimguroo
- Start date
eman11
Semi-Pro
No, he doesn't.
jklos
Professional
"Not sure how this whole Federer Nike story will play out. Big surprise that it is even an issue. But my understanding, from an industry source, is that the "RF" brand is not Nike's in perpetuity. Rights to it would revert to Federer at some stage if he does not re-sign with Nike"
https://twitter.com/christophclarey/status/1006552527679180802
https://twitter.com/christophclarey/status/1006552527679180802
Bobby Jr
G.O.A.T.
I agree but there have been RF Foundation items which aren't by Nike. There have been other items but currently there's still this stuff:
http://www.tenniswarehouse-europe.com/Roger_Federer_RF_Foundation_Woven_Bag/descpageRFF-RFFWB.html
https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Roger_Federer_RF_Foundation_Silver_Pin/descpageRF-RFASP.html
RF will sue Nike for using his name, who know.
Bobby Jr
G.O.A.T.
Nothing would surprise me.
Lendl once signed a deal with Mizuno that everyone was amazed by the value of and that was back in 1990-ish. Then Agassi came along and signed - from Memory - a close to $100m deal with them (across 10 or so years).
Lebron James in 2003 signed a 7 year, $100m deal with Nike which is over $14m/year.
Kevin Durant signed a 10 year deal with Nike in 2014 worth "as much as $300m" according to Forbes.
Rory McIlroy got a 10 year deal with Nike for circa $300m in 2012.
These, and others, are good examples of why talk that UNIQLO paying Federer $30m a year being impossible could be well wrong. He has every single card up his sleeve except youth and ticks every box you can imagine for what you look for in an athlete for global marketing - much moreso than any of those mentioned above here. In plenty of ways Federer is a much bigger ticket than James, Durant or others who have signed these huge endorsement deals. He has the clean-cut, married, nice-guy thing going on which matters a lot to many brands. You could even argue the fact he's white helps here, especially in Asia and the Middle East.
Add this to the fact he can be credibly marketed as one of the greatest sportspeople of all time.
A $30m/yr deal wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. I'm not arguing that it's happening/happened but it's not as outrageous as some people here think.
brinkeguthrie
Hall of Fame
It would just not be right to see Fed in anything else. Especially in some cheap poly junk from Uniqlo. The RF line has an elegance- Uniqlo just looks cheap.
AM75
Hall of Fame
At least cheap poly junk from Uniqlo doesn't give people jogger's nipples like cheap poly junk from Nike does.
vandre
Hall of Fame
that is a very good memory you have there!
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/07/12/Becker-blasts-Agassi-Nike/8463805521600/
Rhino
Legend
I think this one, i just did not notice swooshDo you mean this shirt? It's actually a Nike shirt.
NuBas
Legend
Maybe Uniqlo will have a special line for him with less branding.
Rhino
Legend
Subway Tennis
Legend
Ive been trying to figure this out myself. It may be because Nike has a controlling administrative link to the RF Foundation similar to what used to be the case with Nike and Lance Armstrong's charity foundation. That might explain the use of proprietary elements.
Still too early to figure out exactly what is going on there....
Couldn't agree more with Bobby Jr. Federer is a superstar and (still) THE superstar of tennis. Look how all the media is hyped for his return in Stuttgart. Rafa just won his 11th RG title and people seem more interested and excited for Fed's return and his chances in Wimbledon. I like Rafa and one has to give him all the credit for his achievements but Fed is another level (overall and globally). That said, I am convinced that Nike is 100% aware of this and that's why I am confident they will reach an agreement.
PS: I think it's way less about tennis gear sales but brand recognition.
PS: I think it's way less about tennis gear sales but brand recognition.
This is true, man. It's more about brand recognition than sales at this point.
brinkeguthrie
Hall of Fame
NikeLab shirt
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Which kind of leads me to believe he's leaning toward staying with Nike, because if he's already out of contract then he can wear whatever he wants, but is choosing to still wear Nike, which I'm sure they're providing him the apparel, but still, I think they're probably hammering out some type of long term or lifetime deal. I'm thinking both sides will want to have a deal in place by Wimbledon.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Yep, I mean I like the Nike golf polos, but I don't play golf.
Say Chi Sin Lo
G.O.A.T.
Uhh, you do realize if Federer continues to wear Nike and he doesn't have a contract, and someone of his stature is wearing the brand, it's like free marketing for Nike, right? Not to mention right this moment, the whole tennis world anticipated Federer's return after the long clay season. EVERYBODY is watching.
If I was Nike, I'd be like "yeah go ahead, keep wearing our stuff for now, we'll talk money later".
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
You just made my point...
Left sleeve
Ok, now i see. But TV did not show the full picture.
brian anderson
Semi-Pro
sorry but even people in west covina know who fed is
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
is Fed staying with Nike or not ?? is Uniqlo going to steal him away with Triple the Nike deal ?? I would go for it. More money is always better.
XFactorer
Hall of Fame
The current RF logo on the Nike apparel is owned by Nike - it won't likely follow Fed if he left.
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
Apparently part of the Uniqlo deal is a RF logo buyout
brinkeguthrie
Hall of Fame
and where does it say this?
XFactorer
Hall of Fame
Well, I guess everything has a price. It's not unimaginable for to logo to be sold, I suppose.
mpournaras
Hall of Fame
"sources" in a deleted thread. Maybe one of the ones that still remains. Its not concrete but it'd make sense
I
ik_ben_groot
Guest
I saw an article on a British newspaper when this first broke about how they were trying to figure out if Nike actually owned the logo permanently or if the rights were transferred back to Fed after the contract ended. Could be speculation, but that's what I read
jmacdaununder2
Legend
If Federer goes to Adidas for shoes, then the value of the RF logo to Nike would be much less than if they keep supplying Federer with RF branded shoes in a - IMO very likely - shoe only deal.
West Coast Ace
G.O.A.T.
With OLD people. Uniqlo clothes are geared toward young people. Not middle aged rich dudes. Would be funny to watch a guy know for wearing one off very expensive suits trying to get millennials to buy $20 dress shirts.
And I respect your right to know 0 about the NBA - I’ve seen local kids lined up in Shanghai and Dubai waiting to buy new Nike basketball drops. The NBA has done a great job of global marketing. KD and LeBron are huge with 15-30 yr old males worldwide.
Bobby Jr
G.O.A.T.
With a name as big as Federer maybe UNIQLO are branching out. That's what I've angled at a few times in these discussions. Looking at their current brand sweet spot might not be the way to view how he would fit in there - instead think how they might grow into other market segments with Federer on board (as well as being the face of their global expansion in-general). When you're signing someone like Federer it's unlikely to be business-as-usual imo. More like a big new thing happening within the brand. And UNIQLO could do much better than H&M who have done suits and business attire for years - but usually fairly poorly (quality-wise). UNIQLO probably intends to have a price point below High St brands but above the likes of H&M.
AM75
Hall of Fame
Not really, they mostly target mid age middle class ppl. If you look at their campaigns they use 30-40something models (especially for women's lines), and they have a lot of customers, basically majority of them, who are not millennials.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
I Heard from national news source in USA that Federer is signing with Uniqlo and leaving Nike for sure. CNBC
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
As long as Uniqlo also has fabric that has wick away moisture tech like NIKE drifit, I am all for it and Will buy Uniqlo. Playing in hot summer, regular cotton just doesnt' work anymore. Need those Keep you cool when hot and wicks away sweat tech fabric. those are the best
I’m not sure if you’re willing to try this, but I live in Dubai and play year round. In summer, at night, it is above 90, with humidity often above 70%. The best Ts for sweat I’ve found to be Lululemon.
With Nike, I have to change 3-4 Ts during 2hrs. With LL, I need 2. Much better in dealing with sweat.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
I know LuLu lemon is great clothing company. had No idea they made Tennis T-shirts. Which tennis shirts do you recommend ? but does it also block harmful UV sunrays and also keep you dry and cool on hot weather ?
jmacdaununder2
Legend
Does that mean when I go into the change room cubicle at the Lululemon store they'll write 'tennis player' on the back of the door? 
