Midnight Celebration Reunites Nike, Michigan Community
8/1/2016 12:00:00 AM | General, Athletic News
Aug. 1, 2016
• Photo Gallery 
• Michigan-Nike Microsite: GoBlueHailMichigan.com
• #HailMichigan: Social Media Tagboard
• One Maize. One Blue. One Partnership. (News.Nike.com)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Well before the clock struck midnight Sunday night (July 31) into Monday morning, the celebratory mood in downtown Ann Arbor was on full display. Families with Michigan ties waited as long as 16 hours.
By the time midnight struck and the University of Michigan officially reunited with NIKE Inc. as the Wolverines' official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment provider (Aug. 1), thousands of people had flooded S. State St. in front of The M Den's flagship location, waiting to be among the first to purchase Nike's new Michigan gear.
Special appearances from Desmond Howard, LaMarr Woodley, Jimmy King, Jim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel revved the crowd -- one so large that a city block was closed off from 10 p.m. until nearly 3 a.m. The Michigan Marching Band was joined by Michigan's cheer and dance program members while a DJ kept the scene lively throughout.
Several lucky fans were selected to join a special media tour of the store hours before it opened to the public, and the University's popular social media hashtag, #GoBlue, was still trending on the West Coast well into Monday afternoon.
The line to access The M Den finally receded at 2:23 a.m. While shoppers were happy for the early morning access to elite apparel, the midnight mood personified community and love of Michigan. The storytelling is slated to continue throughout the day Monday, into Tuesday with a Detroit event in celebration of the football team's exclusive Jordan Brand partnership, and into the future with additional unique collaborations.
Nike will supply all 31 of U-M's athletic teams with uniforms, footwear, apparel and equipment. U-M and Nike also will collaborate throughout the agreement on innovation initiatives in sports technology, design and best practices.
Additional details about the partnership:
- The agreement is valued at $173.8 million. That includes a $12 million initial payment to the university, $76.8 million in total annual payments and $85 million in apparel. The partnership took effect Aug. 1 and runs through 2027, with an option to extend the agreement to 2031.
- Nike conduct at least two community events per year that support and celebrate education in health and wellness initiatives.
- Included in the partnership are three student summer internships at Nike headquarters.
- The agreement includes use of the Jordan Brand "Jumpman" apparel for men's and women's basketball and football.
- Throughout the partnership, Nike will abide by the Nike Code of Conduct, which meets, exceeds or has equivalent treatment of all requirements in the U-M Code of Conduct for Licensees in addressing labor standards.
- The agreement provides that Nike makes available the list of factories where collegiate product is made and provides for independent, external monitoring and investigation of those factories by third parties mutually agreed upon by U-M and Nike.
Communications Contact: Kurt Svoboda
