row2k news

New APS/Nike Relationship Announced - Exclusivity Lifted, Gear Provider Still To Be Determined

A sponsorship deal between USRowing and Nike licensee Athlete Performance Solutions (APS) that when first struck banned all other apparel companies from operating at the association's owned regattas, has been reworked.

A joint statement released this afternoon suggests that the association and the Nike licensee have reached a new agreement; row2k has learned that the relationship will bring one of the largest sports apparel companies into a new partnership with USRowing in which APS will sell merchandise at USRowing-owned regattas, but no exclusivity component will apply.

Additionally, APS will not be providing gear to the US teams, nor will they sell "USRowing-marked" apparel.

In response to row2k inquiries on Thursday, USRowing acting Chief Executive Officer Susan Smith has said that APS will no longer be providing gear to the national team, and a search for a new apparel company is near completion. USRowing will announce that deal when the negotiations are complete, Smith told row2k.

"USRowing is pleased to welcome Nike licensee Athlete Performance Solutions (APS) into the rowing community," the statement reads. "We are excited that APS will be bringing its knowledge of Nike's innovative products to the sport of rowing.

"It has been reported that USRowing entered into an exclusive agreement with APS but, after much consideration, USRowing and APS have mutually decided not to move forward with an exclusive relationship at this time.

"We look forward to seeing APS and their Nike products at our upcoming regattas. APS has a history of being active in the communities of other sports, including weightlifting, fencing, wrestling and volleyball and we expect their presence in rowing to be positive for the sport."

Smith said under the new agreement, APS will manufacture rowing apparel and sell it at USRowing regattas.

It will not be "USRowing marked gear," Smith said. "At this point, they are going to sell gear and we are welcoming them to our regattas.

"In terms of who the apparel company is going to be, we asked for quotes from three different vendors and we got proposals back. We're evaluating them and pretty soon we'll make an announcement about who that is going to be," she said.

"We're working very hard to make sure our national team has gear they can proudly compete in. I think in the next week or so we'll make that announcement."

When the sponsorship was first reported by row2k, the terms of the deal was said to be a cash and national team apparel contract that gave the Nike licensee the exclusive rights to USRowing's owned regattas.

When news of the original contract was reported in March, it created a contentious situation that pitted the national governing body of rowing in the United States against a large and vocal segment of the rowing community for several weeks.

JL Racing, one of the affected vendors, posted an emotional appeal for support on their website that resulted in a very public and outraged reaction. USRowing's Board of Directors reacted to the situation by seeking legal counsel to determine if the contract was valid.

USRowing subsequently announced that the contract was non-binding, at which time it became known that members of the board had not seen the actual contract or were made aware of the details before it was signed. USRowing's Chief Marketing Officer, Beth Kohl, left the organization following the announcement. (See the row2k story here.)

Following the announcement that the original APS deal was non-binding, USRowing requested a proposal from JL as one of the companies they approached.

JL Racing responded with a proposal on short notice, but was informed last week that they had not been selected. row2k will report on the final selection of the US team apparel provider when information becomes available.