Their huge partnership alliance was already among the longest-running apparel deals in college athletics. Now it’s ensured to carry into its fifth decade.

“USC and Nike have grown together for more than 30 years,” athletic director Jennifer Cohen said, “and we are thrilled to continue one of the great partnerships in college athletics. From the outset, these two iconic brands have made history, outfitted legends, and powered victories for generations of Trojan student-athletes, and for all we have accomplished together already, we are all the more excited for what’s to come.”

At the time that USC first signed exclusively with Nike, such corporate sponsorships were a relatively new revenue stream for the school. Now, in the revenue-sharing era, they’ve become a ubiquitous — and essential — part of operating an athletic department.

This new deal should look a bit different than the last few times that USC extended their apparel deal with Nike. For one, it includes an NIL component, with select top-tier Trojan athletes slated to score their own NIL deals with Nike. What’s new is that USC is joining Nike’s Blue Ribbon Elite program. But USC has already been an incubator for Nike talent.

Just the women’s basketball team alone has JuJu Watkins, Jazzy Davidson, and Saniyah Hall. Watkins and Davidson’s player-exclusive Nike sneakers remain uninterrupted. USC’s exclusive Blue Ribbon Elite class of athletes will be announced in the coming weeks.

As part of the extension, USC’s new Bloom Football Performance Center will become the first facility in the nation fully outfitted with Nike strength equipment.

As an added benefit, Nike also agreed to design “custom uniform collections” for the USC men’s and women’s basketball programs and to renovate the USC Bookstore with updated Nike merchandise.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is easy to understand why Nike continues to invest heavily in USC Athletics. USC has won 139 team national championships, produced countless iconic athletes, and is supported by an amazing amount of celebrities in the entertainment capital of the world. Partnering with USC is just good business.

Other Big Ten schools signed with Nike signed during a stretch between 2015 and 2016 that became an apparel arms race around college football. Ohio State signed a 15-year, $252-million deal with Nike in 2016, while Michigan inked an 11-year, $174-million deal with Nike and Jordan Brand.

latimes.com

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