Strategy: 'The bottoms of my shoes were starting to peel off': Athletes are ditching Under Armour shoes despite $280 million sponsorship deal (UA)

Some UCLA athletes are no longer wearing Under Armour shoes, even though the brand is the school's official sportswear sponsor.

• Some UCLA athletes are no longer wearing Under Armour shoes, even though the brand is the school's official sportswear sponsor.
• "Within the first few weeks, the bottoms of my shoes were starting to peel off and the outsides were starting to fray," sophomore jumper and sprinter Isaiah Holmes told the campus newspaper, The Daily Bruin.
• Under Armour told Business Insider that the company is aware of the issues and is working with the team's coaches to address them.
• UCLA and Under Armour signed a $280 million deal in 2016 that made the brand its official shoe and apparel sponsor. The deal was the biggest in college sports history.

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Some UCLA athletes are ditching their Under Armour shoes less than two years after the school signed the biggest sportswear sponsorship in college sports history with the brand.

One member of the school's track-and-field team told the campus newspaper, The Daily Bruin, that his Under Armour shoes fell apart after several weeks of wearing them.

"Within the first few weeks, the bottoms of my shoes were starting to peel off and the outsides were starting to fray," sophomore jumper and sprinter Isaiah Holmes told The Daily Bruin.

Another student, Kendall Gustafson, said that some athletes suffered Achilles injuries at the start of the season before switching to other shoe brands like Nike, Asics, and Adidas.

"You'll see a lot of the team wearing all the other Under Armour gear, but then you'll be seeing every other brand of shoes because we're just trying to find what works best for our feet," Gustafson, a senior heptathlete, told The Daily Bruin. "Under Armour is not traditionally a track-shoe company."

Under Armour spokesman Dean Stoyer told Business Insider that the company is aware of the issues that athletes cited and is working with the track-and-field team's coaches to address them.

"While Under Armour does provide footwear for most track and field disciplines it is true that there are some disciplines where specialized footwear is still under development," Stoyer said.

UCLA signed a $280 million deal with Under Armour in 2016 that made the brand its official shoe and apparel sponsor. The 15-year deal was the biggest in college sports history.

Adidas was UCLA's official sportswear sponsor prior to the Under Armour deal.

Some UCLA athletes are no longer wearing Under Armour shoes, even though the brand is the school's official sportswear sponsor. Read Full Story