Nike announced their new Swoosh TC 5 hours ago. No mention of it on the LRC front page...

L Have M wrote:

stragglers wrote:

But meanwhile, Citius Mag, FloTrack, and RunnersWorld have all posted full length articles. Why not LetsRun? I'll be the first to point out that I came HERE to discuss it, but I find it hard to take LetsRun seriously as news source when they're so far behind the competitors.

LRC long form articles are great, but come on guys.

It’s not an actual group from what we can see. Two of these coaches are also coaching college , two of them will continue to coach other sponsored athletes and there are no actual Nike facilities. Why would you call it a pro group when Jerry and Diljeet’s first priority is coaching their college athletes and Smith’s best athletes run for other companies. I’ve been out of the loop lately but what the world is Capriotti thinking approving this. Is he like Joe Biden and lost his mind ?

Hard Pass wrote:

Low E Nike wrote:

Honestly feels like a low energy move. There's no "new" group, just coaches doing what they've been doing before, now with extra money. That's fine and I think it will work out great for the athletes already with Diljeet and Smith (is anyone still with Jerry?). It feels more accommodating than ambitious ...

Predictions: Nike picks up more good female NCAA grads (Taylor will be a huge draw), still loses some absolute top athletes to NB. NB has flashy new facilities in Boston, a growing Flagstaff presence, and a willingness to dig very deep into their pockets.

I don't see Taylor's group growing unless you're a Mormon. The jammies thing and weirdness is a bit much for most Gentiles. And Provo, despite BYU athletes' success, is a pretty lousy place to live and train (if you're not Mormon). I feel badly for Orton and Morgan. I can't see any scenario where Adidas and On don't elect to take the first right of refusal when their contract comes due. They're both Olympians and will likely continue to get better. Being Mormon, where do they go? For the most part, athletes from all brands will continue to use Park City in the summer and drop down to SLC, Provo or Orem for a workout once or twice a week. Nike can't control that. Eyestone certainly isn't going to kick a post-collegiate off the track and he's made it clear from day one he's not for sale to the brands.

The Flagstaff situation is even more odd. NAU is an Adidas school. I can't see them taking too kindly to Swoosh TC using the facilities. And who from Nike is there? Just Nur? NAU's three best recent outputs are Young (Adidas), Sahlman (Hoka), and Rogers (I think Hoka). Nike isn't getting them anytime soon. And Rachel Smith being named an assistant coach? By all accounts, a lovely person, but a coach?

Last, there is Eugene. At some point Schumacher will start producing some champions again, right? Right??! Those champions will want to do their post-collegiate pro careers in Eugene. I guess that's the hope. But it's Eugene.

Are new Nike signees presuming to agree to take one of these three options? This is just Sophie's Choice for the athletes. And if you sign with Nike and choose Taylor, Smith or Schumacher camps, you'll have to stay with Nike upon your next contract if you like your set up. The athletes lose their leverage, but that's probably Nike's intent.

MattHatter wrote:

Hard Pass wrote:

I don't see Taylor's group growing unless you're a Mormon. The jammies thing and weirdness is a bit much for most Gentiles. And Provo, despite BYU athletes' success, is a pretty lousy place to live and train (if you're not Mormon). I feel badly for Orton and Morgan. I can't see any scenario where Adidas and On don't elect to take the first right of refusal when their contract comes due. They're both Olympians and will likely continue to get better. Being Mormon, where do they go? For the most part, athletes from all brands will continue to use Park City in the summer and drop down to SLC, Provo or Orem for a workout once or twice a week. Nike can't control that. Eyestone certainly isn't going to kick a post-collegiate off the track and he's made it clear from day one he's not for sale to the brands.

The Flagstaff situation is even more odd. NAU is an Adidas school. I can't see them taking too kindly to Swoosh TC using the facilities. And who from Nike is there? Just Nur? NAU's three best recent outputs are Young (Adidas), Sahlman (Hoka), and Rogers (I think Hoka). Nike isn't getting them anytime soon. And Rachel Smith being named an assistant coach? By all accounts, a lovely person, but a coach?

Last, there is Eugene. At some point Schumacher will start producing some champions again, right? Right??! Those champions will want to do their post-collegiate pro careers in Eugene. I guess that's the hope. But it's Eugene.

Are new Nike signees presuming to agree to take one of these three options? This is just Sophie's Choice for the athletes. And if you sign with Nike and choose Taylor, Smith or Schumacher camps, you'll have to stay with Nike upon your next contract if you like your set up. The athletes lose their leverage, but that's probably Nike's intent.

contracts are tied into Olympic years. maybe AFTER the LA Olympics there could be some brand issues, but as of right now it appears to be all worked out.

and as far as NAU being an Adidas school, literally every shoe company, from Hoka to New Balance to Underarmour, uses their facilities. have been for years. clearly NAU doesn't care - in fact having the top pro runners in the world training there must be great for NAU's image and recruiting.

say what you want about Schumacer as a pro coach, but look at his college roster. he's recruiting the top runners - having Nike headquarters in his backyard will ALWAYS draw high school talent who want to be on Nike's radar. it's like a feeder system to the pro's.