Dive Brief:

• Adidas and the Pac-12 collegiate sports conference Wednesday announced a three-year contract for the German sportswear giant to become the league’s official, exclusive provider of apparel and footwear.

• The deal comes as Adidas has slipped to number three in the game, with upstart Under Armour quickly expanding and landing college and professional sports contracts to become number two, and with Nike continuing to dominate.

• In July, Adidas lost a big name college contract to Nike, the University of Michigan. That came after Adidas sat out the bidding for the National Basketball Association’s licensing rights earlier this year, which it had held for the past decade. Nike won that gig for $1 billion, a number Adidas just couldn’t afford. 

Dive Insight:

This is a good deal for Adidas, which is working to trim costs and rebuild its muscles while Nike and Under Armour outpace in sales and in licensing deals like this. It helps boost visibility in a popular collegiate sports league, appealing to younger consumers and sports fans. And it includes high-profile television signage and sponsorship of the weekly Pac-12 Sports Report.

“This new partnership continues to highlight our commitment to U.S. college sports and our focus on aligning with championship-level schools, teams, and student-athletes,” said Chris McGuire, Adidas’s senior director of sports marketing, in a statement. “We look forward to our brand appearing on field and court, in stadium, across the Pac-12’s digital properties and on-air during Pac-12 Network broadcasts starting this season.”