Warren Sapp completely destroyed a pair of cleats Adidas sent to him after the company inked a 12 year deal to sponsor the University of Miami Hurricanes athletic department.
Not everyone is a fan of the University of Miami’s recent decision to switch from Nike to Adidas. In fact, there are many who are emphatically against the school’s new 12 year deal with the German based apparel company. You can add former Hurricane, NFL legend, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp to the mix.
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Adidas sent him a pair of cleats as a show of good faith.
How did Sapp respond? He tore apart (and by that, we mean he slashed) the shoes.
Nike and NCAA football have gone hand in hand for years. Current division one heavyweights and opponents in this year’s edition of the National Championship, Ohio State and Oregon, are both sponsored by the company. Other big names include Alabama, USC, Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. That is really just the tip of the iceberg actually. \
In fact, according to louisvillesportslive.net, out of the sixty five power conference schools (meaning that they play in one of the five major conferences in FBS football), forty four of them are sponsored by Nike. That translates to about 68%; more than two thirds of that group.
The acquisition of the Miami Hurricanes brand makes for the twelfth such program.
It would be safe to assume that this is an emphatic “no thanks” on the free shoes. And that is fine. Brand fandom can be just as strong as it is for teams. Die-hards of Jordan-brand shoes will never catch themselves ever lacing up a different pair of sneakers on the basketball court.
Who are we to expect Sapp to be any different when it comes to his cleats?
The best part about this photo is that he never even bothered to take the paper stuffing out of the cleats before eviscerating them. If there was ever a perfect time for the phrase “message sent,” we could not think of a more shining example. Unlike his alma mater, Warren Sapp wants no part of Adidas.
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