Teddy V & Nike

[biz2]

Just finished watching Duke v UNC. During a video review in OT I noticed that Ted Valentine had a Nike “swoosh” on the back of his Smitty’s shirt and on the back of his pants. Obviously perfectly placed for screen time during a table review. It certainly appears as though “TV” Teddy has some sort of deal with Nike.

I’m sure that the ACC has an official supplier presumably Smitty’s as all three officials were wearing a Smitty’s shirt (only Teddy V’s had the swooshes). I would think Smitty’s has paid some money for the right to be the official shirt of the ACC and have the sole logo on that shirt. I would further think that they wouldn’t be happy that Teddy V has added a logo.

Does anyone have any knowledge of any other D1 officials who have some sort of “sponsorship deal” like this or does anyone have any knowledge regarding contracts between officials and conferences with regard to what they are allowed and not allowed to wear?

Thanks.

[Nevadaref]

I have no knowledge of this whatsoever, but wanted to post in this thread to say, if the coaches and teams (hence the school’s athletic program) can arrange for sponsorship deals with Nike, Adidas, Reebok, etc., and the conference doesn’t have any objection to it, then the officials should be allowed to do so as well.
They are independent contractors and desire to make money too.

I would not advocate a large advertisement on the shirt or pants, but one which complies with the size restrictions for the logos on the uniforms of the players would seem an appropriate standard.

Btw Valentine has been wearing Nike shoes with a visible white swoosh emblem for several years. This seems like the next logical step for him.

[biz2]

I don’t have a problem with it either. If he can make a few extra bucks good for him, but I would be surprised if Smitty’s thought it was ok if they have an exclusive contract with the ACC.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by biz2

I don’t have a problem with it either. If he can make a few extra bucks good for him, but I would be surprised if Smitty’s thought it was ok if they have an exclusive contract with the ACC.

I go to a couple preseason clinics with ACC Alliance guys. Never heard any of them being required to wear certain shirts.

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[Rich]

I believe Smitty has a contract for the NCAA Championships, but I haven't heard of a requirement to wear the shirts for the regular season.

I love Valentine doing this and most everything he does. It drives a certain number of people crazy that he still gets assignments like these (search his name on Twitter), but it shows that top level coaches and assigners appreciate officials who know how to take control. If Nike is throwing him a few bucks, good for him.

[JRutledge]

Smitty is the one that makes the shirt the NCAA Men's approved for the most part. Most vendors sell the Smitty branded shirt. On the other hand Honig's make the same shirt, but they have an exclusive contract with the NAIA. I would not even be surprised if Honig's does not sell the Smitty shirt and looking at the Honig's page, they sell a shirt that is not made by Smitty. So it is possible he had a logo put on his shirts (and pants) on some level. He has been wearing Nike shoes for years.

Peace

[SC Official]

Originally Posted by Rich

I believe Smitty has a contract for the NCAA Championships, but I haven't heard of a requirement to wear the shirts for the regular season.

I love Valentine doing this and most everything he does. It drives a certain number of people crazy that he still gets assignments like these (search his name on Twitter), but it shows that top level coaches and assigners appreciate officials who know how to take control. If Nike is throwing him a few bucks, good for him.

It drives a certain number of officials crazy too, including some on this forum.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by biz2

I’m sure that the ACC has an official supplier presumably Smitty’s

I'm not sure of that. Smitty's is one of the most popular brands right now -- this could just be a coincidence. (But I am open to learning more)

[justacoach]

Often I watch a high profile TV game with officials near and dear to my heart working. I am really locked in on catching every frames where my favorite ref is visible. If he were getting paid 5 bucks a second for his TV airtime, I doubt he would earn enough for a good dinner. I am left disappointed at the relatively short exposure during the game.

I honestly don't think the illustrious Teddy V has any pecuniary rewards owing to his choice of apparel, even with his 56 games this season.

Just not enough time to make it worthwhile for sponsors.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by justacoach

Often I watch a high profile TV game with officials near and dear to my heart working. I am really locked in on catching every frames where my favorite ref is visible. If he were getting paid 5 bucks a second for his TV airtime, I doubt he would earn enough for a good dinner. I am left disappointed at the relatively short exposure during the game.

I honestly don't think the illustrious Teddy V has any pecuniary rewards owing to his choice of apparel, even with his 56 games this season.

Just not enough time to make it worthwhile for sponsors.

One of your favorite officials picked up an easy $187 this past Saturday due to my injury.

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by Raymond

One of your favorite officials picked up an easy $187 this past Saturday due to my injury.

That escaped me. I need to hit him up for my cut...

[jmwking]

Somehow I missed this, um, Valentine a couple days ago:

https://twitter.com/SportsChannel8/s...78409653964801

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by jmwking

Somehow I missed this, um, Valentine a couple days ago:



https://twitter.com/SportsChannel8/s...78409653964801

Old news, and why he was dropped from B1G 10.

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[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by justacoach

Often I watch a high profile TV game with officials near and dear to my heart working. I am really locked in on catching every frames where my favorite ref is visible. If he were getting paid 5 bucks a second for his TV airtime, I doubt he would earn enough for a good dinner. I am left disappointed at the relatively short exposure during the game.

I honestly don't think the illustrious Teddy V has any pecuniary rewards owing to his choice of apparel, even with his 56 games this season.

Just not enough time to make it worthwhile for sponsors.

It may not seem that way, but I have seen more posts on social media about what Teddy is wearing than any other official at any level of officiating, that includes guys in the NFL, NBA or MLB. So it might not be worth their while, but there is certainly a lot of discussion about what he is doing.

Peace