Gamecocks only teams to showcase Under Armour in Final Four

Legions of Gamecock basketball fans aren’t the only ones the University of South Carolina has thrust into the national basketball championship limelight.

Under Armour, one of the country’s major up-and-coming sports apparel companies, will have its debut in the men’s Final Four, starting Friday. The women, also sporting UA from head to toe, as do the men, made the Final Four in 2015 and this season.

The rest of the teams competing for the men’s NCAA national championship – Gonzaga, Oregon and North Carolina – all are sponsored by elite sports apparel manufacturer, Nike.

Taking Under Armour into the Final Four for both USC teams “is a pinnacle moment for the school and the brand,” Nick Carparelli, Under Armour college sports marketing director, said this week.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for the entire university to see both teams advance this year, and Under Armour is excited to help amplify this moment for the school,” Carparelli said in an email.

USC has a 10-year, $71.5 million deal with Under Armour, which features a $2 million signing bonus and increases across the life of the contract. The company signed long-term contracts with USC first in 2007 and the agreements include bonuses based upon team performance, Carparelli said.

Under Armour would not discuss this year’s bonus. Efforts Thursday to reach the USC Athletics Department were unsuccessful.

USC enjoys one of the top 10 most lucrative apparel contracts in college athletics, according to recent business reports.

“The University of South Carolina has been a flagship partner for the UA brand since 2007,” Carparelli said. “It was one of Under Armour’s first all-school collegiate partnerships, meaning we outfit all of the teams in their athletic department, and in 2016, we announced an extension through 2026.”

Under Armour is a 20-year-old start-up that is forging a path in the highly competitive athletics and performance gear market. Based in Baltimore, the company was founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank.

Ayako Homma, a senior analyst at Euromonitor International, a London-based business intelligence company, said that while Nike is a dominant college team sponsor in the NCAA’s March Madness, UA has made headway. “Under Armour has been aggressively seeking opportunities to expand its apparel partners with college basketball teams among the NCAA’s Madness,” Homma said.

This year, Under Armour had a record number 12 men’s teams and 11 women’s teams representing their brand in NCAA tournament play, Carparelli said. Three years ago, the brand had just one team represented in the NCAA field, the company said.

This story was originally published March 30, 2017 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Gamecocks only teams to showcase Under Armour in Final Four."