The swoosh is coming. How this local store is preparing for USC’s changeover to Nike
Anything short of a ticker-tape parade might not be sufficient for Scott Satterfield to celebrate the moment.
Satterfield, a consultant for the apparel store Gamecock Traditions, has considered seemingly every idea to make it an event when South Carolina fans can finally purchase Nike gear on July 1.
At the Gamecock Traditions store in Lexington, they are in the process of discounting and selling Under Armour apparel to give the store space to stage the Nike gear when it comes in. On July 1, Satterfield will drop the curtain and turn Gamecock Traditions into its own version of a Target on Black Friday.
The local radio station 107.5 The Game will set up shop. There’s going to be catered food. Satterfield is trying to land a USC football player (or more) to come sign autographs. Heck, it’s a wonder he doesn’t go full Black Friday and open at midnight.
“You know, that has not been said yet,” Satterfield said. “But don’t put it past us.”
The excitement has been building for months.
Last August, South Carolina announced it had agreed to an apparel deal with Nike — a partnership that would begin on July 1, 2026 — after the Gamecocks spent the past 19 years wearing Under Armour.
In that time, Under Amour has transformed from an innovative company seeming poised to challenge Nike to, well, one that fewer people care to buy anymore. Certainly, Nike is facing its own popularity and financial concerns, but the swoosh is still the swoosh ... and South Carolina fans are salivating at the thought of seeing the swoosh next to Gamecock logos.
Which is a godsend for stores like Gamecock Traditions. Let’s say South Carolina stuck with Under Armour. After one of the worst years for South Carolina’s men’s sports — bookended by a 4-8 football season and a 30-loss baseball season — “you would certainly not buy as heavy,” Satterfield said.
The Nike transition, though, will likely turn what would have been a slow 2026 sales season at Gamecock Traditions to, perhaps, a record-setting few months.
When South Carolina transitioned to Under Armour in 2007, Gamecock Traditions increased its sales by over $1 million year over year. The Nike bump could be far more lucrative.
“It could absolutely be a $2 (million), $2.5 million (increase),” Satterfield said.
Will fans be able to buy Nike on July 1?
As you quickly learn in the collegiate apparel business, orders almost always take place a year in advance. It’s part of the reason South Carolina agreed to a deal with Nike nearly 11 months before the partnership would begin. It needed that time to put in orders for the 2026-27 season.
Same is true for businesses like Gamecock Traditions, which placed its Nike order in October and still has yet to receive a shipment. As of now, the store expects between $100,000 to $300,000 worth of gear (at cost) to arrive in mid-June, which would (likely) ensure that they don’t run of Nike gear on release day.
“We fully expect there to be lines out the door on July 1,” Satterfield said.
And because Satterfield and the folks at Gamecock Traditions took the time to work with a sales rep on how to best combine certain marks, colors and products, the store will likely have unique items not sold anywhere else.
“Nike has a deal where certain designs can (only) go on certain materials,” Satterfield said. “Literally, we spent a month going through their catalog and matching things up. ... We fully expect this to be the differentiation between us and everyone else.”
Per Satterfield, Gamecock Traditions was the No. 1 independent Under Armour retailer in the country for multiple years. Will that be the case with Nike? Time will tell — and certainly the success of South Carolina athletics will play a part.
What worries Satterfield right now is wondering whether Gamecock Traditions will have enough gear.
“We’ve gone all in, so we’ll have a ton,” he said. “But then the fall is where it really becomes questionable, because some of the stuff that Nike has that’s domestic, you can get pretty quick. But some of the imported stuff from Nike, it’s a one and done. ... You either buy it (for that year) or you don’t.”
Satterfield’s current plan is to use the sales data from the first two weeks of July — learning what Nike-branded gear is selling best — then putting in a bulk domestic order, which Nike can usually restock within a few weeks, he said.
“We’re going to order extremely heavy for it to be here by the end of August,” he said. “So, essentially, like a second launch before the football season.”
From there, sales are largely in the hands of Shane Beamer, LaNorris Sellers and the Gamecock football team.
