Cal inks 10 year, $86 million deal with Under Armour starting in 2017

A new era in Cal Athletics has begun. The Bears Athletics Department made a big splash to start another generation of Bears Athletics. With the departures of Jaylen Brown, Jared Goff and Missy Franklin and some other faces of Cal Athletics, it was the perfect time for the Bears to jumpstart the fan base. And so it happened.

Cal Athletics is now sponsored by Baltimore, Maryland based company Under Armour.

The same Under Armour that sponsors an MVP NBA Point Guard down the road at Oracle Arena.

The same Under Armour that sponsors an MVP NFL Quarterback coached by a Cal Grad in North Carolina.

The same Under Armour that sponsors a former MVP MLB Catcher across the bay at AT&T Park.

With no ties to any University on the west coast, outside of the Utah Running Utes, it made perfect sense for UA to fully invest in the Bay Area, a huge active sports market.

From a financial standpoint this was a great move by the university. ESPN reports that the deal is worth around $86 million. Cal will get $3.5 million annually from the deal in cash. What is that in comparison to what we were getting with Nike?

Annual cash received by Cal for last Nike deal: $150,000.

Annual cash to be received by Cal for new Under Armour deal: $3,500,000.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 22, 2016

This is a huge jump in cash inflow for the Athletics Department. But that isn't all.

The deal covers all sports including all 34 club teams. And also: "It will also guarantee that Cal's faculty and student body get a discount on Under Armour's connected fitness bundle, UA HealthBox, and make Cal the home for Under Armour's entrepreneurial contest Future Show."

Another big change from Nike will be the amount of annual product allowance, basically the amount of net worth of products we can request for jumps $2 million to $4.76 million.

More will be announced in the coming months, but it'll be a fresh new look for all Cal Athletics.

Here are some preliminary mock ups of potential new uniforms:

.@UnderArmour mock ups for @CalAthletics pic.twitter.com/8ajKKcSqT9

— Ryan Gorcey (@RGBearTerritory) April 22, 2016

Full press release from Cal Athletics:

BERKELEY - The University of California, Berkeley and Under Armour®(NYSE:UA) today announced a new, 10-year agreement that will benefit both the athletic department and the greater campus community. Under Armour Founder and CEO Kevin Plank joined Director of Athletics H. Michael Williams to introduce the partnership between of one of the country's most prestigious collegiate athletic programs and the global leader in performance footwear and apparel.

The long-term agreement, which commences July 1, 2017, is the first outfitting partnership to feature a comprehensive, campus-wide relationship. Under Armour will not only exclusively design and supply the footwear, apparel and equipment for the athletic department's wide range of men's and women's sports, but also connect directly with the broader campus community by providing student internships, employment opportunities for UC Berkeley graduates, charitable partnerships and exclusive product discounts for campus departments, among other offerings. The additional campus benefits are part of the university's recent efforts to build more meaningful, campus-wide partnerships through the University Partnership Program, an initiative UC Berkeley launched last summer.

"UC Berkeley is one of the world's top universities and a standard bearer for academic excellence and athletic achievement," said Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO, Under Armour. "We share a mutual commitment to relentless innovation and believe we have found a perfect partner in the university. It's an honor to bring our mission for making athletes better to the Golden Bears. We look forward to collaborating with Cal Athletics and the entire campus for betterment in fitness, wellness, charitable and professional development in ways never done before by an apparel and footwear partner."

In addition to outfitting the Cal intercollegiate athletic teams, Under Armour will have an extensive social and communal footprint on campus, including:
Providing apparel for Cal's 34 Recreational Sports club programs, supporting more than 1,300 students annually
Offering discounts on Under Armour's connected fitness system, UA HealthBox, for faculty, staff and students
Annually employing UC Berkeley student interns and graduates
Creating and supporting multiple fitness and nutrition challenges for Cal students, faculty, alumni and staff
Collaboration on philanthropic and social responsibility programs
There will also be a specific focus on innovation, research and entrepreneurship, with plans to host Future Show, Under Armour's annual open innovation challenge, and Cupid's Cup, an annual nationwide competition which allows undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their inventions, at UC Berkeley's campus multiple times over the course of the partnership.

"We are excited to announce this unique partnership between UC Berkeley and Under Armour," Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said. "Going well beyond a typical apparel contract, this relationship will extend across the entire campus, reinforcing our commitment to a strong, sustainable intercollegiate athletics program, one that is such an integral and fully integrated part of our university."

"Under Armour's vision mirrors our university's emphasis on innovation, research and entrepreneurship, and this agreement will offer opportunities for students to advance their ideas through a variety of programs," Williams said. "Together, the partnership aligns with our goals of succeeding in the classroom, in the field of competition and in the greater community."

This new affiliation further expands Under Armour's footprint in the collegiate market, with Cal becoming the brand's 34th Division 1 all-school partnership and second in the Pac-12 Conference.

Cal sponsors one of the nation's most successful and broad-based collegiate athletic programs featuring 30 different sports and more than 850 student-athletes. The Golden Bears have won 89 team national titles in 15 different sports, as well as nearly 300 individual and relay championships, while students, coaches and staff have claimed 185 Olympic medals, including 105 gold.