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First it was UCLA, now it seems that Cal is next for Under Armour. Just hours after announcing that they’ve terminated their record apparel and shoe deal with the UCLA Bruins, Under Armour is reportedly looking to terminate their California Golden Bears endorsement deal as well.
Under Armour way overpaid UCLA, now looking for escape. Hearing the same thing at Cal, another head-scratching UA deal. https://t.co/GO1gzMeWEM
— Michael Smith (@SmittySBJ) June 27, 2020
Sports Business Journal’s Michael Smith was first to report it but he wasn’t the only one. Users on Twitter and Write for California discovered that Cal’s logo was removed from Under Armour’s website just like UCLA’s was.
A possible purge going on at @UnderArmour. First @UCLAAthletics, now possibly Cal. Bears' gear has been removed from UA site as well. Cal signed $86 million deal in 2016.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) June 28, 2020
While not nearly the size of UCLA’s deal, Cal signed a 10-year deal worth around $86 million dollars back in April of 2016. It went into effect in 2017 and included a $3 million signing bonus and $3.5 million in annual cash, according to an ESPN report.
UCLA has made no official comment on Cal as of yet, producing just a prepared statement regarding UCLA via the Los Angeles Times.
“Under Armour has recently made the difficult decision to discontinue our partnership with UCLA, as we have been paying for marketing benefits that we have not received for an extended time period,” the statement started. “The agreement allows us to terminate in such an event and we are exercising that right. We know that this has been a challenging time for athletes, sports programs and performance apparel brands alike. Under Armour will continue to preserve our strength in this challenging environment, while maintaining a strong network of partnerships with individuals, organizations and leagues that make us the on-field authority for focused performers.”
Formerly with Nike, the Under Armour deal was set to increase the cash from an apparel and shoe deal to $4.76 million from the $2 million that they earned with Nike.
247Sports reported in their original findings that Texas and Ohio State would currently then own the richest apparel deals in college athletics with the termination of UCLA’s deal, sitting at roughly $250 million over 15 years for the Longhorns and Buckeyes.
Cal’s deal, though not the biggest by any means in college athletics, was still an increase in what previously had been earned. The deal with Under Armour was set to extend through the 2026-27 athletic seasons.
On a bright note: There’s always Nike.