Under Armour has inked a shoe and apparel deal with the University of California, Los Angeles, the athletic-gear maker’s second big university deal in the Golden State in the past month.
ESPN has reported the Baltimore-based company and UCLA will announce a 15-year schoolwide deal worth $280 million, citing sources. An Under Armour spokeswoman confirmed the partnership to Coins2Day, though a formal press release hasn’t yet been issued.
The deal between the Bruins and Under Armour (UA) comes after the brand just last month announced a wide-ranging, decade-long pact with the University of California Berkeley to outfit all of that school’s sports programs beginning this summer. The Berkeley pact replaced rival Nike (NKE), while the UCLA deal will succeed a prior relationship with Germany’s Adidas.
Under Armour has increasingly made a bigger bet on sponsorships with individual pro athletes and school programs to help boost the brand’s allure. The company first entered the collegiate market with a 2006 deal with Auburn University and it has since signed dozens of all-school partnerships.
Local media outlets had previously reported the UCLA-Adidas pact looked like it wouldn’t be extended, with some outlets reporting fans had hoped that the university would ditch Adidas in favor of another athletic gear maker.
The market for team and player sponsorships has gotten a bit more crowded in recent years, as Under Armour in particular has more aggressively sought to ink deals.
