Adidas and Arizona State University have they announced the creation of the Global Sport Alliance. They have come up with new twist on the traditional collegiate apparel deal.
The partnership will bring together Arizona State faculty and students, Adidas employees and industry experts to study sport's role in society, including diversity, gender and race. It will also study the technical aspects of the industry, such as sustainability, textiles and manufacturing.
The deal comes as the terms of university apparel deals have ballooned and seemingly answers critics who question the benefits of multimillion-dollar sportswear deals to the wider university community. The traditional apparel deal benefits athletes and some athletic administrators.
Global Sport Institute (GSI) will be the key component of the Global Sport Alliance that will translate and amplify complex sports research to broad, global audiences. It will convene public events, engage leading sports figures and publish research findings through reports, infographics, podcasts and social media. Kenneth Shropshire, a leading expert at the intersection of sports, business, law and society, will lead GSI as CEO and join ASU as the distinguished professor in global sports, a position created by Adidas.
The Global Sport Institute will support collaborative inquiry and research that examines critical issues impacting sport and all those connected with sport. GSI’s purpose will be to transform the resulting findings into practical knowledge that is widely shared, educating and influencing audiences,” says Kenneth in a news release.
