Washington State Strikes 5-Year Deal With Nike

The Washington State University athletic department will receive more than $2.5 million in equipment and other compensation over the next five years as part of an agreement with Nike, athletic director Rick Dickson announced Tuesday.

WSU will receive approximately $500,000 worth of equipment and other compensation this year. In return, each of WSU’s 17 athletic programs will wear uniforms and use equipment provided by Nike.

In the past, Washington State’s various athletic programs had purchase agreements with several companies.

As part of the new deal, Nike will provide a WSU athlete with a summer internship at its Beaverton, Ore., headquarters. Nike will also sponsor WSU’s community outreach program and the annual women’s golf tournament.

WSU is one of 30 universities nationally to have a comprehensive agreement with Nike. WSU’s commitment to gender-equity was a selling point with the sporting-goods giant, Dickson said.

“Nike spends millions of dollars each year in terms of advancement for women’s athletic opportunities,” Dickson said. “No matter what your perception of Washington State, it’s track (gender-equity) record on the collegiate level is pretty high.

“Then you throw in some of the competitive reasons as well.”

As per WSU policy, the agreement with Nike will not directly benefit coaches financially. However, the additional revenue provided by Nike could be used to sweeten a coach’s contract, Dickson said.

WSU’s impending deal with Nike was reported in The Spokesman-Review more than two months ago.

“It took time to get the various parties together to work out all the details,” Dickson said.

, DataTimes