NIKE PULLS BACK FROM SURF WORLD
Transfers surf team and resources to Hurley
- Published:November 27, 2012
- Views:6,822
After spending years making a serious push into the sport of surfing, Beaverton-based mega-brand Nike will scale back its surf operations and transfer its team and resources to Hurley at the end of the year, according to a source at Nike. Starting in 2013, its entire surf program will be transferred to Hurley, which they bought in 2002. According to the source, all Nike athletes will begin riding for Hurley January 1. This means Hurley will soon be the main sponsor of eight of the ASP top 34 -- Julian, Ace, Michel, Alejo, Miguel, Brett, Kolohe and Yadin.
The status of its events - most notably the Nike Lowers Pro - has yet to be determined. With that stable of world-class surfers and already one WCT event at Lowers, it would seem unlikely that another Hurley event would make the 2013 ASP calendar.
As for athletes who ride for Nike footwear as well as separate apparel brands, according to the source, Nike won't support footwear deals with surfers who have different clothing sponsors. (All existing contracts will be honored, however.)
While many see the move as Nike offloading a troubled department, the company is not actually divesting from surf, just transferring resources. "A lot of people are going to think that surfing's doing bad so Nike's going to clip it, but it's the opposite," Kolohe Andino said. "Surfing's doing good in their eyes and they're launching all their money into Hurley, so it's less confusing for everyone."
Simpo agrees. "Well, it was a little bit of a shock at first," he said. "But it's settled in a bit and I have a great feeling about it. Hurley is an amazing company and I feel they will do a great job at utilizing ways to market all of us. I'm sure there's a lot of questions in people's minds, but it's whats best for both brands and it's great to see all of Bob's hard work and love for surfing take a giant leap to the next level. I'm excited for the crew to come along with open arms and honored as well to be apart of such an elite crew."
In an exclusive interview on Shop-Eat-Surf, Bob Hurley said, the change "reinforces our strength in surfing. We've always enjoyed a close partnership with the Nike brand in developing innovative product informed by top athletes. The opportunity for collaboration and leverage is limitless and will continue to allow greater focus."
"A lot of people are going to think that surfing's doing bad so Nike's going to clip it, but it's the opposite."
This is not the first time Nike dabbled in surf and left. In 1990, they launched Nike Aqua Gear, aimed at surfers/volleyball players, and sponsored Laird Hamilton. They discontinued that part of the business in 1992.
A decade later, the company bought Hurley and then launched Nike 6.0, its action sports brand (which included surf) in 2005. Nike's first big push into the surf market on its own came a few years later, sponsoring giant events like the US Open ('10, '11) and head-to-toe, world-class athletes like Carissa Moore ('08), Kolohe Andino ('10) and Julian Wilson ('11).
The sudden and somewhat unexpected change is a reactive business move, according to the source, who also pointed out Nike's involvement in the elevation of events, sports marketing and webcasts in the surf world during its foray. The source also detailed Hurley's path of "innovation" and how the new development is essentially creating a "super team" for the Hurley brand, which is in line with how Nike has traditionally treated sports like basketball.
According to the source, many athletes were initially shocked at the news but became more understanding once it was explained that the only change would be a different sticker.
"When I first heard it, I felt like I was in trouble," Andino said. "But once I thought about it, I was like, I'm into the clothes I wear and I think that Hurley is a lot more flexible with making one-offs and stuff that can be put on the line more quickly cause it doesn't have to go through a bunch of people. Also, it's a brand that's 100% dedicated to surf, which is cool."
Nike will continue to expand into the action sports market, but mainly focus on skateboarding and snowboarding.
Check back for more details as they become available. -- Marcus Sanders and Mike Cianciulli
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