TNL eSports Brand Tracker 002: Adidas and Team Vitality

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TNL eSports Brand Tracker 002: Adidas and Team Vitality

Adidas Becomes Team Vitality's Official Clothing Sponsor (Photo: Team Vitality)

TNL Take: If the the first two Brand deals of 2017 are any indication of the way the year will turn out - it's going to be a very good one for eSports team owners.

French squad Team Vitality recently announced an Exclusive Apparel sponsorship with Adidas.

Team Vitality hosts 8 teams across games like Call of Duty and Rainbow Six to FIFA and of course, League of Legends.

Adidas Becomes Team Vitality's Official Clothing Sponsor (Photo: Team Vitality)

Adidas isn't new to eSports having last year sponsored both the 2016 FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) and a FIFA 16 tournament at the 2016 MLS All-Star Game

Adidas has also sponsored several teams ranging from the Copenhagen Wolves to SK Gaming - that should sound familiar - going back 11 years.

They also currently have a partnership with the same team that Ronaldo invested in last week, CNB e-Sports Club:

Twitter Chat (Photo: The Next Level)

This is a super smart move by Adidas to get a piece of the eSports merchandising money pie. If you've ever been to an eSports event you've noticed that it's very similar to a "regular" Sports event, a sea of jerseys repping your favorite team.

And this merch isn't cheap - Fnatic has a team jacket that goes for $80. 

In May of last year in The Next Level 008, was my first look at the Collegiate eSports space and I mentioned how important the Apparel category would be and that Nike or Under Armour would enter the space in less than 2 years.

 

I was wrong on who but I'm glad to see the 3 stripes continue to invest in eSports.