Thanks to a new multi-year partnership approved last week, Osceola County athletes will be able to “Just Do It”—even if they aren’t old enough to recognize that old Nike tag line.
The school district and Nike through BSN Sports have embarked on a four-year contract that will provide athletic programs financial support along with cost savings and a new branding opportunity when outfitting athletes beginning in the fall.
Texas-based BSN, a division of national retailer Varsity Brands, becomes the exclusive provider of Nike athletic uniforms for all high schools, which will get back a portion of what they spend on uniforms and apparel in 35-40% rebates and incentive programs. Each of the nine schools (Nova Lakes High will be a part of this when it opens in August) are eligible for a $10,000 annual comp allotment.
According to the proposal filed with the School District, BSN will offer a “buy one, get one” offer for two teams (excluding football) at each school to assist program not currently affiliated with Nike. The deal will create a new Nike-based BSN brand across the county.
School District of Osceola County Athletic Director Ryan Adams said Florida counties like Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Miami-Dade have similar deals in place, and when the request for proposals was put into the marketplace, BSN and Basker’s Sports made pitches, with BSN coming out on top.
“Every school is treated the same way, putting every one on an equal playing field. That was important to me,” he said.
Adams said he’d been wanting to ink a deal like this “for years.”
“I’m so excited for the school, the athletic programs, and the kids,” he said. “Kids and even a lot of the adults love the Nike brand.”
St. Cloud High School Athletic Director Bryan Smart said bringing all of the school’s teams under one vendor will be a big benefit to his school’s athletic program.
“I’m excited about it. It’ll save time having everybody work with one vendor, and it’s Nike. Right now teams work with different vendors based on their tastes, but change can be a good thing. The kids are already excited since Nike’s a big brand.
“I think it’s also a great thing that everybody can unite in our county. I commend Ryan’s work on this.”
Gateway Athletic Director Travis James, who along with smart was on the School District’s selection committee that chose BSN, said the deal with help make the expense of uniforms “manageable.”
“Our biggest thing is with football, we’re with another company now, making that change affordable. We don’t have the booster funding other schools have,” he said. “It’s just how quickly we can get them in. Overall, I think this can be pretty good for the county.”
The contract comes with a four-year option to extend at the end of 2030.
