New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is one of the most-watched NFL players in the biz, particularly by folks who don’t care for the game. Being married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen will do that for a guy.

So it set tongues wagging Wednesday when Brady showed up at his weekly Wednesday press conference wearing a gray sweatshirt that had the Nike logo that is usually there on the sleeve covered up with a little piece of white tape. Nike, of course, is the official supplier of the NFL’s apparel. But, as NESN points out, Brady has a deal with competitor Under Armour.

Brady talked about plenty of things, such as his ailing right shoulder and the team’s 1-2 record. But he didn’t address how that piece of perfectly sized tape happened to get onto his sweatshirt right at that particular spot.

The Boston Globe's New England Patriots beat reporter, Shalise Manza Young, tweeted the photo above and later commented, "Brady has vested interest in UA - not just spokesman, gets share of profits."Continue reading...

Nike shares jumped this week in the wake of the company's quarterly report, which showed sales in China and the US bolstering its global profits.

Nike, Inc. — the corporate parent of Nike, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley and Umbro brands — announced an increase to its fiscal 2015 revenue target to a new range of $28-30 billion, up from its previous target of $27 billion announced in May 2010.

The company also increased its fiscal 2015 revenue target for the NIKE Brand to $24-25 billion, up from its previous target of $23 billion. The announcements were made during an investor meeting at its headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., where the following video showcasing its brands globally was shown.Continue reading...

Yesterday may have seen a plummeting stock market, but that's yesterday. For the next five years, the world's leader in athletic shoes is planning to run with the bulls.

In the company's first meeting with analysts in three years, Nike boldly proclaimed it has plans to fuel growth by more than 40% over the next five years, hitting $27 billion in annual sales versus its $19.2 billion sales tally for last year.

CEO Mark Parker expects most of that projected growth to come from existing brands, but he's not ruling out acquisitions. Nike owns the Cole Haan, Hurley, Umbro and Converse brands.

Converse, which the company acquired in 2003, is already a billion-dollar business, and Nike wants to at least double that by 2015. It's testing Converse retail locations with the brand's first standalone store opening soon on Boston's hip Newbury Street, and it's also looking to regain brand ownership from international licensees.Continue reading...