Sports
DeMarcus Cousins Teams Up With KT Tape
DeMarcus Cousins is having fun in Rio de Janeiro as he plays for Team USA in this year’s Summer Olympic Games. While he is down there he saw other athletes using KT Health tape. He was a fan of the product so much that he now has a partnership with KT Tape. Cousins joins James Harden as the second pro basketball athlete to be sponsored by the brand.
“Basketball, on both an amateur and professional level, is a sport that attracts millions of participants and fans around the world,” said Greg Venner, Chief Executive Officer of KT Health. “DeMarcus is an extraordinary athlete that we are proud to have join our family of athlete ambassadors and work with him to engage basketball enthusiasts for our products both domestically and abroad.”
Cousins has had nothing short of an impressive career since being drafted fifth overall by Sacramento in 2010. His accolades include being a two-time NBA All-Star and 2nd Team All-NBA during both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Cousins is the latest to join KT Tape’s family of athlete ambassadors, many of whom competed in this year’s Summer Olympic Games, which include Tony Azevedo (water polo), Haley Anderson (open water swimming), Joe Berenyi (Paralympian, cycling), Boris Berian (track and field), Tucker Dupree (Paralympian, swimming), Adeline Gray (wrestling), Sarah Hammer (track cycling), Olympic gold medalist James Harden (basketball), Molly Huddle (track and field), three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings (beach volleyball), three-time Olympian Meb Keflezighi (marathon), Brenda Martinez (track and field), Oksana Masters (Paralympian, cycling) and Melissa Stockwell (Paralympian, triathlon).
Aug 19th
Roger Federer Takes Us Through The History Of Tennis
Even though Roger Federer is not going to be competing in any matches for 2016, he is still on the court. Well sort of. One of the greatest tennis athletes of all-time will be on the court for an new ad that will be played during the US Open later this month. The video from Mercedes-Benz features Roger Federer, Rod Laver and Bill Macatee, celebrating iconic eras of tennis excellence: Roger Federer and the SL. Timeless Legends.
Federer is a true brand ambassador for MBUSA, using earnings from his first-ever tournament victory to buy himself a new Mercedes-Benz vehicle. This new “Timeless Legends” video campaign celebrates Roger as one of the best performers in the history of the sport with imagery of the 2017 Mercedes-Benz SL convertible.
Aug 18th
The Tide Car Comes Back To NASCAR
Just like Michael Jordan’s return to basketball or Michael Phelps giving it one more go around in the summer games, there is a huge amount of buzz going around as an iconic car comes back to NASCAR. The folks over at Joe Gibbs Racing are pleased to announce the return of the Tide Car. Earlier this week P&G’s Tide brand announced its return as a sponsor in NASCAR. They have partnered up with Joe Gibbs Racing and veteran Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth. As the iconic laundry detergent celebrates its 70th anniversary, the classic orange-and-yellow paint scheme will once again hit the track, reborn as the new powerful Tide PODS Toyota Camry, to showcase the evolution of the brand.
Not only was Tide Brand Manager Amy Krehbiel, Coach Gibbs and Matt Kenseth in attendance, Tide brought back all former “Tide Ride” drivers including Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Craven and Ricky Rudd!
The Tide brand has been at the forefront of some of NASCAR’s most memorable moments, from three-time champion Darrell Waltrip notching his first Daytona 500 win in 1989 to Ricky Craven edging out a win at Darlington Raceway by the shortest margin in NASCAR history: 0.002 seconds. During its nearly 20-year stint in the sport, Tide powered over 200 top-ten finishes and 20 wins across 628 starts in the Sprint Cup Series.
Aug 17th
adidas Has Your Hockey Needs Covered
If you are a hockey fan and are looking for World Cup of Hockey 2016 jerseys and fan gear, adidas has you covered. You can go to adidas.com, adidas Sport Performance stores, and select retailers across the country.
The tournament will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto from September 17 to October 1, and will feature eight international teams: Canada, Czech Republic, Europe, Finland, North America, Russia, Sweden and USA. Each team’s jersey design is inspired by essential elements of national pride from the participating teams.
Made with adidas’ cutting-edge adizero technology, the new authentic jerseys feature the blending of three lightweight, resilient fabrics, which have been tested and tuned over the past four years. Engineered for durability, while providing greater airflow, the innovative adizero fabric has been developed to keep athletes cool and comfortable. Additionally, the new adizero cresting reduces weight, adds flexibility and improves overall movement, allowing players to perform at their highest levels.
Aug 12th
JJ Watt Trains With Firefighters
JJ Watt is known for his intense training. So it is no wonder that he trained with firefighters. Watt can land a 61-foot box jump, squat 700 pounds and routinely lead the NFL in tackles, but can he make it through firefighter training in the heat? John Watt, retired firefighter, joined his son to help him take in the challenge on behalf of the Gatorade Beat the Heat educational campaign.
JJ visited his hometown fire department in Pewaukee, Wisc. and tried the physical and technical training firefighters conduct in order to perform their daily duties which, as JJ points out, offers much greater consequences than he encounters on a NFL field.
The Beat the Heat program teaches youth athletes the importance of heat safety and staying hydrated during the hot summer months, which JJ needed to do plenty of as he pulled water hoses, climbed flights of stairs and put out fires – all in 86-degree weather in full firefighter gear that added to his 6-foot-5 289-pound frame.
Aug 10th
Jordan Brand Introduces Their Breakfast Club
For those who didn’t follow Michael Jordan’s career closely he did have his struggles in the league. To counter those challenges he needed to break down those metaphorical walls that he couldn’t breakthrough. A wall he had to breach in order to achieve his championship dreams.
“The physicality of the game was changing,” said Michael Jordan. “The league was allowing defenders to be a lot more physical with the ball handler and I knew that I had to find a way to get stronger and be able to deal with the beating.”
His strategy entailed pre-practice and one-on-one workouts with his trainer, focused on strength training and weights. Motivated by Jordan’s commitment, his teammates began to join in the extracurricular sessions, which often started as early as 7am. Jordan would famously arrive to the gym, with a wry smile and cup of coffee in hand. Aptly the gathering soon became known as the “Breakfast Club.”
The “Breakfast Club” was the foundation for Michael’s epic six title, six Finals MVP run. The sessions proved to Jordan that the status quo was not enough; if he wanted to be a champion there were extra steps involved.
“Breakfast Club was a mindset more than a workout,” clarifies Jordan. “We wanted to be more prepared than anyone else.”
Today, the brand brings the Jordan Breakfast Club to kids around the world through an elevated training collection and interactive training regime curated by Jordan Brand’s family of athletes and Master Trainer. “Michael is the blueprint for greatness,” says Larry Miller, President of Jordan Brand. “We are excited to be able to share some of these insights and training tips with kids who are striving to reach their own greatness.”
The Jordan Breakfast Club Training experience is built around a 30-day program designed by Alex Molden – Jordan Master Trainer and former pro-athlete. The service platform helps kids improve their speed, strength and reaction skills for the season ahead.
After subscribing to the program digitally, athletes will have the opportunity to begin training immediately using the drills and techniques introduced by a collection of Jordan Brand athletes, such as Dez Bryant, Erik Kynard, and Jalen Ramsey. These digital sessions, which will be delivered directly to the athlete through a Jordan Chatbox® execution, are geared toward athletes of all levels.
Athletes can pre-register for the Jordan Breakfast Club at Jordan.com/training and will begin receiving workouts on September 6. Live experiences will be offered in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto as well.
Aug 8th
Michelob Ultra Is Celebrating Golf In Rio
Have you been watching the summer games in Rio? Golf fans are excited that golf is returning to the Games for the first time in 112 years. To celebrate Michelob ULTRA is ready to tee up the excitement in Rio to rally fans in celebrating the sport – showing their support for Team USA.
To do so, Michelob ULTRA today debuted a unique video below with a comedic tone featuring pro golfer Scott Langley in action, though in this case, one that shows what it would be like with Scott playing and an animated Brazilian soccer announcer giving the animated play-by-play.
In the video Michelob ULTRA enlisted Nilson César, a famous Brazillian soccer announcer to narrate the spot in a way that only he could – conveying excitement through his mastery of language, enthusiasm, and words that while normal for soccer, makes us all look at golf in a whole new way.
This is all part of Michelob ULTRA’s way of celebrating the return of the sport, as an official sponsor of the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, while simultaneously paying homage to the well-known excitement that host country Brazil has for the beautiful game of soccer.
To get in on the fun, Michelob ULTRA is inviting fans 21 years old and older to share their best golf shot for a chance to receive their own soccer-inspired video as a parody of the ad. Share your best swings at @MichelobULTRA with the hashtag #ULTRAgolf on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Aug 8th
Jordan Brand Releases The Alternate Air Jordan VII
The Olympic Games were never the same since the 1992 Dream Team took the world by storm. The team was lead in part by Michael Jordan. So as we approach this year’s Summer Olympics, Jordan Brand brings out something from the archives of Jordan lore. 1992’s Air Jordan VII is emblematic of this truth. Jordan won his third MVP award, took his second title and claimed a second gold medal in the shoe. With its design, Tinker Hatfield initiated some firsts: removing the Nike Air branding visible on the previous six Jordan models and adding a neoprene Huarache bootie for support. Hatfield also sought to add a new, more international flare to the line through the incorporation of a fresh geometric pattern inspired by a poster for the long-running Afropop Worldwide radio program.
“This one was in the works for a while,” says Hatfield of the patriotic basketball version of the Air Jordan VII. “I did one that was more white based and one that was much more contrasted. My recollection is that MJ thought the contrasted one was really cool. Ultimately, I left it up to him.”
Jordan selected the white-based version. The alternate was relegated to the archives until now. The Air Jordan VII Retro “Tinker Alternate” will be available in full family sizing on August 6. Stay tuned to Nike News and @Jumpman23 on Instagram and Twitter for more information on Jordan Brand product launches.
Aug 4th
Reebok And J.J. Watt Release More Colorways Of The JJ I
Even though J.J. Watt might be recovering from injury it didn’t stop him and Reebok on releasing a brand new can’t-miss colorway of his first signature training shoe – the JJ I Preseason Training. The navy, red and white colorway serves as a nod to those who inspire him both on and off the field – his teammates and fans. J.J. gifted all of his teammates new pairs of JJ I’s.
As he continues to push his limits, the JJ I Preseason Training will be there every step, cut, and jump of the way. The JJ I Preseason Training will be available at 12am on August 5 for $99.
Aug 4th
Jordan Brand Teams Up With Michigan To Upgrade School Uniforms
First it was Michigan getting Jim Harbaugh to be their head coach for football. Now it is Michigan teaming up with Jordan Brand to upgrade their uniforms and gear. The University of Michigan is more than just a school. It is a community and family represented by a single letter, two hues: Maize and Blue, and a longstanding tradition of excellence — a reputation of leading both academically and athletically.
On the gridiron, Michigan has, since fielding its first team in 1871, claimed more victories than any other school. The university also lays claim to 11 national championships, over 120 first-team all-Americans and three Heisman trophy winners, including Jordan Brand athlete Charles Woodson. Beyond, the program’s Winged Helmet, introduced in 1938, and remains an icon of college football.
Similarly, the Jordan Brand is more than one man. For over 30 years, Jordan Brand has built a culture by pushing the boundaries of innovation and style; the Jumpman logo has come to represent greatness and unites athletes around the world who are willing to push their limits to be the best.
“Michael Jordan never settled. His career was defined by his competitive drive, unwavering work ethic and a dogged pursuit of winning,” says Larry Miller, President of the Jordan Brand. “These same principles have guided the Jordan Brand since its inception, and we see a like-spirit in the University of Michigan. What started with a phone call between Michael and Coach Harbaugh comes to life today in an unprecedented partnership which further diversifies the Jordan Brand’s commitment to football and athletes.”
This fall, that legacy will continue to transcend sport as the Michigan football team debuts the iconic Jumpman on the gridiron.
The Michigan jersey, built on the Nike Vapor Untouchable chasse, features a minimal-seam design and stretch woven materials. Focusing on fit, range of motion and breathability, the jersey includes tailored lines that are articulated to move with the body and laser perforations in the front and back panels to maximize ventilation.
Additionally, taking into account the importance of preparation to success, Jordan Brand will outfit the team with the Jordan Trainer 1 Low. Created by Jordan footwear designers to help eliminate distractions on the practice field and in the weight room, the shoe enhances natural motion, comfort and increased sensory feedback. Speed flex technology in the midsole, Zoom Air in the heel and a Flyweave woven upper facilitate stability and support.
The Jordan Trainer 1 low “Michigan” will be available August 6 on Jordan.com and at The M Den, the official retailer of Michigan Athletics.
Stay tuned to Jordan.com and GoBlueHailMichigan.com for more information on the Michigan x Jordan partnership.
Aug 3rd