Under Armour craps the bed in Sochi with their new skate suit. http://www.slate.com/blogs/five_rin...t_the_worst_product_placement_in_history.html
Either way, they switched to Under Armour and had their worst Olympic performance in 30 years. It's not good for Under Armour, because they thought these suits were so cutting edge that they waited until the Olympics to reveal them in competition. Had the USA team dominated, UA would no doubt be talking about how their advanced technology was a big reason why.
That's been my take of this year's team. Not a lot of class. They seem awkward and maybe intimidated being in Russia, while other teams maybe are more at ease from past experiences.
How could UA not do many performance tests? Scientific and with real athletes. This just comes off as 100% bologna to me. Actually, how could the speed skating team not test them? I don't believe for a second that these suits actually affected their performances.
They switched suits yesterday. My point isn't about the team, though. It's about Under Armour's marketing nightmare. USA was expecting around 10 medals in skating. They will end up with zero.
Yeah it sucks for them. I've met like 2 people that only wore Under Armour for athletic clothing/shoes. They were weird.
I don't know if the suits are affecting the skaters or not, but in this sport, hundredths of a second sometimes separates a gold from a silver or for even getting a medal.
Under Armour is trying to take over Nike eventually. Debacles like this, deserved or not, doesn't help close the gap. If I'm Nike, I'm using this against Under Armour in every negotiation with a major sport or national team for future contracts.
