SPORTING GREEN
BIG LE By Mark Pardini ’88
SHC Athletics Enters a New Era with Eastbay/Nike Pact
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fter over five years of courtship, Sacred Heart Cathedral and Eastbay Team Sales have formally partnered to provide the Irish Athletics Department and the schools’ teams with Nike apparel, uniforms, and equipment, as well as handling outfitting students through a revamped online Irish Prep Store. This agreement will result in not only a consistent look from the field to the court to the pool deck for SHC teams, but also in a significant step forward for the school overall in its efforts to present a unified brand to the external community. SHC and its Athletic Department both have traditionally employed various vendors to produce its uniforms and apparel, sometimes to the extent of different teams or programs having their own individual relationships. While this freedom may have originally been thought beneficial, the multiple processes involved resulted in supply chain redundancies and inefficiencies. Further, an audit of SHC Athletics showed that the majority of teams were already purchasing Nike brand from Eastbay for their uniforms and practice gear, but independent of one another. An across-the-board agreement incorporating all teams and the entire school will maximize cost savings in the form of potential discounts and credits, benefitting our school programs in countless ways. “We are excited about this partnership opportunity with Eastbay and Nike, particularly what it means for the Sacred Heart Cathedral community,” said Associate Director of Athletics Caesar Smith ’98. “By dealing with Eastbay as a single source for Nike uniforms and equipment, we will create a more cost-effective and efficient process for our students and families.” A few of these benefits are a consistent treatment of athletic teams and students, all outfitted by one, high-quality vendor with international cachet. Previously, differing vendors produced different levels of quality, both on the athletic side as well as school-sanctioned dress code apparel; now, all students will have access to the same caliber of garment. Similarly augmenting the school’s mission, a volume discount provided to the school will help economically challenged students stay supplied with dress code compliant wear. “Eastbay and I are beyond excited to kick off the SHC/Nike partnership,’ said company rep Mathew Pantazes. “We are looking forward to partnering with the school to build a brand that will generate a cultural response within the SHC community that has never been seen before.”
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SPRING 2021
