The air outside of the locker room is electric with the roar of a Friday night lights crowd, but inside the mausoleum of hard work and white walls, the screams of the fans of these athletes lessens to a static rumble. The Legacy football players themselves sit in silence or mutter to themselves, contemplating their assignments and their opponent. Game time comes, and the coaches summon the team from their locker room beneath Vernon Newsom stadium. The noise of the crowd is lost on their ears as they begin to yell, jump, chant, and hype. With a final battlecry, the Broncos burst from the dark tunnel and, for the first time ever, the lights above fall on the brand new black Under Armour jerseys.
These jerseys are just a small part of a huge, district-wide partnership between MISD athletics and Under Armour which was struck last year. In exchange for going completely Under Armour, all teams benefit from a 40 percent discounts on all purchases from the clothing provider, as well as 10 percent credit back on all purchases and 35 percent off on shoes. Coach Chris Melson, Legacy’s boys athletic director, believes the district made a good choice in partnering with Under Armour.
“It’s a really lucrative deal, and we’re taking full advantage of it,” Coach Melson said. “It’s a good product, and we get more for our money using Under Armour.”
Varsity football first used the new gear at Wichita Falls, and the black jerseys made their debut at the Crowley game. While coaches are widely accepting of the switch, players were more skeptical. Varsity Slot Receiver, senior Trent McDonald, is leaning further and further towards Under Armour, despite his earlier dislike of switching from his brand of choice, Nike.
“At first I didn’t really like it. I had all this Nike stuff and we had just got red jerseys,” McDonald said. “Then Coach Melson showed us the black jerseys, and that made it okay for us to switch. [The Under Armour jerseys] don’t have all the details and decals that the Nike stuff did, but i’d trade that in for me being able to move better.”
The district believes that a total switch to Under Armour will be complete in 3-5 years. In addition to the large discounts, each middle and high school under the agreement also received 3000 dollars to update gear and uniforms.
“It’s a real nice setup,” Coach Melson said. “It’s high quality, comfortable and stylish. I don’t think anyone has a problem with it.”
