Nike Snowboarding... the pro-team

So here's the team. No Mr White, but the big dollars did sleuth away the talents of Danny and Gigi. Here's the 2009/2010 team line up for Nike...

Pro-team

Danny Kass

Gigi Ruff

Louie Vito

Justin Benee

Eric Jackson

Annie Boulanger

Laura Harder

Austin Smith

http://www.nike.com/nikesnowboarding/#/team

Madman Gigi Ruff was snatched from Burton (after UNINC was, well retired) and locked in Kass the two-time Olympic silver medalist in the half-pipe (Mr Sean White took gold in both games).

So the another of the big players sports brands has entered the snowboarding market. They've been doing outerwear since 2001. Nike will have substantial aspirations in the boot market, and undoubtedly the R&D resources and marketing to support it. I suggest they'll look to appeal to the mainstream snowboarding market; the newcomers and novices to the sport, avoiding the arguments of the purests and more learned riders to stick with Forum, Vans, Burton and their established contemporaries. Nike will seek to bridge the gap to reach the more aware consumer (hence the large dollars offered to GIgi and Danny), but unlike basketball and Michael Jordan (back in 1986 when they signed him up and released one of the first pro-model sneaker) Nike are newcomers to snowboarding and it's very distinct culture. But they do make shoes, and the proof is in the pudding.

Markus

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