What Do You Think? Nike Signs First Equestrian Athlete
Could the swoosh be coming to the show pen?
What do you think about this…
According to multiple news sources, 18-year-old dressage rider Ayden Uhlir has become the first equestrian to be sponsored by the athletic sportswear superpower Nike. On her personal blog, Uhlir announced the sponsorship and spoke briefly about what she hopes this opportunity will mean for the future of equestrian sport.
“The thing that struck me this week was how quickly the news of Nike’s involvement in dressage circulated around the horse world… As the news spread, I saw for me a new understanding of what Nike could be starting here. I hope this Nike wave grows and everyone can see what a shared love of horses can do to unite us.” (The Dressage Spot, 2014)
At the current time, there haven’t been many details released as to what exactly this sponsorship will entail. If looking at past and current athlete deals with Nike is any indication, one might imagine Uhlir could appear in commercial campaigns and don the famous Nike swoosh like tennis player Maria Sharapova, basketball star LeBron James, and golf phenom Tiger Woods.
It goes without saying that equestrian sport is far from a mainstream athletic endeavor. Furthermore, Uhlir’s specialty is dressage. However, it will be interesting to watch and see what will come of this new partnership, between Uhlir and Nike, and especially between Nike and the equestrian world.
