Montana State inked a new deal that secured Under Armour as the athletic department’s official shoe and apparel partner in 2018. The agreement ran through 2023 and featured two option years for 2023/24 and 2024/25.
Robert Ford III does not seem to care. He did not wear team-issued shoes during the Bobcats’ rivalry college basketball game on Saturday night. He rocked Nike kicks with the logo taped over.
The redshirt senior guard, who began his career at Idaho State, was wearing Kevin Durant’s signature sneakers as he took the court against Montana during warmups. Ford also wore them during the game.
Although Under Armour can’t love to know that Montana State’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder was not repping their brand on the court, there must be a reason. Right?
Perhaps Ford has some kind of lower body ailment that requires him to wear a specific shoe for support. Maybe the Bobcats’ two “option years” include language that is not as strict as it might have been during the first five years of their contract with Under Armour.
If it is truly a situation where Ford simply does not like how the team-issued shoes feel on his feet, that’s a tough look for the Baltimore-based apparel brand. And it has been a thing all season.
Tape covers the Swoosh on Ford’s various Nike shoes during most games.
Admittedly, I’m not entirely sure how the school allows their star guard to wear kicks that are not compliant with the team’s official apparel partner. However, if Ford feels like he can play better in Nikes than he can in Under Armours, then it’s hard to tell him that he can’t— considering his role.
You make an exception if you’re Montana State. It is silly to require athletes to wear shoes that aren’t what they want to wear in the first place, but money and sponsorships rule everything.
With that being said, for Ford to tape over the Swoosh would indicate that he is doing something that he isn’t supposed to be be doing by wearing the KDs. It’s being hidden.