Adidas, Rick Pitino, AAU, and the Filthy Business of Non-Professional Basketball

All this sleaze for a stack of greenbacks

It looks like some schools, and Adidas, are going to be getting into a ton of trouble. The other day it was reported, by the FBI, that they have found a ton of money being funneled from AAU basketball all the way up to the NCAA. The main shoe company that was put on notice is Adidas. I'm sure some other shoe companies are involved, but the one with the biggest paper trail is Adidas, and most of the schools that have put assistants and head coaches on unpaid leave, are represented by Adidas. I have some thoughts on this whole ordeal.

First off, the fact that the FBI is involved means that this is some serious stuff. I've seen the NCAA try to dole out their fake punishments, i.e, small sanctions, taking recruiting away, missing one or two years of the tournament, but that isn't going to fly with the FBI. If the FBI is involved, that means some people may be going to jail. Some big name people may be going to court, then possibly jail. This is very, very serious, and there is a ton of money involved. When the FBI gets into a case, I have to imagine that it is millions upon millions of dollars. This is crazy. I cannot believe this is what is going to possibly be the death knell to some NCAA basketball programs. There has been a lot more shady shit that has happened, stuff like hookers, strippers, buying cars and homes for families of recruits, grade tampering, any number of immoral things, but it looks like the scourge that is AAU basketball will be what takes them down.

Which leads me to my second thought. AAU basketball is the worst of the worst when it comes to shady characters being around young kids and telling them that they will do great tings if they sign with them. These "boosters" and "agents" and "recruiting gurus" for AAU teams are the lowest of the low. They find some young kid, usually around 13 or 14, and they don't see a kid playing a sport, they see a brand. They think these kids can make them millionaires. They don't care about these kids or their families, they just want to make money off of them. It is sickening. Then with these kids, if they don't make it, these scumbags just disappear and move on to the next kid. And that first kid, who these guys give up on, still feels entitled and tries to move on to the next "agent" or whatever that can try and give them big things. It is so seedy and shady and corrupt. AAU basketball is as corrupt as FIFA. Yeah, I said it. These kids are not basketball players to these AAU programs anymore. Like I said before, they are brands. For the most part, the kids don't even get to pick which AAU team they want to play for. Either their parents or one of the scumbags I have talked about pick a team for them based upon what shoe company they are beholden to. It is gross. The kids sometimes have to move to a new state or a new county just so these AAU assholes can deck them out in Adidas gear. It is sickening. I remember when I was younger I tried out for an AAU team. I made it to final cut down day, but what I saw, as a 14 year old, made me feel sick. I didn't feel like a basketball player, I felt like a piece of meat. All these creeps hanging out on the sidelines that weren't coaches, just trying to figure out which one of us they could use as a marketing tool. That was over 20 years ago. I have to imagine that it has only gotten worse. I even watched a documentary on Netflix a month or so back called "At All Costs", and it was about the current AAU culture and parents that live vicariously through their kids. It was disheartening. These kids, these 14, 15 and 16 year old kids, already seemed like they were working full time jobs as basketball players, and the ones in this movie, seemed to be fed up already. Sports are supposed to be fun, but the people that run AAU and other things of that nature, have turned it into a job and a show. It is disgusting. I loathe the entire idea of what AAU basketball has become.

Which leads me to my next thought. Why is anyone at all surprised that Rick Pitino is right in the middle of this? He is a garbage person, and he is one of the biggest cheaters in all of NCAA basketball. The guy is a scumbag. He looks like a used car salesman. He hires strippers and hookers for recruits. He has done awful, reprehensible things to get kids to come to whatever school he is coaching at the time. So I say again, why are people shocked by his inclusion? Of course he is involved. Of course he is a major player in the whole pay for play feeder programs. Of course he is making deals with Adidas and people who have an Adidas sponsor in AAU. It makes too much sense. For him to come out and say that he had nothing to do with this is a bold face lie. He is justly going to get fired, finally. Rick Pitino is as big a scumbag as the "agents" and "boosters" I mentioned.

My final thought, don't let this news make you think that Sonny Vacaro is some kind of good guy. He was the one who started the whole shoe war with children. Hell, ESPN made a "30 For 30" about that single topic. Don't let Sonny Vacaro on any show to be a talking head about this situation because he is the godfather of all this. He started it all. It all comes back to him. He is just as slimy and creepy and crummy as Rick Pitino and the "boosters". AAU and NCAA basketball are complicit and a joke.

What is most surprising to me is how unsurprised I was when this story broke a few days ago. The NCAA has always been shady, and so has AAU basketball. It is all gross and disgusting. Why don't we just let kids be kids and let them play the game of basketball with joy as opposed to being a product of some dumb ass shill for shoe companies. What a joke.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. He was almost the 14 year old poster child for KangaROOS shoes. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Shoe Wars are Over and Nike is the Winner

Do not forget the champion athletes that wear this brand

My topic today is a bit off the beaten path. I'm going to talk about the supposed "shoe war" going on between Under Armor and Nike. Under Armor seems to think that they have put a stranglehold on the top names in sports over other companies like Nike, Adidas and other companies that sell sporting apparel. Under Armor does have some big name clients, but my whole idea that I'm going to pose today is, much like how players wearing Under Armor, these guys are finishing second to the athletes wearing other companies products, mainly Nike.

First off, the three biggest names that Under Armor has on their payroll right now are Cam Newton, Steph Curry and Bryce Harper. These three guys are world class athletes. They are some of the, if not the, best players in their particular sport. Cam Newton has changed what the idea of a quarterback in the NFL can do athletically these days. Bryce Harper may be the most feared hitter since Barry Bonds. And Steph Curry, he has a title, he is the first unanimous MVP, he is the best shooter I have ever seen and he has transcending what people think about shooters in the NBA all time. I'm sure Under Armor has other decent athletes that wear their stuff, but these three are, by far, the most noticeable and most impressive. But, the recent problem with the guys that Under Armor pays millions upon millions of dollars, they are finishing second to players that wear either Nike or Adidas. Even in the college game, Nike is still winning.

Let's look at the pro guys first. Cam Newton was the first Under Armor guy that caught my eye. Like I said, he plays quarterback like no one else I have ever watched, and he has a ton of fun doing it. He is big, fast and has a rocket arm. He took a very under manned team all the way to the Super Bowl this past season. The Panthers were even favored and Cam Newton's fancy Under Armor cleats were all over my TV screen prior to the Super Bowl. Then, the game happened, and an Adidas man made Cam Newton's life brutal for 60 minutes. Von Miller, who is an Adidas client, pressured, hit and caused Cam Newton to rush throws and make mistakes all game. He was clearly the superior player. His cleats even looked like he was taking a shot at Cam Newton's very loud and brash type cleats. Von Miller was awesome and he made Adidas look cool for one night. That night just happened to be the Super Bowl. The Broncos, and their middle linebacker, with his Adidas cleats, completely shut down Cam Newton and his Under Armor shoes that night. That was a big blow to Under Armor.

Then, they recently signed Bryce Harper to a massive deal. He is getting tons of money from that company to shill their products. Well, Harper is a tremendous talent that has already won an MVP, but what exactly has his team, the Washington Nationals, accomplished of any significance on the baseball field. Yeah, they had a 90 plus win season a few years back, but the Cardinals beat them in the early round of the MLB playoffs. Last year, with all the expectations in the world, they fell flat on their face. And now, yeah they are in first place in their division, but I still don't trust them. I trust the Mets so much more than I do the Nationals. And, while Harper may be the best player currently in baseball, guys like Andrew McCutchen, Mike Trout and Harper's teammate, Max Scherzer, all wear Nike. Those guys are very, very good baseball players, and in McCutchen has had much more recent postseason success than Bryce Harper has had. Once again, Under Armor finishes second, or maybe even third, because some big time guys, guys like Miguel Cabrera and Robinson Cano, sport New Balance gear.

Then, there is Steph Curry. Curry is a once in a lifetime NBA player. He is the best shooter, maybe ever. He is a two time MVP. He has a title. Curry is awesome. I'm a very big Steph Curry fan. But, he got destroyed in the most recent playoffs by all Nike guys. In the western conference finals, two Nike guys, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, went at Curry with no regard. Westbrook wanted to destroy him every night, and he did in a couple of those games. Durant was never flustered or bummed when he had Curry on defense or when Curry had him on defense. Both Durant and Westbrook constantly attacked him. The Thunder were so very close to beating him too. Then, in the finals, two Nike guys completely out shadowed Curry and Under Armor. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving looked so, so much better in these finals than Curry did. They were better, stronger, faster and made more shots. Under Armor got completely demoralized by Nike in the finals. After watching game 7, young kids that are logo obsessed would much rather get the new LeBron's or Kyrie Irving's shoes. No one wants those new Steph Curry, white, old man shoes. Nike crushed Under Armor in the NBA all throughout the playoffs.

Even in college, Nike is king. The only halfway decent team that I know of that wears Under Armor is Auburn, and they haven't been good in about 5 seasons. The last two championship games have had 4 Nike schools. Two years ago, in the first college football playoff, both Ohio State and Oregon wear Nike. Nike's headquarters is in Oregon in fact. Last season, both Alabama and Clemson wear Nike. I'm sure someone out there will say that I forgot Notre Dame, they signed a big contract with Under Armor, but I didn't, they are exactly what I expect out of an Under Armor client. They are decent enough to lose big time games. Hell, even after a horrid 7 year Adidas experience, Michigan is back on the Nike team, and I'm thrilled about it. Even in college basketball, all the big time teams are Nike teams. Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, Georgetown, Michigan State, among many other "blue bloods", they are all Nike.

Nike is a far superior product. They made sleeker, cooler and just flat out better products than any other sporting apparel. Under Armor and Adidas may have some big time names, but Nike has winners. I'll take winners over names anytime. Long live Nike.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes to write under a "Just Do It" banner with "I Believe I Can Fly" playing in the background. That is how dedicated he is. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.