Global esports organization T1 Entertainment & Sports announced on Thursday that they have entered a partnership deal with US apparel & footwear giant – Nike.
Nike’s partnership with T1 Entertainment & Sports spans across all T1 teams and athletes, including the famed Lee “Faker
” Sang-hyeok. Nike will have exclusive apparel rights, which means they will be the official uniform providers for T1 esports team, and their athletes will have to wear Nike footwear and sportwear whenever they compete.
In return, Nike promises to help T1 build their new training facilities based in T1 Headquarters in Seoul, which is scheduled to open later this year. Aside from providing T1 with state-of-the-art training technology together with a training regime that will “enhance the athletic capabilities of T1’s players and teams”, the footwear giant has previously invited Faker to visit their headquarters in Beaverton and sent boxes of shoes to T1 LoL team during Worlds 2019.
“We’re interested in understanding and learning more about the relationship between improved physical fitness and athleticism as it relates to gaming,
” said Brant Hirst, Marketing Director at Nike Korea. “These athletes have unique skill sets that we believe we can help them improve through tailored training methods.
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“Partnering with Nike marks a historical moment in our organization’s history as we work to transcend esports and further cement T1’s position as a global brand,
” said Joe Marsh, CEO of T1. “Together we are thrilled to bring innovation to the next level through Nike’s premier training programs and performance wear that will help maximize our players’ potential and strengthen the longevity of their careers. Nike is renowned for supporting elite athletes of all types and we are excited to collaborate on apparel for our teams and fans to celebrate T1 in every corner of the world.
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This marks the second esports team Nike has sponsored with the Brazilian organization FURIA being the first one back in July. Nike also signed a four-year deal with TJ Sport, the owner of the LPL (China’s League of Legends Pro League) in February last year. As T1 has teams playing in both North America and Korea, Nike has now got its name associated with three big esports markets.
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