Shoe him the money!

Steve Addy

Wednesday, May 17, 2000 | 10:19 a.m.

Rebel sponsorships

Most sports at UNLV have a sponsorship contract with a major apparel manufacturer, but the amount of support varies greatly. Here is a look at what each sport receives from whom:

Men's basketball

Football

Women's basketball

Golf

Baseball

Softball

Soccer

Compiled by Steve Addy

Any time a UNLV basketball player is seen on TV with the Swoosh prominently displayed on his uniform, Nike can only hope its cash registers hum.

But for Rebels coach Bill Bayno, the money is already in the bank.

With a $125,000 annual stipend from the sports apparel company, as well as related perks, Bayno is among a select group of college coaches who profit from promotional contracts with Nike Inc.

Bayno's Nike package is worth an estimated $135,000, roughly matching his UNLV base salary ($136,000).

A Sun examination of the relationship between UNLV teams and sports apparel companies shows that Nike provides uniforms, shoes and gear for men's and women's basketball and football, but only Bayno receives money. Other UNLV teams are outfitted by adidas, Reebok and Fila, but on a less elegant scale.

For the privilege of being recognized as the exclusive supplier for Bayno's team, Nike provides an array of items, including 135 pairs of shoes, uniforms, warm-ups and other apparel.

Bayno also receives a $6,500 allowance for wholesale Nike gear to be used at camps and clinics, $2,000 for personal gear and an annual retreat with Nike-affiliated coaches at company expense.

In exchange for Nike's largesse, Bayno participates in camps and clinics for the company during the summer, and promotes Nike when asked.

Bayno's deal is not rare among college basketball coaches. Nike pays Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski $300,000 per year and outfits the Blue Devils. The company also has stamped its Swoosh logo on such programs as Kentucky, Syracuse, North Carolina, Kansas, Southern Cal, St. John's and Cincinnati. Michigan State and Texas will switch to Nike from Reebok next season.

Nike's support of UNLV basketball is not new. The company outfitted the Rebels in their heyday, having been associated with the program since the mid-1980s under coach Jerry Tarkanian.

"Nike is a class organization, and it is a privilege to be affiliated with them," Bayno said. "There are a lot of schools out there that would love to have Nike in their corner. There is a lot of prestige connected to Nike. By outfitting our team, they save the school money and save the taxpayers money."

Regarding his personal compensation from Nike, Bayno said, "It's what the market offers. It's the system that exists right now. That's like asking whether actors deserve the money they get. This is America."

But Bayno ought not feel overly flattered by his Nike contract, according to Dan Wetzel, co-author of "Sole Influence," a recent book detailing the often seedy relationship between shoe companies and big-time college basketball.

"Bayno has a Nike deal because it's UNLV," Wetzel said. "Kids still like UNLV 10 years after the championship. The Larry Johnson era still has street value. It's more about the school than the coach. Nike wants to share in the merchandise sales, and if the Rebels should hit the cover of Sports Illustrated with the Swoosh, all the better for Nike."

The bottom line, Wetzel said, is selling shoes.

"Adults might not pay attention to what shoe a player wears, but kids do," he said. "The target market is ages 12 to 23. It's about what kids think is cool. Adults think about quality and price, but if you're a kid and you see Mateen Cleaves wearing Reeboks, you want to buy that exact shoe."

By outfitting the Rebels, Wetzel said, Nike also gets a leg up on players who might move on to the NBA. Nike outfits 13 NBA teams and several high-profile players.

"Nike gets with kids in college to develop a long-term relationship just in case they turn out to be (the) next Michael Jordan-type endorser," Wetzel said. "UNLV has not won a championship for a while, but they've had some good players who went to the NBA."

Paying Bayno $125,000 and shipping a truckload of shoes to UNLV is a small investment against a potentially large return, Wetzel said.

"Nike did $9.8 billion in gross sales in fiscal year 1999. If they spend $4.5 million on grass-roots basketball and college basketball, it's a small price to pay," he said.

Nike communications manager Scott Reames wouldn't specifically address Nike's relationship with Bayno or UNLV, but said the company's goal is to be associated with successful programs. Though Nike's most profitable relationship with Michigan is on the rocks, it is affiliated with 17 schools that spent time in last season's top 25 basketball poll.

"People associate Nike with elite athletics," Reames said. "That's a beneficial relationship for both sides. We become a partner with the school through licensing agreements. If we sign a coach to a separate deal, he does clinics on our behalf, makes appearances and he might even serve on our advisory board. Commonly, that's why we would pay a coach extra."

At some schools, such as Southern Cal, coaches are no longer allowed to sign outside deals with shoe companies. Nike funds go to the athletic department and are distributed through the entire athletic program, though in most cases, the money goes back to the basketball coach in the form of a larger contract.

"That is up to the individual schools," Reames said. "Years ago, we would sign a deal with a coach and the university had no part of it, aside from approving it. As the business has grown, more universities are getting involved in that end of it.

"We work within the framework of what the NCAA allows. It's up to the NCAA to determine how or whether coaches should be compensated (outside of their school contracts). But it's not unusual for coaches to have extra money coming in from TV and radio shows and so on."

At UNLV, Nike's support isn't quite as great in football and women's basketball. Football coach John Robinson doesn't receive cash, only a $2,000 clothing allowance. The team receives various free equipment, shoes at half-price and 100 more pairs of shoes if it plays in a bowl game. The women's basketball team receive free uniforms, shoes, warm-ups and other gear.

The volleyball, baseball and softball teams are outfitted by adidas, while Reebok supplies golf uniforms and Fila provides soccer uniforms.

Steve Addy covers UNLV basketball for the Sun. Reach him by e-mail at addy@ lasvegassun.com or at 259-4087.