The NFL Scouting Combine isn’t anything new. It’s been around as we know it since 1985, bringing together roughly 335 potential NFL players into Indianapolis for a week of workouts, examination, and observations. The TV product spawned off of the combine has grown immensely since the first time it was televised in 2004 with the launch of the NFL Network. How much do we care? This year’s combine ratings were an 11% growth over last year’s numbers, with over 7.25 million viewers during the event.
With those numbers, and no team uniforms being shown, its only fitting for an outfitter to seize control and make a statement. Enter: Under Armour.
Going so far as to preview their new threads in the NFL Combine Super Bowl ad featuring Deion Sanders and Leon Sandcastle, the gear was shown for several days straight across networks like ESPN and yes, the NFL Network. As the combine has grown and the technology has improved, the look has changed.
The NFL is all about creating a television product, and Under Armour is holding up it’s end of the bargain by getting the best gear they own to the masses. Their apparel for the NFL Combine is color coded by position, with blue going to skill position players (QB, RB, WR), Red going to defensive front seven, Green going to defensive backs, and Orange to offensive linemen and tight ends.
With the event growing from year to year just like the league itself, this is only the beginning. The demand for the products related to the NFL is increasing, and UA has responded by producing the same gear that the players wear for the public. It’s safe to assume that they’re built for whatever your training entails, seeing how UA has the contract to outfit participants of the most publicized, analyzed, scrutinized, and watched job interview on the planet.