Grant Holloway signs with adidas!

The saga continues.. | @adidasrunning #HereToCreate #Living3StripesLife #WonderBoyðŸŒ¹ pic.twitter.com/GuGXG1rUmB

— S. Grant Holloway (@Flaamingoo_) June 14, 2019

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The battle for Grant Holloway was fascinating. The young man has built a reputation for superb performances, delivering when the pressure is on, and showing a love for the sport seen in only a few athletes.

On top of that, Grant Holloway is loved by his fans and he will be getting more. The fastest collegian ever at the 110m hurdles, his relay excursions are, well, incredible. A 43.75 anchor in the 4 x 400m!

Grant Holloway, photo by PhotoRun.net

The behind the scenes battles for top athletes would make great theatre. It is more than money, it is the ability to service and promote the athlete. It is the ability to convince the athlete and his family that the brand is truly ready to invest in their son or daughter.

It is the agent or management team using their charm, talents, friendships to convice a brand that they can not live without the athlete. That is part of what an agent does. And today, some athletes pick brands that allow them to be big fish in small ponds. Brands like adidas and Nike, for the most part, can offer what others can not.

In the case of Grant Holloway, outside observers suggest that Mr. Holloway had an affection for adidas, the brand that created sports marketing. Nike came along and shook up the whole notion of sports marketing. But, in this case, adidas took the win. Sometimes brands, instead of a scatter approach, focus on one or two athletes. That is, what it seems, adidas did. The folks in Herzogenaurach are tight lipped right now, but one believes, that a few drinks were enjoyed in the Vintage Bar in Nurnberg over adidas signing the finest hurdler in the world.

Oh, but he is much more than a mere hurdler….Grant Holloway is the future of sport.

Everyone already knew. @thebowerman‘s just making it official.@Flaamingoo_ is one of ðŸ”Ÿ still in the mix for #NCAATF‘s highest individual honor.
Here’s a look back at 3âƒ£@NCAATrackField records and 4âƒ£ individual titles ðŸ“¼âª#GoGators ðŸŠ #LessSaid pic.twitter.com/YzhXyBbz2J
— Gators Track and Field & Cross Country (@GatorsTF) June 14, 2019

Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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