What reason do you have to believe he didn't negotiate a 'better than market deal?' It's speculation based on people talking with few knowing the details of the market in 2013.
I have nothing to say he didn't renegotiate. I have a hard time believing NIKE was so against the idea of signing a deal upwards of $100 million for 15 years because the market didn't demand it at the time. Did it really increase that much in two years that Michigan was able to secure a 15-year, $169 million deal? Meanwhile we're stuck getting 20% less? All this with Alabama dominating the CFB landscape, having a dramatic increase in enrollment, never going a day without being mentioned in the media, and its athletic department winning multiple titles in other sports (golf, gymnastics, and softball). The demand for Alabama apparel was likely never bigger. Battle's exact words were "make an offer we can't refuse". NIKE did what any good company would do and started low to negotiate from there. Battle likely was content with the figure and signed it. Again, speculation on my part but I for the life of me can't see otherwise. Even
Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst, was surprised to hear about Alabama's 2013 deal with Nike.
"Certainly, if the deal was expiring, I would suspect Alabama would sign the richest deal of all right now," Dorfman said. "I would think they'd re-up with Nike and Nike would pay them definitely more than UCLA is getting paid by Under Armour."
It is also pure speculation on my part. There isn't a slight bit of inside info or anything I know that could ever put forth evidence to support my claim. When he was hired, he was lauded as a "business man" and understood contracts. Maybe it's my bias against him, but nothing he did at the University of Alabama struck my as an aggressive, calculated business man. He retained Anthony Grant to the point where Grant himself told him face to face "do what you have to do". Even then, it was the pressure from boosters that forced him to fire Grant. He failed miserably with the Greg Goff fiasco, setting the program back even further. When Sarah Patterson retired, he only interviewed two assistants. Instead of thoroughly going through the process and finding an idea replacement, he lazily selected one of the two assistants. He hired Avery on name alone after missing big on Gregg Marshall. I could go on, but point blank, he fucking sucked as an AD.
Again, you could not simply turn on ESPN, read a magazine, see social media, etc.. a day without Alabama being mentioned. All while rocking that NIKE logo. It was a big opportunity to make way more than what Alabama was given. It was a terrible deal.
Hindsight; whatever. It's not something easy to get over.
