Saquon Barkley wants everyone who wears their Nike sneakers to know what it’s like to walk in their shoes.
The preliminary simulated concrete concept in the Giants star’s next shoe isn’t meant to just create flash.
It is a tribute to a different name they almost gave it. Reminiscent of the streets and playgrounds where he was born in the Bronx. Symbolic of his way back to New York as a Pennsylvania-bred, Pennsylvania-bred star, built for the sports and pop culture cross-section available as the face of the Giants.
“I am a person who did not come from much money, but I worked hard to get where I want to be,” Barkley told The Post in a recent interview. “I’m going to keep doing that. That is what I want not only my shoe, but my whole life, to represent. “
Nike broke its original contract and re-signed Barkley retroactively in October for four years in the $ 25 million neighborhood, a source said. Exclusively negotiated by Ken Katz and Robert O’Shea Jr. of Gold Point Partners, it is the second largest amount ever guaranteed to a soccer player, Odell Beckham Jr. reportedly received $ 29 million in five years in 2017, but the largest in a contract renegotiation.
Barkley invited The Post to a New York hotel for a behind-the-scenes look at the partnership with its biggest sponsor. Later that night, he was the only NFL player to be shared by the company of top Nike executives in a fashion show in which he originally planned to meet an idol, until Kobe Bryant died 10 days earlier.
After consecutive 1,000-yard yards to start his NFL career, Barkley, 23, already populates television commercials. It’s entering another stratosphere primarily reserved for icons – the launch of its own clothing and footwear line, just as its prime begins, without an artificial marketing push for a Super Bowl ring, MVP, or one-handed viral capture.
“The main thing is the main thing: football and trying to be the best I can be to bring a championship to this city,” said Barkley. “But in the same way that I try to learn to be a better player, I try to learn to be a better businessman. This game is going to be removed. For me, it could be at 30, 32, 33. I have little time with football and I’m going to take advantage of it. “
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Barkley speaks reverently about all the greats: Barry Sanders … Bob Iger … Travis Scott.
It’s not just the Hall of Fame runners that spark his interest. Iger, the chief executive of the Walt Disney Company who oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar Animation Studios and Marvel Entertainment, has become a mentor, and his conversations were on Barkley’s mind when he selected the superhero-inspired ‘S’ logo for his line. of products from 25 finalists.
“It could have gone with a logo of me jumping on someone, or my initials,” said Barkley. “What is the most successful business in the world? Disney Attract Children. I wanted the logo to be just for kids. “
Planned to launch in 2021 after the coronavirus slowed the consumer market, Barkley’s Nike shoe will be a new take on the Bo Jackson line from the 1980s. Investigating Jackson’s athletic legends reminded Barkley of a “mythical creature”.
Barkley and Katz recruited Scott, a musician and one of the hottest names in shoe design, for a collaboration with a team of 12 people to turn a training shoe into a lifestyle shoe.
“Sa came prepared with two inspirations of what the shoe would look like,” said Bilal “Bizzy” Joseph, Scott’s business partner. “People ask how we do this or that. What stood out with Sa is that he had the courage and intelligence to see if we could help him on the creative side, and realize that … in the long run, everything would work for him. “
The launch of 30,000 Saquon Barkley Collection shirts, sweatshirts and hats on November 8 sold out online in 15 minutes, a source said. Barkley was wearing a shirt with his face on when he arrived at MetLife Stadium on a game day, but first he cleared it with other Giants captains to make sure he didn’t send a mixed message about the team.
“You could tell that Saquon was uncomfortable,” said former giant Michael Thomas, vice president of the NFL Players Association. “I encouraged him: ‘Don’t feel like it’s arrogant self-promotion. You have earned it. They are inspiring children who want to wear a shirt with their faces. In our careers, we have to attack while the iron is hot. You’re a brand. Build it! ‘ “
Barkley was loud and clear in the recent NFL video montage of stars that led Commissioner Roger Goodell to condemn racism and police brutality. He spoke fearlessly of backlash from Nike, which built an ad campaign around Colin Kaepernick long after his kneeling protests likely cost him a place in the league.
“If I am going to say something, I am going to investigate and think about it. I’m not going to get out of the thrill, ”said Barkley. “Having a team like Nike behind me means everything. I know the topic now is police brutality and George Floyd, but Nike does a great job outside of that, too, in my community’s efforts. They are ready to hear your vision. “
Barkley’s contract with Nike includes sales and performance incentives in the field that help restore the top of the market, according to a source who has seen the deal. The terms include:
- A merchandise royalty rate of 5 percent, double the industry standard;
- Owned by all of his created intellectual property, a safeguard against a dispute like the one fought by Kahwi Leonard, the NBA star;
- The right to buy merchandise at cost and sell at a profit directly to the Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation, which will soon be launched;
- Annual financial and creative support for charitable endeavors, including the construction of a new field for a Bronx high school soccer team;
- Permission to work with another company that was previously beyond the reach of Nike customers in the development and use of alternative brand products;
- Collaboration rights (generally not granted) with Scott, Drake, Virgil Abloh’s Off-White collection, and other design artists under the Nike umbrella.
“I just appreciate greatness,” said Barkley. “It doesn’t matter if it’s sports, the music industry, business, or politics. There are similar characteristics by which everyone succeeds. When Travis talks about his music, you see how his brain works. This is how my brain works when I talk about a football play. “
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Nike declined to comment for this story, but others who know Barkley in this space say they are determined to make their brand stand out from the crowd.
“It’s about taking advantage of his youth and his new perspective as the new face of the NFL,” said a source in the sneaker industry. “There are runners who have power and finesse, not many have both.
“Dynamic players with the New York market and personality are always a hit. If the athlete is the one who presents the ideas, that is authentic for the consumer and ultimately excites him for being part of it. ”
The applause erupted louder than normal in the Penn State soccer meeting room: The free kits players receive in every bowl game had a special twist for the 2019 Cotton Bowl because it all came from the Barkley collection.
An important contractual bargaining point for Barkley was establishing his alma mater with access to Nike exclusives. Penn State, one of Nike’s first soccer partners in 1993, can use it as a recruiting tool.
“It’s a blessing to be able to be that figure for Penn State,” said Barkley.
Two years ago, coach James Franklin told everyone he knew at Nike: Don’t let Barkley go to the competition.
“As Saquon continues to grow and its brand continues to grow with Nike, this is going to explode, not only because it has a great partner but because Saquon is so universally respected,” said Franklin. “It’s high production, low maintenance – what everyone wants from any employee in any industry.”
Franklin met Barkley as an unannounced recruit in 2014. Five years later, he was standing in the snow on the bench at MetLife Stadium with his wife and two daughters, all in hoodies and hats with the Barkley logo.
Franklin thought about real-life conversations with Barkley about choosing the right NFL agent, or walking around the house to find his wife on the phone with Barkley discussing obstacles to buying a home for the first time.
“He’s always been a very curious guy in many different areas,” said Franklin. “Once you have Saquon’s confidence, Saquon will ask 1,000 questions and move 1,000 miles per hour in that direction.
“Saquon is going to be very successful. Right now, a big part of that is soccer, but he’s so talented that he could have done it without soccer. “
Like more than 5.6 million people, Barkley watched the documentary “The Last Dance”.
Barkley’s ears perked up as he heard how Michael Jordan, who wished to sign with Adidas to get out of college, revolutionized Nike by selling $ 126 million of Air Jordans during his rookie season of 1984. The first pair of Barkley Jordans came when He was a small boy (his parents wasted the “Breds”) and dressed his little daughter in the same model 20 years later.
Barkley doesn’t need to match Jordan’s astronomical numbers to change shoe sales in his sport.
There is a stereotype of “helmet” in sports marketing: Soccer players cannot sell a lifestyle brand like their basketball or soccer counterparts because it is a team-driven sport where faces are hidden.
Barkley wants to break the roof. One step at a time.
“Footwear is definitely the goal for all athletes,” said the industry source. “When you’re out in the field, shoes are the only thing you can give your personal touch to. Everything else is uniformed and given by the team. You want your own shoe to say, “This is who I am.” “
Who Is Barkley? Think about the concrete design.
If his father had the last word, Saquon would have been named Tupac Makavelli. As it stands, Barkley’s greeting to the late rapper is to bring to life Tupac’s collection of poetry ‘Makavelli’ Shakur “The Rose That Came From Concrete”.
“It is a reflection of my life and many lives, especially black people in New York City and places of poverty,” said Barkley. “I am very fortunate to live my dream. I want that rose-like design to grow out of concrete. No matter your circumstances, if you have the right mindset and are passionate, anything is possible. “
Include someone else eventually dwarfing everything Barkley achieves.
“If I meet a child who says he wants to be the next me, I give them the advice my father gave me,” said Barkley. “If I strive to be the next Barry Sanders or Bo Jackson, I’m putting a limit on my potential. Why not try to be better? Never try to be the next Saquon Barkley. Be the best version of yourself. “
