By Claire Gregory, J.D. Candidate at the University of Miami School of Law
On March 30th and 31st, the University of Miami School of Law hosted its annual Global Entertainment & Sports Law + Industry Conference. The conference featured a number of panelists – lawyers, creatives, athletes, business owners, industry leaders, and more – who discussed current issues and developments in the sports and entertainment industries.
One of the more unique panels addressed the cultural intersection between sports and fashion. The discussion focused on the increasing infusion of culture and fashion in the sports industry and, in particular, how the NBA has been at the forefront of this trend.
As culture and fashion have become more and more intertwined with sports, many NBA teams have found substantial value in having a creative mastermind behind the brand of the team. Accordingly, the panel began with a discussion from Don C, the Creative Strategy and Design Advisor for the Chicago Bulls. C explained that the Bulls are more than just a basketball team; they are a brand rooted in people and community. To reflect this, he works to infuse the Bulls’ brand with aspects of culture and community engagement to create an authentic and recognizable brand both on and off the court. By doing so, the Bulls hope to build a strong connection with their community and establish themselves as a brand that goes beyond basketball.
This commitment to infusing culture and community into the Bulls’ brand was exemplified by the launch of BullsFest, a two-day music festival in Chicago that brought together young basketball fans with shared interests in basketball, music, and art. C described the festival as an opportunity for people to connect, enjoy themselves, and feel a sense of unity with the Bulls’ brand. Going forward, the Bulls plan to continue using their brand to unite various aspects of culture, including fashion, music, and art, to be an aggregator of the community.
While work such as C’s once seemed unusual, Matthew Growney, the Senior Advisor of Fashion, Creative, and Partnerships at PUMA, explained that embracing creative designers and advisors is the reason the NBA is the leader of the intersection of sports and fashion. Unlike the NBA, many other sports leagues have been slow to recognize how the overlap of fashion and sports can be used as a vessel to build a stronger community.
To illustrate this, Growney pointed out that leagues like MLS have fans who love fashion, but those leagues have struggled to acknowledge the importance of this interest to the community. It wasn’t until February 2023, that Inter Miami MLS talked the team into painting a wall for the iconic “tunnel fit pics.” Because the MLS has been slow to keep up with developments like these, there aren’t many MLS players that have even had the exposure or visibility to be icons of fashion like players in the NBA. Without that exposure it becomes nearly impossible to create a connection with the community through cultural aspects like fashion. Thus, as leagues like the NBA continue to pave the way, other leagues will soon realize that failing to follow suit means falling behind.
Additionally, as teams in the NBA have embraced the infusion of creativity and culture into their brands, it has opened the door for a new era of endorsement deals in the sports world. Through her work with creative directors, brands, and influencers, Danielle Garno, a Partner at Holland & Knight and Fashion Law Professor at Miami Law, has had a front row seat in watching the landscape change. Previously, athletes were limited to sneaker endorsements; but now, as Garno explained, athletes are able to align themselves with not only sneaker brands, but other fashion brands that they love and are loyal to.
This alignment with brands allows athletes to generate additional revenue streams through fashion-related endorsement deals, while also allowing fashion brands to use players to market their products. Smaller brands are able to gain exposure through mediums such as the iconic tunnel fit pictures that are widely shared across the internet. Luxury brands like LVMH have also recognized this new opportunity and have been quick to utilize sports-related brand deals and brand ambassador opportunities with NBA athletes. For example, Louis Vuitton created a travel case for the Larry O’Brien trophy and designed outfits for esports players. Garno explained that the overarching theme between sports and fashion is branding, whether it be from the team or an athlete, and this emerging market between fashion brands and athletes will lead to many big brand ambassador deals.
Subsequently, as more of these revenue-related developments emerge between players and fashion, the NBA has nevertheless continued to own the space. Don C credited this to the emphasis on individualism that occurred when David Stern’s took over as commissioner of the NBA. Instead of focusing on the teams, Stern promoted the league through the players’ perspectives and allowed players to embrace their individuality, which birthed creative superstars such as Magic Johnson, Kobe, Shaq, and now Lebron. These players became the “poster boys” and generated new interest in the league by connecting fashion and culture with the sport. Now, the NBA’s acceptance of individualism has become a hallmark of the league’s culture. In fact, C explained that many younger fans don’t watch full NBA games anymore, instead they consume the culture by watching game highlights and checking social media to see what the players wore.
Because the NBA has been at the forefront of this movement by embracing culture to create community, proactively creating roles and opportunities to infuse fashion and creativity, and by embracing players’ individualism in the league, it continues to propel the cultural intersection between sports and fashion. The NBA’s innovation and creativity has not only allowed the potential for new partnerships with the league and brand deals for players, but it has also allowed for fans to connect with players through a shared interest in fashion and for communities to connect with the teams through a shared culture. With such creative individuals joining teams and unique opportunities emerging with brands, who knows what exciting developments are to come in the world of sports and fashion, the only thing that is certain is that the NBA will continue to pave the way.
