garfield Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 On 2/7/2017 at 7:15 PM, Brass34 said: As a university of Maryland alum, under armour is in my blood (CEO/founder is a Maryland grad). And as a band member there, we got outfitted in everything by UA. They were amazing. The products are top notch and it's no wonder that more schools are switching over to them (Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Navy, Cal, Auburn, etc) 1 hour ago, Brass34 said: Hate to break it to you Garfield. UA isn't a failing company and they will bounce back. I recall Addidas struggling in the US market not that long ago, and they seem to be doing well again. 56 colleges and universities have switched to UA...and that number is growing. In my earlier post that you chose to ignore, I stated that UA outfitted my college marching band. Clearly some of your statements are misguided. Also your obsession to see an American company and brand that employs thousands to fold because your feelings were hurt is rather odd OK, just to show that I didn't ignore your post, I chose not to respond. You're right - they'll be fine, I'm sure. It's just that only less than two years ago it was a nearly $10B company and today it's $4B. Why, that's a resounding success! You're right! I wonder how I missed that! It's hard for me to identify a company's worth by the alma mater of its CEO, or by how many schools they've outfitted when we can see that much of their "outfitting" is a loss-leader. I don't want the company to fold, and I'm not obsessed. So there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted February 17, 2017 Author Share Posted February 17, 2017 46 minutes ago, Fran Haring said: Living in the Baltimore area... seeing what Mr. Plank and his company have done to help the region, and what they have planned for the future here, "arrogance" is not a term I would use to describe how they do business or how they make business decisions. He's as good a "corporate citizen" as you will ever find. Whatever was said in that meeting regarding any decision having to do with the marching music world, I'm pretty sure it wasn't "arrogant." Oh, all right. Jeesh, you guys are tough! They weren't arrogant. They were stupid. Better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass34 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) 2 hours ago, garfield said: OK, just to show that I didn't ignore your post, I chose not to respond. You're right - they'll be fine, I'm sure. It's just that only less than two years ago it was a nearly $10B company and today it's $4B. Why, that's a resounding success! You're right! I wonder how I missed that! It's hard for me to identify a company's worth by the alma mater of its CEO, or by how many schools they've outfitted when we can see that much of their "outfitting" is a loss-leader. I don't want the company to fold, and I'm not obsessed. So there. Considering the company was founded in 1996 and is now a multi billion dollar behemoth, I'd say yes...it is a success. So they finally have a year that doesn't witness a 20+% growth rate. It was bound to happen. It's probably a good time to buy their stock within the next year honestly. https://www.google.com/amp/seekingalpha.com/amp/article/4046607-armour-great-growth-story-will-continue?client=safari Haha not trying to rain on your parade, but I guess I do get defensive. UA is one the best American success stories of our time. Mr. Plank started selling shirts out of the trunk of his car 20 years ago...and now Major League Baseball will be wearing his brand on field. It's not crazy that an exclusive sports apparel company would decide against marketing themselves towards band, IMO. I mean, I would love to see that! But nothing to hold a grudge over. Edited February 17, 2017 by Brass34 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 7 minutes ago, Brass34 said: It was bound to happen. It's probably a good time to buy their stock within the next year honestly. Peter Lynch probably would. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 (edited) 4 hours ago, garfield said: Oh, all right. Jeesh, you guys are tough! They weren't arrogant. They were stupid. Better? I might give you stupid. Might. LOL Perhaps some day they'll change their mind. Perhaps a move like this just doesn't fit their current corporate strategy. Perhaps they discussed the idea and decided to table it for a later date. Perhaps they don't quite realize that marching music is, in and of itself, an aerobic sport. Right now, with their commitment to the huge, multi-faceted, multi-year Port Covington development here in Baltimore, and with that project about to advance to the "when the rubber meets the road" stage... I gotta figure, perhaps some other stuff is not on the front burner. I have no idea what their intentions were/are, or whether they have any sort of opinion... good, bad, or indifferent... toward the marching music world. I wasn't in the room when this decision was made. Nor was anyone else here. Edited February 17, 2017 by Fran Haring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 On 2/7/2017 at 3:30 PM, garfield said: Several years ago Under Armour refused a request by DCI to co-brand some athletic wear, stating that drum corps is not an image that fits their market focus. I can imagine the jockstraps in their Board room now: "Stupid band kids. Do we really want to dilute our image with a bunch of band kids?" I've refused to buy their gear ever since, and have even rejected gifts of their stuff based on their attitude towards drum corps. I'm more than a little surprised that so many drum corps MM's and fans wear the UA logo. To me it's crap if it's too good for band kids. Nothing has made me happier than to see their stock price get slammed due to lower earnings and the realization that the "Athleisure" market they helped create is not immune to the competition of the market. To he11 with Under Armour, the stock, and the bus they rode in on, IMO. This is the prettiest picture: From a high of about $53 in October, 2015 to just over $20 today... Maybe if they include some band kids in their marketing their sales would would look better, eh? (disclaimer: this is not an endorsement, recommendation, or offer to buy or sell UA stock. The opinion expressed here is mine alone and does not represent the opinion of DCP, DCI, UAA, or my company. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Wash behind your ears and wear clean underwear, so long as it's not UA.) Not doubting you but wondering if you have a link/source to the original "denial" -- I ask only because I happen to know the under armour CEO and some other folks there and it totally doesn't sound like their thought process and/or opinion of "band geeks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 1 hour ago, George Dixon said: Not doubting you but wondering if you have a link/source to the original "denial" -- I ask only because I happen to know the under armour CEO and some other folks there and it totally doesn't sound like their thought process and/or opinion of "band geeks" I have it from a source who was in on the discussions first hand but, no, I cannot reveal who because I promised not to. But I didn't exaggerate their response at all, and I know my source reads these threads. Maybe they didn't say "band geeks", that was my imagination. But the denial is exactly as I described. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Dixon Posted February 18, 2017 Share Posted February 18, 2017 2 hours ago, garfield said: I have it from a source who was in on the discussions first hand but, no, I cannot reveal who because I promised not to. But I didn't exaggerate their response at all, and I know my source reads these threads. Maybe they didn't say "band geeks", that was my imagination. But the denial is exactly as I described. Gotcha. Well for what it's worth it doesn't sound like the CEO at all. He's very supportive of MD Band and the Marching Ravens etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31rabbit Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I think DCI's more recent 'under-armour-like' shirts are an improvement over the original UA brand shirts DCI had a while ago. the DCI UA shirts are great for the gym, and I've been wearing them regularly to the workout in since I got them with no damage, so that's incredible value for money. But they weren't exactly interesting to look at. This year there was the Blue-Gold Championship shirt sold in long and short that was of the wicking type material (though the thinner 'cool weave' type compared to the thicker UA DCI shirt types), I believe I saw more people wearing that shirt during the season than any other DCI gear. and though I have no data to support this idea, I imagine DCI gets a better price buying from Champion (who does many of their other merch shirts) than they would from the Prestige UA brand. so though I think the attachment to a brand like UA is good, I think sticking with Champion is just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 (edited) Necro-ing my own thread. "Under Armour faces federal investigation over its accounting practices" Turns out the Feds were asking questions at about the same time I made this thread, and was digging into things happening in the company at about the same time they thumbed their nose at band kids. Causation, correlation, coincidence, Plank saving poor band kids from the evils of corporate shenanigans, or the chickens coming home to roost. Doesn't matter. The parallels to current-day drum corps are eery. "I'm sure they'll be fine..." has been said by so many, so many times. Edited November 4, 2019 by garfield Toned down the font. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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