Skechers' Latest Pickleball Deal

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Skechers inked another pickleball deal and Crocs sued a competitor. Plus, Deion Sanders returns to Nike.

Here's what you need to know:

Skechers Deepens Pickleball Focus With New Sponsorship Deals in England

Skechers is leaning more deeply into pickleball with a new partnership with Pickleball England.

The comfort-focused footwear brand has been named the official footwear sponsor for the 2023 English Open and English Nationals Pickleball Tournaments.

Zoom out: The announcement marks Skechers’ latest investment in the fast-growing sport. Skechers was previously named the official footwear sponsor of the US Open Pickleball Championships and the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association tour, starting in the 2023 season. Skechers also became the footwear sponsor for the Pickleball Canada National Championship in May and has sponsored Major League Pickleball and the Association of Pickleball Players.

Crocs Sues Competitor, Claiming Use of Trade Secrets to Create Knockoffs

In a lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in the District of Colorado on Thursday, Crocs claimed that Joybees and its CEO Kellen McCarvel, a former Crocs employee, have a history of using Crocs’ trade secrets in its footwear.

McCarvel spent more than six years at Crocs, culminating in his role as merchandise manager, Latin America, according to his LinkedIn. He joined Joybees in 2018 as CEO.

According to Crocs, McCarvel used Crocs’ proprietary “specifications, standards and test and audit methods” for measuring shoe perfomance and materials. Crocs also said Joybees hired other former Crocs employees with knowledge of Crocs’ proprietary information.

Nike Confirms Deion Sanders Has Returned to the ‘Nike Family’

Nike confirmed the news that?Deion Sanders, an NFL and MLB icon who is now referred to as “Coach Prime” in the college football ranks, is once again aligned with?Nike.

“We welcome Deion Sanders back to the Nike family,”?the athletic giant?said in a statement sent to FN.

Although Sanders wore Nike during his NFL and MLB days, he has long been aligned with rival Under Armour. But he had to reunite with Nike after accepting the head coach job at the University of Colorado —?a Nike-backed school — in December 2022. In January 2023, a USA Today report stated Nike’s sponsorship deal with Colorado would require Sanders to “‘exclusively’ wear Nike branded products while working as the head football coach.

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