After being dubbed the “most depressed fan base in the SEC” following a majorly disappointing 2025 season that brought a 4-8 overall record, the South Carolina Gamecocks really needed a win — literally, and metaphorically.
Surely, a new partnership with Nike — a major global company and giant in the athletics industry — will lift the spirits of the beaten-down Gamecocks. Well, not so fast.
The University of South Carolina announced the end of its 19-year apparel partnership with Under Armour in favor of a new 10-year contract with Nike, effective July 1, 2026. However, eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice a glaring discrepancy in the colors of the new gear rollout: the iconic garnet shade flaunted by Gamecocks across the country is looking decidedly not like what we’re used to. And to make matters worse? Our beloved shade of garnet has been relabeled under Nike to another color familiar to the Southeastern Conference: crimson.
Ever heard of the Crimson Tide? Yeah, I thought so.
The seemingly-innocuous deal with Nike has pitted long-suffering South Carolina fans against the University of Alabama’s formidable football team — one that has long been considered the gold standard of the SEC due to its memorable coaches, long-standing dominance in the league, and numerous national championships.
What some students are viewing as an injustice against their school may be chalked up to a simple manufacturing detail.
Nike assigns its partnering schools to different categories of colors which essentially acts as organizational buckets for schools to fall into. Nike’s unique color palette has four distinct red hues to offer its partnering schools, including “Team Maroon,” “Team Cardinal,” “Team Scarlet,” and, of course, “Team Crimson.”
Nike’s specific shade of crimson is a noticeable departure from the University’s signature shade of Pantone 202 C, and some students are already expressing their dissatisfaction ahead of the 2026 football season.
Jonah Spiegelman, a junior broadcast major at the University of South Carolina, expressed his dissatisfaction with the new partnership drama.
“We go to South Carolina, we don’t go to Alabama. We cheer for the Gamecocks, we don’t scream ‘Roll Tide’ at football games,” Spiegelman said. “Having our team color associated with one of our biggest rivals in Alabama is unbelievable.”
Although some die-hard fans of the USC are disgruntled by the new Nike partnership, USC athletics director Jeremiah Donati addressed concerns in a July newsletter. Despite being placed in Nike’s “Team Crimson” category, Donati confirmed that USC’s colors will remain garnet and black.
With the Gamecocks scheduled to play ‘Bama on Sept. 26, 2026, tensions might be a little higher than usual during the matchup — let’s just hope we can all tell which team is which when the clock starts.
