The Combined

We got a great opportunity to head over to New York last week for a special announcement and presentation from Nike regarding their partnership with the NFL to create the new Elite 51 team uniforms. It was probably the briefest media trip for the Swoosh that I’ve been on, but they certainly knew how to pack in an extremely high impact media event into a short time frame.

Key personnel from Nike were on hand to fill us in on this exciting development between the two companies. Nike’s CEO Mark Parker, Brand President Charlie Denson, Creative Director for football and baseball Todd Van Horne, as well as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, all took time to let us know what it all means for the players and fans alike.

In addition to the aforementioned speakers, we were also treated to something that was pretty incredible. We had a chance to talk to some of the game’s biggest and best stars. Players like Alex Smith, Larry Fitzgerald, Brian Urlacher, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Vick, Victor Cruz and a lot more were all present to discuss the new Elite 51 uniforms.

The Nike Elite 51 uniforms are something else. When I heard about Nike creating uniforms for the NFL, I knew it would mean the introduction of Nike’s innovative technologies to the game. That’s exactly what has happened with the Elite 51. Features such as Flywire to reduce weight and provide a better fit have been infused, as well as a whole host of others; Deflex padding has been added to assist with impact protection in what are referred to as “hit zone” areas on the body; four-way stretch, hydrophobic materials have been utilized to enable a range of motion; and in a further effort to reduce weight, the D-ring belt loops were made of aircraft-grade aluminum.

Nike does not stop at the jersey and pants for the new uniforms. Other necessities for the gridiron such as socks, cleats and gloves were also showcased. The Nike Vapor Game socks were designed specifically for football. They feature Nike Pro inspired cushioning, mesh venting all while providing compression. One of the personal highlights for me were the Nike Vapor Jet 2.0 gloves. Not only did they have a great design that features the logos of each NFL team, but they also had an incredible feel that should help in fielding passes and handling the ball in pretty much any condition. And last, but certainly not least, are the Nike Vapor Talon Elite cleats. These feature a lot of the key Nike technologies all in place to offer a superior fit, while remaining lightweight with the aid of Hyperfuse construction.

I snapped a lot of photos from the event. Be sure to scroll through the gallery. I took some cool candid shots of the players, too, which I will be creating a separate post for. For now, enjoy the photos from the presentation which include shots of the uniforms and Nike Elite 51 Sideline collection, which is a range of some dope apparel. Hopefully we can bring you some more news, information and imagery of that collection here soon.