Reebok Nation

New England area sports fans aren't the only ones thrilled to have their teams winning at, oh... just about everything this Fall. Check out this commercial:

The Lost Wave

This documentary picked up a few film fest awards last year and is being released on DVD this week. The film documents a journey by noted surf historian Sam George and several surfers to the island nation of Sao Tome, and it aims to prove that surfing is an indigenous African sport. The sport has flourished on the impoverished island for generations, with villagers riding the waves on finless wooden boards.

More info and a trailer at thelostwave.com.

Nike to Acquire Umbro

At least one British analyst didn't see any real problems arising from Nike's offer.

"This is a knock out bid. The offer price is pretty plump," said WH Ireland analyst John Cummins.

Adidas JR Apparel: Coming in February

We just caught a glimpse of a few samples of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s new signature apparel line at the Adidas showroom on Houston Street in New York. The JR apparel line, which will feature a JR logo as well as an Adidas logo, includes lifestyle pieces with performance touches. The items we saw were pretty straightforward - a baseball jersey and a women's raglan cut-off sweatshirt.

It will be interesting to see this line evolve. Will NASCAR-related apparel and merchandise finally find a larger niche at sporting goods retail?

The Adidas JR line will launch in February. Footwear is in the works, too. Adidas is also designing Earnhardt's racing suit.

DC Shoes + Spotted Pig: Double Label

DC Shoes has a new limited edition shoe out that is a collaboration with hip New York City pub the Spotted Pig. DC originally made a shoe exclusively for the restaurant’s staff, meaning you had to steal them off a waiter’s feet if you wanted a pair. Staff members were being offered hundreds of dollars for their work sneakers, leaving some waiters walking home barefoot with fat pockets. Due to demand and buzz, the DC Spotted Pig shoes are now available in limited numbers at boutiques worldwide.

One More Jab...

Dick's Sporting Goods was named title sponsor for the BolderBoulder 10K race on Thursday.

Normally this wouldn't be noteworthy, but it sure seems like the marketing team at Dick's is spending an inordinate amount of money on sponsorships in the Denver area.

Could this have anything to do with TSA's headquarters being located in Denver?

Umbro Receives Take Over Bid

SGB UPDATE is reporting that Umbro has received a take-over bid from an unspecified source. Rumors and now Reuters is reporting that sources say the bid came from Nike, Inc. Should Nike acquire Umbro, it will likely also pick up the sponsorship for England's national football (soccer) team kits (uniforms).

The move by Nike would be one more salvo in a fight with adidas that seemed to have petered out several months ago after Nike was unsuccesful in its attempt to sign the German national squad to a sponsorship deal for their kits.

Got $5,000 to Spare?

Check out this eBay listing for a sample pair of the Osiris/Consolidated collaboration—The Drunk. The "anti-Nike" skate shoe will not be released until March, 2008, but Osiris chief creative officer Brian Reid is hawking his own sample pair of size 10s to raise the profile of the Don't Do It campaign.

1HUND(RED)

Sneak peek. Converse 1HUND(RED) Artists project. Dropping in 2008.

Too Little Too Late?

It looks like Heelys is expanding their line to include a "non-wheeled" shoe line dubbed "the Gamer by Heelys." After seeing their sell-through drop and inventories at retail climb, will this be enough to resurrect the brand? Will retailers buy it while there are still loads of Heelys on their shelves?

The "Other" Croc

From the Spring 2008 Lacoste tennis footwear collection.

Pros and Cons of Pro Cheerleaders

An opinion piece at onmilwaukee.com analyzes the recent NFL edict prohibiting home teams from having their cheerleaders warm up outside the visiting team's locker room.

The league thinks that watching nubile young women dressed in workout clothes stretching their lithe bodies into all kinds of shapes might distract players from taking their steroids and pain pills and thinking about the game plan.

Most of the players who were contacted after the edict said they never even noticed that the cheerleaders were around. But then you have Jesse Palmer, who played backup quarterback for the NFL for several years, mainly with the Giants. He talked about a game against the Dallas Cowboys.

"We started several drives inside our own 20-yard line, with each drive following a TV timeout," he said. "With my back to the end zone in the huddle, I was frustrated because I couldn't make eye contact with any of my teammates as I was trying to call our plays. They were all staring right at the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders who were performing in the end zone.

"The best line came from our tight end, Visanthe Shiancoe, who interrupted me in the middle of a play call and said, 'Jesse, you really need to turn around and see this.'"

more ...

Binding Fashion

These Balenciaga open toe sandals got a shout-out from Kanye West on his blog. Apparently they retail for more than $4,000.

Must be high-end bindings.

Fila Flashback

Nelly wearing the Fila Original Tennis and Fila White Line leather jacket at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors awards. Images via VH1.com.