The Official Underwear Partner of the NBA
Whatever that means
Disclaimer: I make a lot of assumptions in this post.
I was on a date last week at a bar near McCarren Park that is to that park what a concessions stand is to an American sports stadium; overpriced, unexciting, some fleeting glimpses of sporting action. It was bitterly cold that night, but the floodlights were on and the Brooklyn footballers were out, presumably in layers of Uniqlo Heattech™ under flimsy colorful pennies. Despite there being a man sitting right in front of me who had fully paid for my drink, I—in the words of Carrie Bradshaw—couldn’t help but wonder what underwear men prefer to wear when they engage in sporting activities.
It seems that one SHEo mogul capitalist exec by the name of Kim Kardashian has also been pondering this. And with a $1.7 billion dollar net worth, she has taken matters into her own meticulously manicured hands (by contrast, I did a cost-benefit analysis of going up to rec players in Williamsburg and just asking them).
While I imagine there was a certain amount of demographic surveying that went into the SKIMS Mens product design, it certainly wasn’t among the five-a-siders. But I do think there’s a chance that Kim K texted the likes of Neymar, Nick Bosa, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander about their undie preferences before they starred as the overly-masculine faces of her first-ever men’s drop.
I’d like to believe in a world in which she sent boxers to a sample of the world’s most elite male athletes in the form of an influencer care package (“To LeBron — you know SKIMS has you covered and comfortable on and off the court, x Kim” etc etc) and maybe Neymar, Bosa and Gilgeous-Alexander had glowing reviews about the product and were not only incentivized by a fat fee to strip for SKIMS. On that note, I wonder what the SKIMS finance team’s valuation of the trio for their time and image was. Their objectified value, per se. And what that value is compared to the market-value estimation of their respective on-field talent.
Considering that men’s underwear is a $5.7 billion market and growing every year, the simple foray into the world of menswear is an unsurprising move for SKIMS. It was a nearly inevitable destination, but even though some of global sport’s most influential figures were tapped to be the public faces (bodies) of SKIMS Mens, I was certainly not expecting any major sports league to announce a quote-unquote official underwear partner. Enter: SKIMS x NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball.
In this Forbes article that is less a work of journalism and more a paid promotional post, the writer argues that the collaboration is a “true game-changer” and a “top-tier" partnership. The reasons for this are the alleged alignment of core values (“championing inclusivity, diversity, and body positivity”), the distinctiveness of the two brands, and the win-win nature of it all. Okay…like…maybe? I know very little about the realities of running a business or a successful large-scale brand partnership. Still, I did think we were past the point of trying to spin Kardashian-led endeavors as anything other than privileged “passion” projects and cash grabs. The collaboration is smart, as are many of the family’s business ventures and decisions. They have people on the payroll for that. Again, the expansion into menswear—notably through sports—is a no-brainer from a business perspective, but I’m reluctant to call it anything more than a mutually beneficial venture. Or what could be a mutually beneficial venture? The jury’s out. The origins of the project were likely as simple as her team holding a two-minute conference call and giving her a brief pitch encouraging her to capitalize on the major sports moment currently occurring in fashion as a whole.
I love to preach about the important cultural impact both the sports world and the fashion industry are capable of. But sometimes, what I love about both disciplines are the objectively frou-frou ventures like this. The idea of an “official underwear partner” is silly and frivolous and kinda fun! It’s slightly camp. And I truly have no idea what it means. Partnerships and sponsorships have become an integral part of sporting aesthetics; whether on a jersey or in an arena. It’s plastered across jumbotrons and on your souvenir cups and is the reason why Staples Center is now called Crypto.com Arena. Historically, the advertising has been impossible to ignore, which is where I fail to understand how the “official underwear partner” tag goes from concept to execution—just how visible will this underwear partnership be? Am I now supposed to assume that every NBA player is wearing SKIMS underwear? How can I be certain of this, and are the Calvin Klein-inclined doing okay with this transition? And perhaps the most important question of all—boxers or briefs?
These questions are all for research purposes. I only know of one employee of the National Basketball Association who has confirmed their SKIMS wearing habits, and I honestly didn’t want to know that it’s NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Did every NBA player receive free SKIMS underwear, or were they just encouraged to buy them? Do any of them know about this at all? I’m giggling and kicking my feet back and forth thinking about Giannis Antetokounmpo putting in a discount code along the lines of “NBAPlayer60” at checkout. I know for certain that there’s no way back-to-back league MVP Nikola Jokić would ever put SKIMS on. He acts like he doesn’t even want to be in America (full stop) and treats the NBA like it’s his silly day job (real).
I am dying to know the percentage of players that are wearing SKIMS Mens. Realistically, I will never be privy to this information (devastating). In the partnership press release, Silver said “We look forward to bringing NBA fans and SKIMS users unique experiences, new offerings, and premium products through our partnership. Together, SKIMS, the NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball will leverage the power of basketball to generate excitement and demand, by showing up in unexpected ways. Fans will see the partnership come to life at future marquee events, including NBA All-Star and the NBA In-Season Tournament.” The statement also said that SKIMS is set to receive media exposure across a variety of league platforms, including through on-court virtual signage during NBA and WNBA national broadcasts as well as the leagues’ official social and digital platforms.
The above describes exactly what a standard sports sponsorship looks like, suggesting that this could be no different. A sign here and there, a tagged post or two, a merch drop every quarter. But I remain flummoxed by the decision to actively call SKIMS the league’s “official underwear partner.” This implies underwear, not tee shirts and socks! Any and all answers or theories are appreciated. I’m curious to see how this project plays out—perhaps it will set a precedent for underwear partnerships across leagues around the world. At the very least, it’s vindication for former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovačić who was way ahead of everyone on this when he stripped down to his briefs in front of thousands at Stamford Bridge post-match last season. So, I’ll leave you with this food for thought— which NBA player is most likely to recreate this scenario in SKIMS?
Body positivity as a value for a sports league is crazy.