Steph's just the start: Under Armour athletes are on an insane hot streak
Steph Curry became the first unanimous MVP in NBA history Tuesday morning, bagging the award for the second consecutive year.
It's yet another staggering testament to the on-court greatness of Curry. But in the big-money games that surround the actual games sports fans watch, Curry's MVP award represents something more: Pro athletes endorsed by the upstart company Under Armour are on an insane hot streak.
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Not long ago, Nike was the brand most American consumers associated with playing and watching sports. Statistics likely bear that it still is, and Nike still crushes in gear sales. Adidas and Reebok were major players, too, not long ago. But Nike was the no-brainer.
Now? All the best athletes wear Under Armour, giving the 20-year-old company an enormous boost in visibility.
OK -- "all the best athletes" is an overstatement. But not by much. Consider the following recent achievements by Under Armour partners -- and remember, this company was just a blip on the radar 10 years ago.
Steph Curry: back-to-back NBA MVP (2015 and 2016), and defending NBA champion (2015).
Cam Newton: 2015 NFL MVP and the new face of the NFL.
Bryce Harper: 2015 National League MVP and the new face of Major League Baseball.
Misty Copeland: viral dance sensation and the first black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre.
Jordan Spieth: 2015 U.S. Open winner, 2015 Masters winner and the new face of golf.
Clayton Kershaw: 2014 National League MVP, three-time Cy Young winner.
Tom Brady: NFL legend and guy with saggy balls.
The list goes on, but those are the big names. And they are some BIG names -- among the biggest and most successful in pro sports right now.
But that's not all.
Under Armour is also positioned to ride these horses for several years. Curry, the biggest thing in basketball right now, is 28 years old and signed to the company through 2024. Harper's 23 and signed to Under Armour for at least the next 10 years. Spieth is 22 and just inked a new 10-year deal.
This impressive stable is already paying off for the company former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank started in 1996. Last year, Under Armour passed Adidas for second place in American footwear and sports apparel sales.
In an eight-months ending on Jan. 3 of last year, Under Armour totaled $2.6 billion in sales, compared to $1.6 billion for Adidas, according to The Wall Street Journal. But both were far behind Nike, which totaled more than $11 billion in sales.
Nike still rules the sports roost, to be sure. But as anyone who's ever led a championship team will tell you, the key to success is finding stars to build around.
In that respect, Under Armour is well on its way.
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Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
