Under Armour's hot streak continues with some of the women it is sponsoring.
Misty Copeland became the first African-American principal dancer in the 75-year history of the American Ballet Theatre last week. Under Armour signed Copeland to an endorsement deal last year as part of its campaign to reach more female consumers.
To celebrate Copeland's historic achievement, Under Armour and some of its athletes, such as Packers running back Eddie Lacy, sent flowers. Lots of flowers.
In a news story about Misty's promotion, Pia Catton of the Wall Street Journal wrote: "Ms. Copeland, 32 years old, has had a career-defining season at the Metropolitan Opera House this spring. In June, she made her New York debut as the lead in Swan Lake and a career debut in Romeo and Juliet. In both, she exhibited clear artistic choices and compelling dramatic presence."
Under Armour also had a small presence at the Women's World Cup, which the United States won Sunday with a 5-2 win against Japan. Lauren Holiday and Kelley O'Hara of the U.S. are Under Armour athletes.
Nike has been dominant in this field as a sponsor for U.S. Soccer since 1995, and it has personal endorsement deals with leading U.S. women's players, including Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Sydney Leroux and Megan Rapinoe. Adidas, with a long history of putting an emphasis on soccer, has deals with Becky Sauerbrunn, Christie Rampone and Heather O'Reilly.
Under Armour has been more effective in its ability to identify players on the verge of breaking out rather than playing the volume game, although its ranks are growing. The company got major boost this year with Stephen Curry (NBA champion and MVP) and Jordan Spieth (Masters and U.S. Open winner). One of its established stars, Tom Brady, walked away with the Super Bowl MVP.
