Canzano: Adidas... just did it
A plane ride with Adidas execs.
John Miller wore a black Adidas vest on Saturday morning as he boarded Delta Airlines’ 737-900 aircraft out of Atlanta, headed to Portland.
The North American president of Adidas slipped into his window seat in first class, row two. He ate breakfast, drank water, and looked like a guy leading a brand floating high above the clouds.
Indiana beat Oregon, 56-22, the night before at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was a knockout victory over Nike’s flagship school for the “three stripes” operation. On Thursday, another Adidas school, Miami, eliminated Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl.
Miller was traveling with Chris McGuire, Adidas’ vice president of sports marketing. They attended both College Football Playoff semifinal games. They went 2-0. A clean sweep of Nike. The contingent will regroup, then pack for Miami and the national championship game on Jan. 19.
McGuire, who played soccer at Indiana in the 1990s, sat beside me in Row 4, aisle seat, on the same flight. He worked throughout the trip, answering emails. At one point, Miller stood and walked over to chat with his VP for a bit.
“Let’s get together on that,” the big boss said.