In the last few years, many Northeast Ohio schools have turned to single brands for all athletic gear, and it has caught the attention of Beachwood students.

Athletic powerhouses such as Walsh Jesuit, St. Edward, St. Ignatius, Villa-Angela St. Joseph and others have already gone this route.

“The Gilmour Athletic Director told me that choosing only Nike has made a huge difference, because everybody loves the new apparel,” Beachwood Athletic Director Ryan Peters said. “But brand is not my priority, I shop for quality and price.”

“I am exploring this concept because it’s my job to do whatever is best for Bison athletics,” Peters said.

Right now, each team’s coach chooses which gear players can wear. Although Bison success on the field is Peters’ top priority, he sees some advantage to the single brand look.

“When the whole team looks the same, it looks better,” he said. “It gives the team a sort of swagger.”

On the other hand, it might be hard for all teams to agree on a single brand.

“The coaches for certain sports like different brands,” Peters said.

When asked what brand he would choose for all sports, Peters replied “I don’t shop for brands; however, most kids like Nike.”

Sophomore basketball player Ben Sternberg and sophomore Matthew Aubourg, a basketball and golf team member, agreed. Both said they would choose Nike, because of the high quality equipment and the comfort of the apparel.

“I would like to have players wear all one brand or at least close to it,” sophomore Aden Stern said. Stern, who plays golf and baseball, feels that some sports may not be able to use the same brands.

“Maybe, for sports that have different primary brands such as golf, use PING or Under Armour while everyone else could use Nike,” he said. “I like the look and feel of the UA logo, and I really like everything Nike produces.”

Aubourg would like to see more uniformity in Bison athletic gear.

“I don’t like [having different brands for different sports] because it doesn’t show our program’s [unity],” he said. “Instead it [emphasizes the differences] between the sports.”

Cost is also a factor.

“If I could get each sports team the best new athletic gear for every year, I would,” Peters said. “But we have to look at what’s cost effective for our school, and how longevity would factor in. Certain brands, styles and models are more expensive than others. I explore what looks good, and what will last us a long time. Teams usually get new uniforms every four or five years. Some schools can’t even afford to buy new uniforms for a long time.”

On the other hand, discounts could help.

“There are some financial incentives that brands sometimes offer when you lock in with them,” Peters said.

Some athletes feel that single-brand apparel could improve their team’s reputation.

“Choosing Nike for every sport would help by causing others to think higher of Beachwood,” Aubourg said, “since Nike is the highest regarded brand.”

“This could help gain our athletic program more recognition, and maybe allow it to manage things more comfortably with just one brand,” Sternberg said.

Peters sees some potential disadvantages as well.

“If entire teams are wearing the same shoe, for example, certain student-athletes may not like the feel of that shoe, because they might need orthotics,” he said. “Although certain gear may draw a lot of attention, I don’t think specific brands will increase athletic participation.”

Peters does believe new gear could give athletes more “swagger” when playing, and that it looks better when everyone wears the same thing. However, he says he has only begun to explore the option.

The process schools go through to get one brand for all sports is complicated, too.

“At the end of each season, each coach creates a list of their wants and needs,” Peters said. “…and I go through these lists.”

After evaluating these lists, vendors that are licensed by brands like Nike or Adidas come and ask Peters what he needs for certain sports.

When these vendors know the exact styles and models the school needs, they bid for the opportunity to sell their products to Beachwood.

“Price and quality are the most important things I take into account when talking to these vendors,” Peters said.

“I’m going to continue to talk to vendors and see how certain products look,” he said. “We aren’t very far in the process of choosing just one brand. But I’m here to make a great experience for athletes, and if gear makes people excited, I’ll do everything I can to make things work. I’ll make any decision that helps that athletic program.”

“If the kids want this badly enough, and we can’t provide it in the budget, we could provide opportunities for the program or the boosters to raise money for it,” Peters added.