大生意

Scott+Cacciola

team after team filled with players who serve as walking billboards on one of the sports worlds biggest stages.

在世界体育最大的舞台上，所有的大学球员，都变成了活广告牌。

One of the perks of playing college basketball for a powerhouse program like North Carolina is all the team-issued gear. Every year， the Tar Heels are outfitted with more shirts， sweats and sneakers than they can possibly wear in a season.

为北卡这样的篮球强校打球的利好之一，就是能得到球队定制的装备。每年，北卡球员都能得到一赛季也穿不完的外套、T恤和球鞋。

The only problem is that their friends and families know it.

唯一的问题是，他们的朋友和家人也知道。

"Oh， people are always asking for stuff，" said Stilman White， a senior guard. "Its a weekly thing， to be honest."

“哦，人们总是要东西。”大四后卫斯蒂尔曼·怀特说，“说实话，每周都会发生。”

The latest request came from Whites 18-year-old sister， Noel， who became enthralled with one of his T-shirts as North Carolina began to prepare for the N.C.A.A. tournament.

最近一个提出要求的是怀特18岁的妹妹诺艾尔，北卡开始为NCAA锦标赛备战时，她却对北卡的T恤着了迷。

"My sister would not talk to me about anything else besides that shirt until I finally just gave it to her so shed stop bugging me，" White said.

“除了那件T恤，我妹妹什么都不愿跟我聊，直到我终于给了她一件，她才不来烦我。”怀特说。

Among the potential difficulties facing college basketball players， being the recipients of too much branded （and free） gear surely qualifies as a first-world problem. But it is one of the most noteworthy byproducts of lucrative endorsement deals that prominent programs like North Carolina， U.C.L.A.， Kansas and Michigan have with sports apparel companies like Nike， Adidas and Under Armour.

在大學篮球运动员面临的诸多潜在困难中，接受过多品牌（免费）装备显然也是一等一的麻烦。但这也是如北卡，UCLA，堪萨斯和密歇根这样的篮球强校与耐克，阿迪达斯和安德玛这样的运动装备公司签下巨额合同后最重要的副产品。

The N.C.A.A. will remind anyone within earshot that these players are still amateur athletes， and the mere suggestion of compensation — beyond their scholarships — opens the door to a swirl of complications. But they do receive gear — so much gear — and the N.C.A.A. allows them to give it away. They just cant sell it.

NCAA会提醒所有人，这些球员仍属于业余运动员，仅仅提出“补偿”这个概念——奖学金除外——都能让后续变成一团乱麻。但他们确实能够得到装备——非常多的装备——NCAA也允许他们把装备送人。他们只是不能拿装备出去卖钱而已。

For the companies， the arrangement has obvious benefits： team after team filled with players who serve as walking billboards on one of the sports worlds biggest stages. In the brands view， the more clothing and shoes they hand out， the more likely it is that a player will wear their logo. For the athletes， who are often oversize teenagers who struggle to find clothes and shoes that fit， the free gear — including coveted sneaker styles that can cost$200 or more a pair — comes in handy.

对品牌公司来说，这种做法有着明显的好处：在世界体育最大的舞台上，一支支球队的球员，变成了活动的广告牌。从品牌的角度看，他们送出的衣服和球鞋越多，球员的身上就越有可能出现他们的商标。这些运动员大多数身材超标，很难找到合适的衣服鞋子，因此免费的装备，包括售价可能超过200美元的热门球鞋，自然派上了用场。

But the question eventually becomes： What to do with all of it？ Sweatshirts wind up going to moms and dads. Shorts get shipped off to siblings. Old sneakers are handed out to pals back home — whether they fit or not.

但问题还是出现了：怎么处理这些东西？运动衫一般归爸爸妈妈，短袖短裤送给兄弟姐妹，用过的球鞋属于朋友们——不管是否合适。

Gabby Williams， a star forward for the womens basketball team at Connecticut， said she had set aside a stack of UConn clothing as gifts for her family members to wear during the Huskies latest tournament run.

康涅狄格大学女子篮球队的明星前锋加比·威廉姆斯就准备了很多康大的服装，当做礼物送给亲戚，让他们穿着这些衣服参加康大最近一次的NCAA锦标赛。

"Its always nice to give back to everyone else，" she said. "We do get a lot of stuff， and were very lucky， so I love to give my stuff away."

“回馈其他人是好事，”她说，“我们确实能得到很多东西，我们很幸运，所以我喜欢送东西给别人。”

Charlie Noebel， a senior guard at Oregon， said that he constantly hears from friends desperate to get their hands on a pair of the Ducks custom Nikes.

俄勒冈大学的大四后卫查理·诺贝尔表示，朋友总是想尽一切办法想得到一双俄勒冈大学的耐克定制球鞋。

"All the time，" said Noebel， who wears size 12.5 shoes. "Most of my friends are 10s， so they cant fit into them. But theyll always be like， Hey， I can wear two or three pairs of socks， I dont care.”

“總是有人要。”脚穿12码半的诺贝尔说，“我大部分朋友只有十多岁，所以不合他们的脚。但他们总是说，嘿，我可以穿两三双袜子”

Oregon T-shirts seem to be popular， too. In recent years， the Ducks have worn a different one for every game， and unloading those is rarely a problem. As Noebel explained， "A lot of people like the color green."

俄勒冈的T恤看上去也颇受欢迎。最近几年，俄勒冈大学每场比赛的T恤都不一样，而处理这些衣服毫无难度。正如诺贝尔所说：“很多人喜欢绿色。”

At Michigan， where the university has an apparel deal with Nike that could be worth as much as $173.8 million through 2031， some players said they had received as many as 13 pairs of Jordan brand sneakers this season. Sometimes， they said， the shoes just appear， tucked inside fresh boxes left on locker-room chairs before random practices.

密歇根大学与耐克签订的合同一直持续到2031年，总价高达1.738亿美元，有些球员表示，他们本赛季最多收到了13双Jordan系列的球鞋。他们表示，有时候塞进鞋盒的球鞋会在任意一场训练前摆在他们更衣柜前的椅子上。

"It was pretty cool just to get free stuff，" said Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman， a junior guard who， before he joined the Wolverines， would spend his own money on the Jordan gear he now gets gratis.

“能得到免费的东西挺酷的。”密歇根大学的大三后卫穆罕默德-阿里·阿卜杜尔-拉克曼表示，进入密歇根大学前，他会自己花钱买这些现在免费送给他的Jordan球鞋。

Bob Bland， Michigans longtime equipment manager， is responsible for the surprises. When a new shipment of sneakers arrived this season， Bland showed up for a team film session with a bin full of them. He called players up by name and number to receive their allotments.

長年在密西根大学担任装备经理的鲍勃·布兰德负责给球员带去这些惊喜。本赛季每次收到新鞋，布兰德都会拉着一个大桶出现在球队的录像分析课上。通过叫号和叫名字，球员们就能拿到属于自己的那一部分。

Moments like those are a big deal for Brent Hibbitts， a sophomore walk-on from Hudsonville， Mich. Growing up， he said， he was such a fan of Jordan sneakers that he would camp outside stores just for the chance to buy the newest release.

对于布伦特·希比茨这种来自密歇根哈德森威尔的不起眼二年级球员来说，这是非常重要的时刻。他表示，从小他就深爱着Jordan球鞋，他愿意在商店外露宿，就为了买到最新款球鞋。

"I think I waited outside one time for 10 hours in a blizzard，" he said.

“我记得有一次冒着暴风雪，我等了10个小时。”他说。

Hibbitts no longer has to subject himself to such ordeals. Nor do the players at North Carolina — Michael Jordans alma mater — which also has a deal with Nike. White， for example， said he had stacks of Jordan sneakers in boxes. Some live in his locker. Others take up real estate in his dorm room. He has even sent a few to his parents for safekeeping.

希比茨再也不需要忍受那样的折磨。迈克尔·乔丹的母校，北卡的球员们也不需要，他们也和耐克签下了合同。比方说，怀特表示他有好几双Jordan的球鞋。有些放在更衣柜，有些放在宿舍。为了妥善保管，他甚至把一些鞋放到了父母那里。

"Stockpiles，" White said.

“囤积了好多。”怀特说。

And while he is happy to part with T-shirts and also has bequeathed used pairs of sneakers to friends， White was clear that there is a line even friends and family cannot cross. "Theyre not，" he said， "getting any of the new stuff."

尽管他很高兴送T恤给别人，或者把穿过的球鞋送给朋友，但怀特明确了一条底线，“他们不会拿到新东西。”他说。

Alex Olesinski， a sophomore forward at U.C.L.A.， said his classmates were always in the market for his Adidas-provided freebies. "Theyll be like，Give me a shirt，" he said. Most are not particularly discriminating， he added.“Theyll take anything， honestly.”

UCLA的二年级前锋亚力克斯·奥利辛斯基表示，他的同学总是觊觎阿迪达斯免费送给他的装备。“他们会说，‘给我件衣服。”他说。大部分人并不挑剔，他补充道：“说真的，他们什么都愿意要。”

There could be a lot for the taking soon： The Bruins are in the final year of their multimillion-dollar contract with Adidas and next season will switch to Under Armour. Despite that coming change， the Bruins equipment cupboard is anything but bare. This season， Olesinski said， Adidas provided each U.C.L.A. player with more than 15 pairs of sneakers. In the locker room after the teams practice session on Thursday afternoon at FedEx Forum， Olesinski pointed to a nearby pair of colorful high-tops.

很快他们就能得到更多的东西：UCLA正处于和阿迪达斯百万美元合同的最后一年。尽管即将发生改变，可UCLA的装备库始终满满当当。奥利辛斯基说，本赛季阿迪达斯为每一名UCLA球员提供了超过15双球鞋。周四下午在联邦快递球馆的训练结束后，更衣室里的奥利辛斯基指着不远处一双色彩鲜艳的高帮球鞋这样说道。

"Today is the first day Ive worn those，" he said. "Comfortable."

“今天是我第一次穿这双鞋。”他说，“很舒服。”

Dillon Pulliam， a sophomore guard at Kentucky， has laid in about a dozen pairs of sneakers that he has never worn. He has lent a couple pairs to his younger brother， Zach， who plays at Division III Transylvania University in Lexington， Ky， far down the equipment-deal food chain. The occasional giveaway is no problem， Pulliam said. He still has more than enough for himself.

肯塔基大学的二年级后卫迪隆·普利亚姆表示，他拿到了十多双鞋，都没穿过。他把其中几双借给了自己在二级联盟大学，肯塔基州莱克星顿的特兰西瓦尼亚大学打球的弟弟扎克，那所学校自然处于装备食物链的底层。普利亚姆表示，剩下的球鞋足够他穿了。

"Im going to be good for basketball shoes for the rest of my life，" Pulliam said.

“我這辈子的篮球鞋都够了。”普利亚姆说。

Some of his friends， though， are more discerning collectors. Pulliam said he had heard from several people this season who coveted one teamissued item in particular： custom-made Nike Kobe 11s with the Wildcats interlocking UK logo on the inside heel. Each Kentucky player， he said， had received three pairs， one each in three color schemes： blue， white and gray.

不过他的一些朋友在收藏的问题上更为挑剔。普利亚姆说，本赛季他听好几个人说过，他们想要一个球队定制的装备：定制的耐克科比11代球鞋，鞋跟内部印有夜猫和肯塔基队标。他说每名肯塔基球员收到了三双这样的鞋，每双都是蓝色、白色和灰色这样的配色。

Nike made similar versions for Duke， Michigan State and Oregon， but if you want a pair， good luck： Because they were team-only items， you would need to find a player willing to part with his.

耐克也为杜克，密歇根州大和俄勒冈大学提供了类似版本的球鞋，若是想得到这样的球鞋，只能祝你好运了：因为这种鞋只送给球队成员，你需要找到一个愿意送出球鞋的球员。

Sneakers are seldom in short supply at programs like Kentucky， North Carolina and U.C.L.A.， the three blue bloods that cohabitated in Memphis over the past few days for the South Region semifinals and final. The fourth team left in the region when the weekend began， Butler， is a program with its own rich basketball history — but one that appears to take a more judicious approach to equipment.

在肯塔基，北卡和UCLA这样的学校，球鞋很少出现短缺，这三所学校过去几天一直在孟菲斯参加南部赛区的半决赛和决赛。周末开始时第四支走出该地区的球队巴特勒大学，也是一所有着丰富篮球历史的学校——但他们对待装备的态度更为谨慎。

Nate Fowler， a sophomore center， said each Butler player typically receives three sets of practice shorts and jerseys at the start of the season， along with one pair of sneakers. They get another pair about halfway through the season， and then maybe one more at the start of the postseason. Fowler said he was aware that players at other programs get more free stuff， not that he minds.

二年级中锋内特·富勒表示，巴特勒大学每名球员一般会在赛季开始时收到三套训练短裤和球衣，以及一双球鞋。赛季过完一半时，他们会再得到一双球鞋，季后赛开始时可能还能得到一双。富勒说他知道其他学校的球员能得到更多装备，但他并不在意。

He knows he can always get more — as needed. Butler， you see， has a storage closet.

他知道能得到更多，也能收到装备。你看，巴特勒也有装备储备库。

"If anything rips，" he said， "theyll replace it."

“如果有东西坏了，他们就会换掉。”他说。