Case - Special Teams to Special Leader at Under Armour

Under Armour is one pretty dry company! Under Armour's mission is to provide technically advanced products engineered with superior fabric construction, exclusive moisture management, and proven innovation. Under Armour produces highly technical gear marketed to provide climate control for athletes. Founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank, Under Armour is the originator of performance apparel-gear engineered to keep athletes cool, dry, and light throughout the course of a game, practice, or workout. Amazingly, Under Armour pretty much created the entire high-end performance apparel market on its own.

While Plank was a special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team, he grew tired of his sweaty T-shirt. He wanted to create the ultimate T-shirt, one that wouldn't absorb moisture. Nearly 10 years later, Plank developed his unique synthetic fiber concept to create one of the most unusual lines of sporting goods products since the founding of Nike.

Where did Under Armour find the nerve to compete against a giant like Nike? Kevin Plank. It seemed as if overnight, Under Armour was available in all the major sporting goods stores, such as Model's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Sports Authority.

In addition, professional leagues and their players became avid users of the unique clothes. Plank oversees all operations and strategic planning, including sales and marketing, production management, forecasting, and general management functions. Today, Under Armour has more than 800 employees. The company has successfully added athletic cleats to diversify its product line. Under Armour even added an a new athletic sneaker to compete directly against Nike and Adidas.

Under Amour signed a five-year, $17.5 million contract with the University of Maryland in 2008 to outfit every varsity team. The company created a marketing stir with its uniforms for the Maryland Terrapins football team. The uniforms are designed to look like the state flag. Some felt that the decision to make a uniform with such an unusual design was a response to the creative Nike uniforms worn by the Oregon Ducks. Lisa Delpy Neirotti, director of George Washington University's sports management MBA program, thought it was a brilliant move. "It's like anything in business . . . being a little bit different . . . gets attention and people talk about it."39 For current information on Under Armour, use the Internet to conduct a name search for Under Armour and visit its website at www.underarmour.com.

Case Questions
1. As CEO, Kevin Plank needs technical skills more than he needs conceptual skills.
a. true
b. false

2. Kevin Plank is a general manager.
a. true
b. false

3. Which resources play the most important role in Under Armour's success?
a. human
b. physical
c. financial
d. informational

4. Which management skills did Kevin Plank call into play for the various situations
discussed in the case?
a. technical skills
b. people and communication skills
c. conceptual and decision-making skills

5. Which management functions are Under Armour's managers performing in the
preceding situations?
a. planning
b. organizing
c. leading
d. controlling
e. all of the above

6. Which management role did Kevin Plank primarily play in Under Armour's journey
to success?
a. interpersonal-leader
b. informational-monitor
c. decisional-negotiator

7. As CEO, Kevin Plank spends most of his time
a. planning and organizing
b. leading and controlling
c. balancing the above

8. Which area of sport management is Under Armour's primary focus?
a. sport broadcasting
b. stadium and arena management
c. recreation management
d. sporting goods manufacturing

9. Use the Internet to list new Under Armour products.

10. Is Kevin Plank the type of manager who would be successful in other sport organizations? Explain.