For South Forsyth High School’s (SFHS) athletes, the toughest battles have not always been on the field. Instead, it’s sometimes something far less expected: the uniforms.
For years, while partnered with Nike, SFHS’s teams faced problems of their gear arriving late, showing up in the wrong size, or never arriving at all. After intense frustration over Nike’s communication errors, built up over several seasons, South Forsyth decided to make a change and turned to Under Armour in hopes for a more dependable partnership.
The recurring delays were more than just a minor inconvenience. The inconsistent arrival of uniforms forced teams to compete without official school gear. Stepping out onto the field without the right uniform made athletes feel half-prepared.
Keith Gravitt, the Director of Athletics at South Forsyth High School, provided his input on the subject. While fulfilling the role of Director of Athletics, Gravitt also serves as the Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball Team, and has been working within the Forsyth County School System for 31 years, with 21 of those years being at SFHS.
“We had a lot of supply issues with Nike merchandise,” Gravitt said. “One year, uniforms got here halfway through the season that we had ordered. Either one or two seasons later, we had some issues with spring sports uniforms, so the collective issues mounted from that led us to explore other options.”
It became evident that there was an issue with Nike’s shipment consistency during the COVID-19 pandemic, where global supply chains were fluctuating. Yet the issue still continued, and so did South Forsyth’s frustration with Nike.
Despite the issues, SFHS maintained their partnership with Nike through Business Services Network (BSN) from 2018. But with the repeated complications, Gravitt decided that a change was needed.
Many SFHS athletes question why they switched to Under Armour, as multiple teams received new uniforms last season.
Gravitt told The Bird Feed that the switch had been considered for a long time.
“I actually looked at switching [parterships] the year before… [but]… it took about a year and a half to actually get to this point,” he said.
The point that Gravitt intended to meet was to find a provider that gave transparency, maintained a constant communication, and built a partnership SFHS could trust for years to come.
“We got what we feel is a stronger relationship with the brand provider (Under Armour), and if there happens to be a timing, shipping, supply issue, they’re going to let us know in a more timely manner,” said Gravitt.
Overall, South Forsyth’s decision to switch to Under Armour is about more than efficiency, as uniforms are part of the culture at the school. These new uniforms represent students that are unified and the shared identities of all athletes of every sport. The South Forsyth logo on jerseys is a symbol of pride for every athlete who wears it.
“I think that’s part of what our school is, what we like to be,” said Gravitt. “We like for every program to look somewhat uniform, have some continuity, just like we’re all War Eagles no matter what team we are.”
Starting now, South Forsyth’s athletes are stepping onto the field under new armor, both literally and figuratively. After years of issues and setbacks, the switch to Under Armour is a reminder that our jerseys are more than just fabric, but a symbol of pride and belonging for every athlete that wears the War Eagle name.
