Contrary to the initial plan, the Indiana Hoosiers won’t wear uniforms by Fear Of God Athletics and adidas this season.
The women’s basketball team planned to debut new alternate FOG jerseys against Ohio State on Thursday, just a day after they were unveiled on Instagram, but then reverted back to their normal kits before tip-off. In a now-deleted post on X, student journalist @ian_plaskoff broke news that the decision stems from the adidas/FOG association with Kanye West, who of course made headlines due to a recent barrage of unsettling social posts.
The official statement from Indiana Athletics neither confirms nor denies this. Per the Indiana Daily Student, a spokesperson for the athletic department states: “Indiana men’s and women’s basketball programs will not be wearing the Fear of God uniform design in any upcoming games. IU will continue to proudly wear adidas apparel, including our traditional basketball uniforms.” The same spokesperson allegedly declined to offer a reason for the hasty change.
Indiana University previously wore alternate FOG jerseys last season, but it now looks like the future of the partnership might be in jeopardy. At the time of this writing, FOG Athletics plans to release an “Indiana” colorway of the II Basketball performance model in March. Whether that sneaker makes it to market or not will be telling.
