Mike Cox

The ancient Olympians wore no pants; shirts either. Of course, this was in the days before Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. Nudity was accepted as natural and we weren’t as guilty about our bodies.

We haven’t been comfortable with that much skin for a long time. I’m not sure any of us want to see the world’s best athletes running around naked. But there are exceptions. As a matter of fact, a couple of other sports could increase attendance with such an idea. The WNBA and the LPGA come to mind. But the rest look a lot better in uniform. Could you imagine an NFL offensive lineman… never mind.

I’d bet the Winter Games participants never performed in the nude. Those ancient athletes were hearty souls, but I don’t think they were that tough. Really drunk Packer fans go without a shirt in the frozen tundra, but even they are smart enough to put on pants and gloves.

As the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics have become more television friendly, the clothes worn by the athletes have become more elaborate and more important. Nike, Adidas, and other monster athletic companies are really glad. The Olympics have become a fashion show for casual wear and a cash cow for trendy logos.

Among the Goliaths of the athletic wear industry, a David has emerged and is putting the big boys on notice. In 1998, a small Canadian based clothing company received permission to outfit the Canadian snowboarders for the Olympics. The stylish and simple outfits they provided were the must have souvenirs in Japan that year. Everyone from Prince Charles to Puff Daddy had one of the berets.

In 1973, Michael Budman and Don Green, two buddies from Detroit, moved to Canada and started a clothing business intoning the Canadian “way of life,” They called the venture Roots and promised to stay with theirs.

The small company trucked along, happy to sell fun and functional leisure outfits, until 1998, when their big break came in the form of the Canadian snowboarders.

In 2001, the company won the rights to outfit the American Winter Olympic team. The US team, and the hordes of consumers who jump on any bandwagon that appears to be cool, catapulted Roots into an earnings level rarely seen by small companies operated by old buddies.

Today, the company boasts an annual sales figure of $300 million, and is looking forward to another boost from the Winter Olympics. The 2004 Summer games showcased Roots clothing on the US team during the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The company also dressed teams from Canada, Great Britain, and Barbados. They even donated all the uniforms for the 2004 Paralympics.

Even though Roots won the right to outfit the US Winter Olympic team this year, the big boys are starting to fight back. David hasn’t vanquished any giants yet, but the privately owned dream can compete with them; at least for now. Let’s hope it stays that way.

In a business dominated by conglomerates and cold decisions, it’s nice to find a company whose logo you might not mind wearing in public.