The Athlete’s Foot (TAF) teamed up with HBCU Elite 100 for a national signing event program at its Lee Street location in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday and Saturday.
According to the retailer, the weekend kicked off with an intimate dinner to celebrate the athletes and their achievements on Friday. Some of Atlanta’s top names in philanthropy and sport, including photographer and Impact Council member Cam Kirk, entertainment lawyer John Rose, personal trainer Amber Gardenhire, and Atlanta Hawks AJ Griffin were in attendance and chatted with the student-athletes about their next step in their academic and professional careers.
Student athletes and champs participating in the signing weekend are Xavier Griffith representing Clark Atlanta men’s basketball, Cedric Taylor III representing Morehouse men’s basketball, Perry Smith Jr. representing North Carolina Central University men’s basketball, Jalal McKie representing North Carolina A&T men’s basketball, Myori Pruitt representing Clark Atlanta women’s basketball, and Haley Dalton representing Winston-Salem State University women’s basketball.
The highlight of the weekend came when the students committed their signatures to paper at the official signing event on Saturday in front of family members, VIPs, and community members. The seven students then went to an official signing photo shoot at Cam Kirk Studios and attended the ATLUTD game. The weekend concluded with the signees exploring the Black entrepreneurial circuit in Atlanta with stops at The Gathering Spot, The Closette, Slutty Vegan to name a few.
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Darius Billings, VP of marketing and community engagement at TAF, said in a statement that it was an “honor to celebrate” these student athletes as they embark on furthering their education at an HBCU. “The experience at an HBCU is unlike no other, and to be able to play sports and get a first-class education is a huge accomplishment,” Billings said.
Jahi Rawlings, founder and CEO of Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League Inc and the creator of HBCU Elite 100, added that the event was “amazing and monumental.”
“They truly deserve this experience, and we are glad to be a part of it,” Rawlings said.
This event comes one month after TAF celebrated the opening of its store in Atlanta’s Atlantic Station shopping district, featuring an updated design that will become the new model for the franchise.
The new “neighborhood” concept is meant to capture a community vibe with customized art elements, local brands and engaging activations. It also reflects the chain’s more diversified merchandising strategy by featuring more apparel options from labels such as Polo, Kappa, Sergio Tacchini, PRPS and Gudlyfe, as well as deeper offerings for women.
TAF was acquired by Arklyz Group AG from Intersport International Corp. in July 2021 and has been in rapid turnaround mode. In 2022, the sneaker retailer reported full-year retail sales of $555 million, a 10% increase from 2021, which saw sales of $503 million.
