Why Adidas and Gatorade Had Breakfast With Julio Rodríguez

That moment wouldn’t have happened without Rodríguez and Octagon talking directly with the team at Adidas about their plan. Rodriguez had to do it before, when a pair of custom cleats Adidas made for him didn’t fit quite right during a photo shoot because he didn’t mention that he wore an orthotic insert in one shoe. Adidas was able to scan his foot and get a shoe made to his exact specifications, and that relationship extended to the custom cleats Rodriguez wore during All-Star Week that could be seen from deep right field.

“I talk about partnerships versus deals: Everybody’s looking for a deal, everybody wants a deal,” Stobbs said. “A partnership is one where everybody can sit down at the table and you start to interact and go, ‘Okay, what’s best for your business, what’s best for our business? Okay, let me help you.’”