Fred Kerley Has No Track & Field Sponsorship, Yet This $1.3 Billion Worth Sunglass Brand Never Broke Ties

Fred Kerley has achieved step 1 of his Paris mission by securing third place in the 100m US Olympic trials, thus qualifying for Paris. However, Kerley’s third-place finish belies the close competition that unfolded. Noah Lyles took the lead with a comfortable 9.83s. Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley finished second and third respectively, with almost identical times. Bednarek clocked 9.87s, while Kerley followed closely with 9.88s, a difference of just 0.01s between them.

Meanwhile, Kerley considers himself fortunate to have the opportunity to compete in Paris. Ironically, he faced a dilemma as he lacked appropriate apparel for the competition. Although sponsored by Oakley, the absence of suitable apparel nearly prevented him from participating in the Olympic trials.

Fred Kerley confirms Oakley deal despite running short of attires

Back in 2023, Fred Kerley secured a deal with Oakley. Getting sponsored for the Paris Olympics, Fred Kerley will be donning the Encoder Strike Vented and the Heliostat glasses. But Kerley had no sponsored attire to wear. And soon after Kerley attended the presser after the trials, the media got to the sponsorship point pretty quickly. They asked, “You’re wearing Oakley now I mean can you tell us kind of the story of what you’ve been going through to get to this point.”

Kerley immediately confirmed his relationship with Oakley as he said, “I’ve been sponsor by Oakley so no so l’m I’m just glad to be back and work forward.” The deal with Oakley states that the company would provide Kerley only with glasses. Thus, facing acute challenges with his apparel, Kerley decided to come out wearing Nike, a brand with whom the athlete was associated back in 2021. Kerley donned a Nike Air Zoom Maxfly as he darted past the others to secure a 100m spot in Paris. 

Interestingly, during the 2021 trials too, Kerley sported a Nike Mamba 3, which led to him securing the silver medal in Tokyo. Well, it seems that Kerley’s practice of wearing different sponsors might have worked this time. Unfortunately, it also cost him dear when ASICS terminated their involvement with the Olympian. 

Fred Kerley lost a chunk of his net worth with ASICS opting out

ASICS had a deal with Fred Kerley. But at the New York City Grand Prix, Kerley walked out donning spikes from Puma. This did not sit well with the ASICS and they decided to terminate their deal immediately. Taking to social media, ASICS stated, “ASICS and Fred Kerley have mutually parted ways and he is no longer an ASICS sponsored athlete. We wish him the best in his career.”

This setback was a significant financial blow for Kerley. With sponsors like Nike and ASICS supporting him, Kerley’s net worth had risen to $5 million. However, with ASICS withdrawing their support, Kerley faces a considerable financial setback. Now, with uncertain sponsorship prospects, Fred Kerley must achieve Olympic glory to restore his financial stability.