• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, May 2, 2018

Just in time for NBA playoff frenzy, Under Armour is introducing Steph IQ, a mobile trivia game that it says is one of the first linked to an athlete’s on-the-court performance. The game is triggered each night when Steph Curry, the legendary Golden State Warriors, hits his first three-pointer. 

The game, hosted by Brandon Armstrong (@bdotadot5), the Instagram personality known for his spoofs of athletes, then asks eight multiple-choice trivia questions. Fans who get all eight questions right will then split thousands in Under Armour store credits, as well as a shot at raffles for new Curry 5 and post-season tickets for the Warriors.

Curry, perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history, is just returning from a five-week absence due to injury and is the face of Under Armour’s basketball business. (In his first game back, he sunk a three-pointer just seconds into the game.)

But times continue to be tough for the Baltimore-based Under Armour. It just reported that while revenue rose 6% in the first quarter to $1.2 billion (or 4% on a currency-neutral basis) sales in North America actually fell 1%. And although apparel revenue gained 7% to $766 million, footwear sales only managed a 1% increase to $272 million. 

The company says the results show it is on the right track with new initiatives, with Kevin A. Plank, chairman and CEO, telling investors that Under Armour is “definitely focused on being a louder brand this year.”

Results narrowly beat Wall Street’s expectations. But analysts say the company is still facing significant problems, many stemming from having grown too fast too soon. And while rivals Nike and Adidas have established themselves as both performance and fashion brands, Under Armour’s efforts to do so have stumbled, especially with women. 

“There is risk to the outlook and uncertainty around returning the brand to consistent profitable growth, as well as around the company's strategic direction,” writes Christopher Svezia, who follows Under Armour for Wedbush Securities. “The question remains if Under Armour should focus solely on the performance market or embrace a more balanced approach to include lifestyle,” he says. 

While sales are brisk internationally, “growth in Under Armour's home market has been negative or virtually non-existent for well over a year,” writes Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, about the new earnings report. “Within North America, we believe that Under Armour's image is still off-pitch and that its brand strategy remains extremely muddled.”