By Garrett Dvorkin | Baltimore Business Journal
Under Armour Inc. and Ripken Baseball are teaming up again just three years after the two companies parted ways.
Under Armour and Ripken Baseball recently announced that they signed a multi-year deal that will see the Baltimore-based sportswear company provide uniforms and retail products for thousands of youth athletes. The company will also provide uniforms for Ripken Baseball’s Cooperstown All-Star Village tournament, providing more than 9,000 uniforms for the 12-and-under players who will compete.
Under Armour will also be the official retail partner for Ripken Baseball’s six locations across the East Coast, providing all the commemorative apparel for the tournaments as well as products with Ripken Baseball’s logo that can be purchased by parents and family members.
Amanda Shank, Ripken Baseball’s vice president of business development, said the organization and Under Armour started working together in the mid-2000s and that the partnership ended in 2020. She said the timing was right to work together again after Josh Harris and David Blitzer — founders of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils — purchased a majority share of Ripken Baseball. Harris and Blitzer also recently purchased the Washington Commanders.
Shank said Ripken Baseball, with the new investment, is looking to expand and needs a more well-rounded apparel provider to help with the growth.
“We had worked with Under Armour several years ago and as Ripken continues to grow … we have always stayed friendly,” Shank said. “It just felt like the right time to partner again because they are such a leader in brand affinity in the youth sports space and also able to scale with us as we grow.”
Shank said 3N2, a company that specializes in baseball gear, had provided Ripken Baseball with its gear from 2021-2023, but Ripken was looking to move on as the organization expands beyond the diamond. Ripken Baseball currently only provides youth camps and tournaments for baseball and softball, but Shank said the company has other team sports as well as individual sports in its expansion plans.
“We acquired a venue in May, Sports Force Parks in Sandusky, Ohio, and they have multisport fields where they run soccer, lacrosse and flag football. We expect to expand those offerings,” Shank said.
The partnership also comes as Under Armour has now identified young athletes as its target market, with former interim CEO Colin Browne saying last year that the company wants to target younger athletes from 16 to 20 years old when they are on and off the field. The deal with Ripken Baseball would help achieve that goal with the company providing both uniforms and commemorative shirts to be worn after an event is over.
“At Under Armour, we are focused on engaging with the next generation of athletes through performance solutions for both on and off the field. We are excited to work with Ripken Baseball to provide their athletes with our innovative solutions,” an Under Armour spokesperson said.
Under Armour also gets the naming rights for the Ripken Experience in Aberdeen, which will again be called The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Powered by Under Armour.
The deal with Ripken Baseball is the latest sports partnership for Under Armour, which earlier this year extended its relationships with Notre Dame and star athlete Stephen Curry.
Under Armour’s new deals come in contrast to the company’s strategy in previous years, when the company exited deals with universities like the University of California, Berkeley, UCLA and the University of Cincinnati. Under Armour had previously pursued entering the baseball jersey space, having announced a 10-year deal to provide jerseys for Major League Baseball in 2016, but ultimately the company walked away from the opportunity.
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