EyeBlack announced today it has signed a deal with Little League Baseball Inc. to become an approved licensee of the youth sports organization through the next season. Per the deal, Little League Baseball, Little League Softball and the Little League Challenger Division will all see their logos featured on EyeBlack’s glare-reducing adhesives. The deal with Little League extends the company’s relationship with the sport of baseball, as it already has deals with MLB and Minor League Baseball. EyeBlack also just recently signed a deal with National Pro Fastpitch, the only professional softball league in the U.S. “Little League is the iconic name in youth baseball … so it’s a perfectly natural fit for us,” EyeBlack Founder & CEO Peter Beveridge said. The patches will feature trademarked logos and be available in various colors, including pink for softball. Despite not having a presence in Little League prior to this deal, Beveridge expects EyeBlack to sell around a quarter of a million pairs through '13. Beveridge said, “Both Little League and EyeBlack saw this as a really ripe opportunity, that there really wasn’t that much being done on it.” The deal comes out in time for the Little League World Series, which starts August 16. Outside of baseball, EyeBlack holds deals with MLL, Nike, more than 150 collegiate programs, and individual athletes including Bears LB Brian Urlacher and Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley.
