Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank noted the company's deal with MLB to become the league's uniform supplier beginning in '20 is its first deal with one of the four major U.S. sports. Plank appeared on CNBC along with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and said UA has had "lots of relationships -- EPL clubs in Europe, a lot of big collegiate deals." However, to "take down one of the leagues -- and most importantly, a league that we think has such incredible momentum, has such incredible leadership and, frankly, a vision of what it can be and the definition of America's pastime -- means the world to us." Plank: "As we look to grow out being a global brand, there's nothing more iconically American than the sport of baseball. It's an easy step for our company and really makes sense for the brand." CNBC's Sara Eisen noted UA is a "brand that skews younger" and suggested to Manfred that partnering with such a company is "part of your strategy here." Eisen: "Baseball desperately needs some younger fans right now." Manfred: "We love the idea that Under Armour's a brand that young people like. We like the emphasis on performance. Athlete performance is huge for us, and quite frankly, we found Kevin's energy to be really appealing in terms of trying to move our sport forward" ("Squawk on the Street," CNBC, 12/7).
MEETING REALITY: Plank called the MLB deal a "historic moment" for the company. In N.Y., Lois Weiss notes players will wear the UA logo "on their right chest," the first corporate mark on MLB jerseys, Plank said, “We dealt with this, we put the logo in the ivy at Wrigley -- no difference. This is baseball, this is sports but this is also reality and a massive opportunity and a great partnership of two terrific brands” (N.Y. POST, 12/7).
