Major League Baseball is making a bigger push into the active lifestyle market by signing a new licensing deal for cycling apparel to go with its previous deal to produce team-branded skis and snowboards.
The league signed a deal with Denver-based clothing company Primal Wear, which is the largest custom cycling apparel manufacturer in the U.S. The league debuted examples of the bike clothing at its annual MLB Retail Summit on Nov. 22 in Las Vegas. Terms of the deal were unavailable.
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MLB’s push into the active lifestyle market lets fans show their loyalty on their bike or on the slopes.
Photo by: MLB (2)
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Steve Armus, MLB’s vice president of licensing for soft goods, said the cycling deal was driven by consumer demand.
“Our fans enjoy outdoor sports, so branching into this is a natural for us,” Armus said. “If you’re a hard-core snowboarder or cyclist, you might never see our products in a store even if the products resonate with you.”
The league’s cycling partnership will create jerseys, bike shorts, jackets and socks worn by cyclists. The league will roll out six team cycling kits for the holidays — including the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies — with all 30 club designs available in the spring. Currently the products are available through MLB.com and team websites.
MLB previously had a cycling partnership with Massachusetts-based apparel company VOmax. Armus said MLB ended the four-year deal with VOmax in favor of working with Primal Wear, which already creates branded cycling gear for bands The Grateful Dead, Rush, Pink Floyd and The Police as well as major beer brands and the U.S. military.
VOmax distributed the gear through its website and through a small group of cycling-specific websites. Armus said Primal Wear’s larger distribution network should get the clothing into bike shops and outdoor stores.
“The licensing business is a challenging business, and Primal gets it,” Armus said. “[VOmax] was more of a startup company and had other issues going on.”
Tim Baker, marketing director for Primal Wear, said a major focus of the partnership is to get the MLB gear into local bike shops and major outdoor retailers such as REI. Baker said the timing of the deal prevented Primal Wear from placing the goods in those stores for Christmas but that the cycling jerseys should be in bike shops by the spring.
“There is a real opportunity here with large-chain retailers,” Baker said.
Fred Dreier is a writer in Colorado.
