Two of the biggest brands in baseball agreed to come with Wilson Sporting Goods announcing the purchase of Hillerich & Bradsby’s Louisville Slugger baseball bat. The deal is worth $70 million.
Louisville Slugger took over baseball for over 100 years, being used by more than 18,000 Major League Baseball players. Although in recent years, the brand began to receive competition.
“The rise of softball created a new opportunity for competitors and as everything went from wood to metal from the Little League to the college level, it was an entirely different product that Louisville Slugger wasn’t ready for,” said Philip Shirley, co-author of “Sweet Spot: 125 Years of Baseball and the Louisville Slugger.”
Another reason Hillerich stated was a part of the sell were the many lawsuits he has received due to injuries resulting from metal bats. H&B will continue to manufacture the bats in Louisville, but under the Wilson name.
Source: ESPN