Under Armour Inks Deal With Cal Ripken Baseball
April 22, 2009: Under Armour and baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. have formed an alliance under which the performance apparel, footwear and equipment company would have significant presence at several venues and events under the auspices of Ripken Baseball, including providing uniforms for the minor league berdeen IronBirds and youth teams participating in the Cal Ripken World Series this summer. Financial terms were not disclosed. The alliance, which includes Under Armour becoming title sponsor for 25 Ripken youth tournaments that involve 35,000 players, was unveiled at a press conference at the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards in Baltimore on April 22 attended by Ripken, who is president and CEO of Ripken Baseball; Bill Ripken, evp at Ripken Baseball; and Kevin Plank, CEO and chairman at Baltimore-based Under Armour. As part of the alliance, baseball training videos featuring Ripken will be featured on the Under Armour Web site and Ripken Baseball will publicize Under Armour's All-America Baseball Game. Ripken Baseball properties include the IronBirds, and a youth training facility in Aberdeen, Md.; minor league franchise Augusta (Ga.) GreenJackets and Port Charlotte (Fla.) Stone Crabs; and a youth training facility in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Under Armour also will become a sponsor of the 10th annual Cal Ripken World Series (Babe Ruth League 12-and-under teams), which will take place at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen Aug. 12-22. Other sponsors include Chevy, State Farm, Gatorade, Energizer, CVS and Transamerica insurance. The York (Pa.) Revolution of the independent Atlantic League last week became the first pro baseball team to wear Under Armour uniforms, designed with wicking fabric to draw away heat and sweat. "It's a perfect match," Ripken said during the press conference. "Under Armour is the coolest brand around. My son Ryan has been telling me that for years. Our youth teams will be a 'feedback arm' for their research and development." Back to Home Page