Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Business
    Home / Business / Companies

    Anta set to expand in global sports world

    By Paul Welitzkin in New York | China Daily | Updated: 2018-12-25 09:17
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Photo taken on Dec 7, 2018 is an Anta Sports in East China's Anhui province. [Photo/IC]

    China is embracing a larger role in the global sports world as a Chinese company is poised to acquire the company that owns one of the most iconic brands associated with the US pastime of baseball: the Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

    Earlier this month, an international consortium led by China's Anta Sports that includes Tencent Holdings and Anamered Investments, which is owned by Canadian billionaire Chip Wilson, founder of yoga apparel company Lululemon Athletica, offered to acquire Finland's Amer Sports, which owns the Louisville Slugger and Wilson Sporting Goods, for $5 billion according to Reuters, as well as two other sports items frequently made with wood components, Wilson tennis rackets and Atomic Ski.

    Along with apple pie and hot dogs, baseball remains a symbol of the United States. The hardwood Louisville Slugger bats are mainstays among American ballplayers from youth leagues to the major league, where it is the official and No 1 bat.

    Founded in 1884, Louisville Slugger's website says it has sold more than 100,000,000 bats, which continue to be made where they began, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, which is also home to The Louisville Slugger Museum.

    While baseball is not as global as soccer or basketball, it has been international for a long time, said David Hollander, a professor of sports management at New York University.

    "Baseball players use Japanese products regularly. I don't think any of them will suddenly look at a product they've been relying on for their entire careers and say 'Hold on a second, this is made in China! No way I'm using that', I don't see that happening. Sports has always been a common ground for people of different backgrounds to come together. Sports business is too, and in this instance can be yet again," he told China Daily.

    Paul Swangard, a professor of sports brand strategy at the University of Oregon, also doesn't expect the sale to have much impact on consumers. "Foreign ownership of iconic domestic brands isn't unusual and the casual consumer might never make the connection," he said.

    China's Anta is eager to expand its brand in the international market. Tencent has been increasing its involvement in sports. Earlier this year, Major League Baseball (MLB) and Tencent formed a strategic partnership to livestream MLB games and MLB highlight programs in China.

    Swangard believes there is a domestic upside for overseas sports brands in China.

    "As consumers' sporting activity continues to grow in the country, I strongly believe foreign brands will be in high demand for perceived quality. There is also a lot to learn from these Western brands as China's own domestic sport market emerges. They are acquiring business best-practices not readily seen in the current domestic market," he said.

    Of the US professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has made the biggest inroads into the Chinese market, Swangard said.

    "While the other three leagues (National Football League, MLB and the National Hockey League) have all been in the market for years, they are all still trying to crack the cultural code to get the sports ingrained into the DNA of the population. Basketball has had a century head start and that will continue to provide a solid foundation for future growth," he added.

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    CLOSE
     
    天堂在线观看中文字幕| 亚洲精品国产日韩无码AV永久免费网 | 911国产免费无码专区| 中文字幕丰满乱子无码视频| 日韩少妇无码喷潮系列一二三| 在线精品无码字幕无码AV| 亚洲国产a∨无码中文777| 超清无码无卡中文字幕| 亚洲Av无码专区国产乱码DVD| 最新中文字幕在线| 一二三四社区在线中文视频| 久久亚洲精品无码播放| 日韩免费人妻AV无码专区蜜桃| 免费看成人AA片无码视频羞羞网| 乱人伦中文视频在线| 免费 无码 国产在线观看观| 精品国产v无码大片在线观看| 国产AV无码专区亚洲AV手机麻豆| 久久精品99无色码中文字幕| 日韩精品无码中文字幕一区二区| 中文字幕无码不卡免费视频| 久久久久亚洲?V成人无码| 国产Av激情久久无码天堂| 日韩人妻无码中文字幕视频| 亚洲AV永久无码区成人网站| 国产色无码专区在线观看| 人妻丰满熟妇AV无码区HD| 亚欧无码精品无码有性视频| 亚洲AV人无码激艳猛片| 寂寞少妇做spa按摩无码| 亚洲欧美在线一区中文字幕| 久久精品中文字幕第23页| 国产中文字幕在线视频| 天堂中文在线资源| 无码毛片一区二区三区中文字幕| 精品久久久久久久中文字幕 | 久久无码AV中文出轨人妻| 毛片一区二区三区无码| 亚洲国产精品无码久久青草| 亚洲中文字幕在线第六区| 日本乱中文字幕系列|