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
     
    88国产精品无码一区二区三区| 精品中文高清欧美| 亚洲乱码中文字幕综合234| 88久久精品无码一区二区毛片| 最近免费中文字幕中文高清| 亚洲av综合avav中文| 99久久精品无码一区二区毛片| 十八禁视频在线观看免费无码无遮挡骂过 | 中文字幕无码日韩专区免费| 精品日韩亚洲AV无码| 成人无码A区在线观看视频| 中文字幕亚洲精品资源网| 亚洲欧美综合在线中文| 无码不卡亚洲成?人片| 国产精品va在线观看无码| 无码专区狠狠躁躁天天躁| 伊人久久无码中文字幕| 自拍中文精品无码| 中文字幕日本精品一区二区三区| 日韩欧美中文亚洲高清在线 | 亚洲中文字幕不卡无码| 久久无码人妻精品一区二区三区 | 亚洲一区二区三区无码影院| AV无码久久久久不卡网站下载| 少妇无码AV无码专区线| 无码人妻久久一区二区三区 | 精品欧洲AV无码一区二区男男| 亚洲av福利无码无一区二区| 中文字幕无码人妻AAA片| 精品无码成人片一区二区98 | 国产热の有码热の无码视频| 无码精品日韩中文字幕| 日韩免费无码一区二区三区| 人妻精品久久无码区| 成 人无码在线视频高清不卡| a级毛片无码兔费真人久久| 久久久久亚洲AV无码专区桃色| 亚洲av无码国产精品色在线看不卡 | 中出人妻中文字幕无码| 无码专区久久综合久中文字幕| 久久久无码精品亚洲日韩蜜臀浪潮|