Sporting goods company
Spalding
is an American
sports equipment
manufacturing company. It was founded by
Albert Spalding
in
Chicago
in 1876 as a baseball manufacturer, and is today headquartered in
Bowling Green, Kentucky
. It sells
softballs
through its
subsidiary
Dudley Sports. In the past, Spalding has manufactured balls for other sports, including
American football
,
soccer
, volleyball, tennis, and golf.
For a brief period in the 1980s, Spalding was also a designer of
aftermarket
automotive wheels
.
History
[
edit
]
The company was founded in 1876 when
Albert Spalding
was a pitcher and manager of an early professional baseball team in Chicago, the
Chicago White Stockings
. The company standardized early
baseballs
and developed the modern
baseball bat
, a derivation of the
cricket bat
.
The Spalding "League Ball" was adopted by the
National League
and used by the league since 1880, as well as by the
American Association of Professional Base Ball Clubs
for the seasons of 1892?1896. It was manufactured by A. G. Spalding & Bros.,
Chicago
,
New York
&
Philadelphia
and sold for $1.50 in 1896.
[1]
[
circular reference
]
In 1892, Spalding acquired rival sporting goods companies
Wright & Ditson
and
A. J. Reach
.
[2]
In 1893, A.G. Spalding & Brothers purchased the Lamb Knitting Machine Company of
Chicopee Falls
, Massachusetts, and renamed it the Lamb Manufacturing Company. It used this purchase to consolidate its
ice skate
manufactory from Newark and its gymnasium goods manufactory from Philadelphia to the Chicopee plant. Lamb, primarily engaged in manufacturing
knitting machines
,
rifles
, and
egg-beaters
, had been fulfilling a contract since 1890 to produce the Credenda bicycle wheel for Spalding. Spalding chose Chicopee because it was the home of the
Overman Wheel Company
since it acted as their distributor in the Western USA, and Mr. Overman contracted with Lamb to make wheels for its lower-end products.
[3]
Production of bicycles continued at the Chicopee plant through the latter part of the 19th century, but in 1899 A.G. Ben Spalding sold its bicycle division to a massive trust called the
American Bicycle Company
which controlled 65% of the bicycle business in the US.
[4]
By 1900, Spalding was selling
dumbbells
,
Indian clubs
, and
punching bags
.
[5]
During 1916, Spalding was selling a wide variety of sports-related items, including clothing (athletic shirts, belts, pads, hats, jackets, jerseys, pants, shoes, and swimming suits), barbells, fencing blades and foils, golf clubs, guy robes, measuring tapes, pulleys and weights, rowing machines, track equipment (discus, hurdles, hammers, javelins, poles for vaulting, shotputs, and stop watches), and whistles.
[6]
By 1919, A.G. Spalding & Brothers had developed infantry and cavalry fencing masks for the
U.S. Government
.
[7]
[8]
During
World War II
the company joined five other firms to form the
New England Small Arms
Corporation for manufacture of
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifles
.
[9]
A.G. Spalding, as a subcontractor to Sprague Electric Co., also produced parts for the "toothpick" capacitors that were used with the VT
proximity fuse
.
[10]
[11]
From the early 1930s through the mid-1940s Spalding produced the official game pucks for the National Hockey League. Spalding produced the well-known "
Spaldeen
" high-bounce rubber ball, said to be a re-use of defective tennis ball cores,
[
citation needed
]
that was sold to city children from 1949. In baseball, Spalding manufactured the official ball of the
Major Leagues
through the 1976 season, using the Reach brand on American League balls and the Spalding trademark on the National League's. Since 1977 the official ball for MLB has been made by
Rawlings
.
From 1981, in a partnership with the
Toyo Rubber Company
of
Japan
, Spalding designed a series of aftermarket automotive wheels known as the "Message" series. It was one of these wheels, the Message II,
[12]
purportedly described by the company as like a "
steam locomotive piston
" which won awards from publications such as
Motorfan Magazine
as the best spoke type wheel and reader's overall choice. Wheels bearing the Spalding name are known to have been manufactured through to at least 1986.
In August 1996, Spalding was acquired by
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
.
[13]
[14]
Spalding became a division of the
Russell Corporation
in 2003
[15]
?exclusive of its golf operations (which included the
Top-Flite
, Ben Hogan and Strata
brands
), which were eventually bought by the
Callaway Golf Company
later the same year.
[16]
Products
[
edit
]
Spalding has manufactured balls for
baseball
,
softball
,
American football
,
soccer
,
volleyball
,
tennis
, and
golf
. For a brief period in the 1980s, Spalding was also a designer of
aftermarket
automotive wheels
.
Basketball
[
edit
]
Spalding developed its first basketball in 1894
[17]
based on the design of a baseball, and is currently a leading producer. Spalding was the official game ball supplier to the
National Basketball Association
(NBA) from
1983
to
2021
, when the league reunited with
Wilson
after 37 years.
[18]
In 2006, Spalding and the NBA announced that they would create a new NBA Official Game Ball for the 2006?07 NBA season, with interlocking segments and made with a
synthetic leather
instead of the real thing.
[19]
However, many NBA players complained that the new composite ball became extremely slick after use, wouldn't bounce as high, bounced awkwardly off the rim and backboard, and cut their fingers. In response, the NBA reverted to the old leather balls (with the old eight-panel pattern) on January 1, 2007.
[20]
Prior to the
AFL?NFL merger
, Spalding produced the
American Football League
's game ball, the J5V (or J5-V), which was
1
⁄
4
in (0.64 cm) narrower and
1
⁄
4
in (0.64 cm) longer than the NFL football, "The Duke" by
Wilson
.
[21]
[22]
The company was the official game ball supplier of the first and second incarnations
Arena Football League
, an indoor American football league, from 2004 until its 2019 shutdown; the
Horween Leather Company
supplied leather to Spalding those balls.
[23]
[24]
Other sports
[
edit
]
The company was one of the first to use high-profile athletes to endorse its products when tennis player
Pancho Gonzales
was signed to an exclusive endorsement contract in 1951.
Spalding sells
softballs
through its
subsidiary
Dudley Sports.
Spalding Athletic Library
[
edit
]
In 1892 Spalding created the
Spalding Athletic Library
, which sold sports and exercise books through its American Sports Publishing Company, also founded that year.
[25]
[26]
The first book published was
Life and Battles of James J. Corbett
, Volume 1, Number 1 in 1892. The book includes stories of Corbett's past opponents. The first book was published under: Spalding's Athletic Library, American Sports Publishing Company, New York.
[27]
The editor of the first book was Richard K. Fox, and Corbett was referred to as the California Wonder.
[28]
In the baseball series, Ty Cobb wrote "Strategy in the Outfield."
[29]
In the self defense series, Jiu Jitsui with poses by A Minami and K Koyama.
[30]
The Spalding Athletic Library covered a variety of sports, exercises, and organizations. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper stated regarding this collection, "devoted to all athletics pastimes, indoor and outdoor, and is the recognized American cyclopedia of sport".
[31]
The company's last publication was in 1941.
An article by the
Society for American Baseball Research
(SABR) states, "It lasted for many years and enjoyed the greatest success of any publication of its kind."
[32]
Advertisements inside books available from Spalding included
archery
, athletics (track and field; all around;
cross country running
; and
marathon
),
badminton
,
baseball
,
basketball
, bicycling,
bowling
,
boxing
,
canoeing
,
cricket
,
croquet
,
curling
,
fencing
, (American) football,
golf
, gymnast,
handball
, hockey,
jujutsu
,
lacrosse
, lawn sports, polo,
pushball
,
quoits
,
racquetball
,
rowing
, rugby, skating, soccer,
squash
,
swimming
,
tennis
,
tumbling
,
volleyball
, and
wrestling
.
Bodybuilding
books included the dumbbell,
Indian club
, medicine ball, and pulley weights. Sporting books for organizations included
Amateur Athletic Union
(AAU),
IC4A
,
National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA), Olympics, public schools, and the YMCA.
[33]
[34]
Spalding produced a mail-order catalog that provided a description, price, and picture of their sports equipment, sports books, and exercise books. A couple of examples are "How to Play Golf" for 25 cents, "How to Play Basketball" at 10 cents, and "How to Train for Bicycling" at 10 cents.
[35]
Spalding Co. purchased Wright & Ditson Co. in 1892 and A.J. Reach Co. in 1889.
[36]
For several years after the purchases, Wright & Ditson and A.J. Reach continued to publish sports books separately from the Spalding Athletic Library name.
[37]
[38]
Professional baseball player
George Wright
co-founded Wright & Ditson Co.; and professional baseball player
Al Reach
founded A.J. Reach Co. The Spalding Baseball Guides were published under A.G. Spalding & Bros. until 1893?1894, and starting in 1894?1895 by American Sports Publishing Company (but not using the Spalding Athletic Library name).
[39]
Spalding is the official ball provider of the following leagues and associations, as well as it has deals with exclusive agreements with some prominent athletes:
[40]
[41]
[
as of?
]
Basketball
[
edit
]
Leagues & Associations
[
edit
]
National teams
[
edit
]
Club teams
[
edit
]
KK Sutjeska Nik?i?
Boules
[
edit
]
Other teams
[
edit
]
Volleyball
[
edit
]
Testimonials
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
- Robert Hathaway
, chief of the firm's London branch who became ruler of the Channel Islands royal fief of
Sark
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Spalding's 1896 Official Bicycle Guide, Volume 4, No. 45, page 85"
.
commons.wikimedia.org
. 241 Broadway, New York: American Sports Publishing Co. December 1895.
Archived
from the original on November 2, 2013
. Retrieved
June 27,
2023
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: location (
link
)
- ^
"Business: Spalding"
.
Time
. time.com. February 18, 1929. Archived from
the original
on November 28, 2007
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
Springfield Republican, October 10, 1893, p. 6
- ^
Springfield Republican, September 3, 2008, written by Stephen Jendrysik
- ^
"The Honolulu Advertiser 15 Mar 1900, page 8"
.
Newspapers.com
.
Archived
from the original on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
February 3,
2021
.
- ^
Toombs, Frederick R. (1913).
Jiu jitsu, the effective Japanese mode of self-defense
. Spalding "red cover" series of athletic handbooks.no. 21R. New York: American Sports Publishing Company.
Archived
from the original on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
February 3,
2021
.
- ^
"Armor - Body and Helmets - Infantry Fencing Mask made by A.G. Spaulding & Bros. for the U.S. Government"
.
National Archives Catalog
.
- ^
"Armor - Body and Helmets - Side view of Cavalry Fencing Mask by A.G. Spaulding & Bros. for the U.S. Government"
.
National Archives Catalog
.
- ^
Bruce N. Canfield (March 2008). "None available".
American Rifleman
. pp. 35?36.
- ^
Proceedings of The Radio Club of America, Inc., Volume 54, Number 2, October, 1980
- ^
"The Allies' Billion-dollar Secret: The Proximity Fuze of World War II"
.
HistoryNet
. October 19, 2020.
Archived
from the original on August 23, 2021
. Retrieved
August 23,
2021
.
- ^
"Spalding Message II | Kyusha Shoes"
.
Archived
from the original on June 8, 2021
. Retrieved
June 8,
2021
.
- ^
"KKR buys Spalding & Evenflo"
.
Tampa Bay Times
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
Lipin, Steven.
"KKR to Buy Control Of Spalding & Evenflo"
.
The Wall Street Journal
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
"Russell Is Buying Most Of Spalding Sporting Goods Unit"
.
New York Times
. April 18, 2003
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
"Callaway Golf Beats Out Adidas To Buy Top-Flite"
.
New York Times
. September 5, 2003
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
"History of the Basketball"
.
nba.com
. June 28, 2006.
Archived
from the original on March 12, 2011
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
Young, Jabari (May 13, 2020).
"NBA drops Spalding as maker of official basketball after more than 30 years"
. CNBC.
Archived
from the original on June 1, 2021.
- ^
Sandomir, Richard (June 29, 2006).
"N.B.A. Is Getting a Grip on a New Synthetic Game Ball"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on November 10, 2012
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
Robbins, Liz (December 12, 2006).
"N.B.A. Says New Ball Is Not Worth the Pain"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on June 29, 2016
. Retrieved
May 23,
2011
.
- ^
"The AFL's Skinny Football"
.
Sports Illustrated
. June 17, 2014.
- ^
Beschloss, Michael (January 24, 2015).
"Before the Bowl Was Super"
.
New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on January 14, 2018
. Retrieved
June 9,
2015
.
- ^
Farmer, Sam (February 7, 2004).
"This Makes It a New Ballgame"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
January 17,
2024
.
- ^
Horween Leather Company
. encyclopedia.com.
Archived
from the original on July 18, 2013
. Retrieved
March 26,
2013
.
- ^
"Successful Men"
.
The History Box
. Archived from
the original
on January 17, 2021
. Retrieved
October 23,
2020
.
- ^
State, New Jersey Dept of (1892).
Corporations of New Jersey: List of Certificates Filed in the Department of State During the Year ...
MacCrellish & Quigley.
- ^
"Buffalo Courier"
.
Newspapers.com
. Buffalo, NY. October 30, 1892. p. 7.
Archived
from the original on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
October 23,
2020
.
- ^
"Open Library"
. Archived from
the original
on December 12, 2020
. Retrieved
November 22,
2020
.
- ^
Library, New York Public (1922).
The Spalding Baseball Collection
. New York public library.
- ^
Toombs, Frederick R. (1913).
Jiu jitsu, the effective Japanese mode of self-defense
. Spalding "red cover" series of athletic handbooks.no. 21R. New York: American Sports Publishing Company.
Archived
from the original on April 26, 2021
. Retrieved
December 12,
2020
.
- ^
"The Brooklyn Daily Eagle"
.
Newspapers.com
. Brooklyn, New York. August 20, 1905. p. 43.
Archived
from the original on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
October 25,
2020
.
- ^
LinWeber, Ralph E.
"Baseball Guides Galore"
.
research.sabr.org
.
Archived
from the original on May 8, 2021
. Retrieved
December 11,
2020
.
- ^
Books Added: Five-year Cumulation of the Book Bulletin of the Chicago Public Library
. Chicago Public Library. 1916.
- ^
Bulletin of the New York Public Library
. New York Public Library. 1922.
- ^
"Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library; Spalding Catalogue"
. Archived from
the original
on January 12, 2021
. Retrieved
October 24,
2020
.
- ^
"Mysterious Partnership"
. Archived from
the original
on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
December 15,
2020
.
- ^
"REA History"
.
robertedwardauctions.com
.
Archived
from the original on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
December 15,
2020
.
- ^
"Our Game"
.
December 15, 2020
.
- ^
"Arkansas Baseball"
.
Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia
.
Archived
from the original on November 6, 2021
. Retrieved
December 15,
2020
.
- ^
"Spalding partnerships"
. April 1, 2017. Archived from
the original
on March 8, 2021.
- ^
"Spalding 2017 online catalog"
.
Archived
from the original on July 27, 2018
. Retrieved
April 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Ball Adoptions for 2019-2020 and Beyond"
. Kentucky High School Athletic Association.
Archived
from the original on August 24, 2020
. Retrieved
August 20,
2020
.
- ^
"FIBA EuroBasket 2017"
.
FIBA.com
.
Archived
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. Retrieved
May 16,
2017
.
- ^
"#AfroBasket - Day 8: Cape Verde v Republic of Congo (highlights)"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
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. Retrieved
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2016
.
- ^
"Georgia | EuroBasket 2015 ? PHOTO GALLERY"
.
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. Archived from
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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.
FIBA.com
.
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. Retrieved
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2017
.
- ^
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.
FIBA.com
.
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.
- ^
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.
telekom-baskets-bonn.de
. Archived from
the original
on October 4, 2015
. Retrieved
September 30,
2015
.
External links
[
edit
]