**History and Acquisitions**:
– Founded by Thomas Wilson.
– Traces roots to Schwarzschild & Sulzberger meatpacking company.
– Introduced tennis racket strings, violin strings, and surgical sutures in 1914.
– Acquired Hetzinger Knitting Mills for athletic uniforms.
– Renamed Wilson Sporting Goods Company in 1931.
**Product Range**:
– Manufactures products for various sports.
– Includes subsidiary brand DeMarini.
– Louisville Slugger bats manufactured by Hillerich & Bradsby.
– Louisville Slugger brand acquired by Wilson in 2015.
– Operates Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.
– Offers baseball gloves in A2K, A2000, and A1000 series.
– Golf division under Wilson Staff, ProStaff, and Ultra brands.
**Louisville Slugger**:
– Endorsed by Honus Wagner in 1905.
– Used by baseball stars like Babe Ruth.
– Controlled by Hillerich & Bradsby until 2015.
– P72 model bat created in 1954, renamed DJ2 in honor of Derek Jeter in 2014.
**Sponsorships**:
– Official game ball supplier for NFL since 1941.
– Supplies footballs for college and high school levels.
– Official ball supplier for NBA, WNBA, and NCAA tournaments.
– Provides balls for CFL, UFL, and AAF.
– Offers baseball gloves in various patterns and series.
**Sports Equipment and Partnerships**:
– Official ball supplier for NCAA soccer.
– Major manufacturer of tennis rackets used by top players like Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.
– Produces tennis balls, shoes, strings, clothes, and racquet bags.
– Official ball supplier of the AVP for volleyball.
– Partnered with Crossnet for volleyball products in 2021.
The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. Wilson makes equipment for many sports, among them baseball, badminton, American football, basketball, fastpitch softball, golf, racquetball, soccer, squash, tennis, pickleball and volleyball.
 | |
| Formerly | Ashland Manufacturing Company (1913–31) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private (1913–67) Subsidiary (1967–present) |
| Industry | Sports equipment |
| Founded | 1913 |
| Founder | Thomas E. Wilson |
| Fate | Acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought in 1967, then other owners |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
| Products | Balls, rackets, shuttlecock,uniforms, apparel |
| Brands | Wilson Staff |
| $930 million (2010) | |
Number of employees | 1,600 |
| Parent | Amer Sports |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | wilson.com |
The company owns the brands Atec, DeMarini, EvoShield, Louisville Slugger, and Luxilon to provide sports equipment and protective gear for baseball, lacrosse, softball, and tennis. The company has been a subsidiary of Finnish retailer Amer Sports since 1989.