Portland, Ore. / Williamsport, Pa. (May 1, 2019) – Little League® Baseball and Softball and Adidas are proud to announce today a multi-year partnership under which the Portland, Oregon-based company will become the official uniform, footwear for the Little League World (LLWS) And training apparel suppliers, as well as official sponsors become minor leagues.
Starting this season, adidas will design and manufacture all official field uniforms for all seven World Junior League events in the United States. Additionally, Adidas will provide all teams with Adidas football boots, training uniforms and accessories, and all coaches with sneakers and apparel.
“adidas and Little League have long and storied histories in sport, so it’s both an honor and a privilege to partner with like-minded organizations,” said Jeff McGillis, VP of adidas U.S. Sports. “We believe that through sport, we have the power to change lives and this new partnership exemplifies our commitment to empower young athletes, provide equal access to sport, and help inspire boys and girls to play the sports they love.”
“We are excited to welcome adidas to the Little League family and are looking forward to the great opportunities we can both create for our young baseball and softball players through this partnership,” said Liz DiLullo Brown, Little League Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “More than just the official uniform and footwear to the Little League World Series, adidas will help us to inspire Little Leaguers around the world to achieve their dreams, both on and off the field each year.”
“Each of the seven Little League World Series tournaments represent the pinnacle events for young creators,” said Aaron Seabron, Sr. Director adidas Baseball. “Our mission is to help athletes perform better and we’re proud to provide these young athletes with innovative, high-performance uniforms and footwear for what could be one of the most impactful and meaningful sports moments of their lives.”
In the first season of the partnership, Adidas will build branding and marketing campaigns at the World Series of Minor League Baseball® in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and Minor League Softball® World Series in Portland, Oregon. In addition to LLBWS and LLSWS, adidas will design and manufacture all official field uniforms for all World Series events, including Intermediate (50/70) Baseball, Little League, Senior Baseball, Junior Softball and Senior Softball.
adidas alumni who started their career in Little League include MLB athletes Aaron Judge (NY Yankees), Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs), Alex Bregman (Houston Astros), Carlos Correa (Houston Astros), Edwin Diaz (NY Mets), Edwin Encarnacion (Seattle Mariners), Jake Arrieta (Philadelphia Phillies), Joe Jimenez (Detroit Tigers), Mike Moustakas (KC Royals), Trea Turner (Washington Nationals), Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox); NBA athletes Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Tracy McGrady (7x NBA All-Star); NFL athletes Patrick Mahomes (KC Chiefs), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) and Courtland Sutton (Denver Broncos).
About Little League
Founded in 1939, Little League® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with millions of players and more than one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. During its nearly 80 years of existence, Little League has seen more than 40 million honored graduates, including public officials, professional athletes, award-winning artists, and a variety of other influential members of society. Each year, millions of people follow the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship that Little Leaguers® display at our seven baseball and softball World Series events, the premier tournaments in youth sports.
About adidas
adidas is a global designer and developer of athletic and lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the best sports brand in the world. As an innovation and design leader, adidas engineers the best in high-performance products to make athletes better, faster and stronger and creates a range of classic and fresh lifestyle and high-fashion lines.
The adidas Baseball roster includes two-time All-Star (2017, 2018), American League Rookie of the Year (2017) and Home run Derby Champion (2017), outfielder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees; World Series Champion (2018), two-time All-Star (2015, 2018) and American League Hank Aaron Award Winner (2018), outfielder J.D. Martinez of the Boston Red Sox; National League MVP (2016), World Series Champion (2016) and two-time All-Star (2015, 2016), third baseman Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs; World Series Champion (2017) and All-Star (2018) third baseman Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros;
World Series Champion (2017), All-Star (2017) and American League Rookie of the Year (2015), shortstop Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros; National League Championship Series MVP (2017) and All-Star (2107), Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers; World Series Champion (2018), seven-time All-Star (2012-2018) and two-time American League strikeout leader (2015, 2017), pitcher Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox; All-Star (2018) and American League Reliever of the Year (2018), pitcher Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets, among others.