MLB, Franklin Sports extend partnership into 40th year
Franklin Sports, a leading manufacturer in the sporting goods industry, and Major League Baseball (MLB), announced on Tuesday an extension to their long-term partnership now entering its 40th year. The family-run Massachusetts company continues to be MLB’s Official On-Field Batting Gloves and a strategic youth participation partner. The continued partnership underscores the commitment of both brands’ strong synergy and shared dedication to excellence at every level of the sport.
In addition to the Official Batting Gloves, Franklin is also the Official Sliding Glove of MLB. The sliding glove, a recent product-trend among pro and amateur athletes, will launch as part of Franklin’s PRT-Series of Protective product under the MLB Authentic Collection designation on March 12th. Franklin Sports also manufactures licensed youth baseball & softball products, including training products, bat & ball sets and youth pitching machines among others. Franklin also remains the exclusive equipment partner of the PLAY BALL initiative (www.PlayBall.org), which includes grassroots events & retail programming.
"We are beyond thrilled to extend our relationship with MLB. This partnership not only solidifies the strong bond we've built over the years, but also reflects our commitment to providing quality sporting goods for every age and level of participant in lockstep with Major League Baseball," said Adam Franklin, President, Franklin Sports. “We are committed to being a proud partner of MLB and take great pride in our 250+ Major League athletes who step up to the plate each game wearing our product as well as the next generation using Franklin equipment at home.”
Franklin Sports continues its support of both PLAY BALL and PLAY BALL Weekend. PLAY BALL is baseball’s global youth initiative to inspire participation in both baseball and softball, including casual play, formal leagues, and special events. PLAY BALL Weekend is a global campaign by MLB, MiLB & Partner League Clubs as well as MLB’s international offices throughout the world. Franklin Sports will continue its support of this key initiative by supplying 50,000 PLAY BALL bat & ball sets for the 150 affiliated Clubs that are distributed during PLAY BALL Weekend, Friday, June 14th - Sunday, June 16th. Furthermore, as the exclusive equipment partner of MLB, Franklin Sports has helped grow the league’s youth initiative by co-branding Franklin x PLAY BALL on over four million products sold at retail since 2021.
“Franklin Sports has been a staple in baseball for 40 years. Throughout our partnership, Franklin Sports has been invaluable in our efforts to build the foundation for the future of sport.” said Tony Reagins, Chief Baseball Development Officer. “We look forward to their continued support of PLAY BALL and youth who love our game.”
Franklin Sports batting gloves have an impressive line-up of over ten Baseball Hall of Famers that include Mike Schmidt, Cal Ripken Jr., Edgar Martinez, Jim Rice, Kirby Puckett and more. Throughout the tenure of the relationship, players who wore Franklin batting gloves have combined for over 600 All-Star appearances and 25 league MVP’s. Four legendary members of the 3,000-hit club also wore Franklin batting gloves: Miguel Cabrera, Cal Ripken Jr, Craig Biggio, and Tony Gwynn.
There are currently 250 active MLB athletes wearing Franklin batting gloves. On any given day of the season, baseball’s biggest names such as the Mets' Francisco Lindor, the Cardinals' Paul Goldschmidt, the Reds' Elly De La Cruz and the Pirates' Ke’Bryan Hayes are wearing brand while holding the bat.
Franklin Sports’ partnerships in the world of professional sports leagues began with Major League Baseball 40 years ago and this recent extension continues to highlight the value the brand sees for its longest-tenured league relationship. “Major League Baseball has and continues to be at the foundation of our brand alignments and sporting goods product lines,” says Franklin.