Spalding (company) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Spalding

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Sports equipment
Founded	1876; 149 years ago (1876)
Founder	Albert Spalding
Headquarters	Bowling Green, Kentucky , United States
Area served	North America Australia
Products	Basketballs
Owner	Berkshire Hathaway
Parent	Fruit of the Loom
Subsidiaries	Dudley

Spalding is an American company that makes sports equipment. It was started by Albert Spalding in Chicago in 1876. At first, they mainly made baseballs. Today, the company's main office is in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Spalding also sells softballs through a company they own called Dudley Sports. Over the years, Spalding has made balls for many other sports. These include American football, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and golf. For a short time in the 1980s, Spalding even designed special wheels for cars.

History of Spalding
Spalding Products
Spalding Athletic Library
Spalding Sponsorships
See also

History of Spalding

Albert Spalding, who started the company, in 1910

Spalding was founded in 1876. At that time, Albert Spalding was a pitcher and manager for a baseball team in Chicago. This team was called the Chicago White Stockings.

The company helped make baseballs and baseball bats standard. Their "League Ball" became the official ball for the National League in 1880. It was also used by another professional baseball league from 1892 to 1896.

In 1892, Spalding bought two other sports companies, Wright & Ditson and A. J. Reach. In 1893, Spalding bought a company that made knitting machines. They used this factory to make ice skates and gym equipment.

By 1900, Spalding was selling many different sports items. These included dumbbells, Indian clubs, and punching bags. By 1916, they sold athletic clothes, golf clubs, and track equipment. They even made special fencing masks for the U.S. Government by 1919.

During World War II, Spalding helped make parts for military equipment. From the 1930s to the 1940s, Spalding made the official game pucks for the National Hockey League.

Spalding also made the famous "Spaldeen" high-bounce rubber ball. This ball was popular with kids in cities starting in 1949. Spalding made the official baseballs for Major Leagues until 1976. Since 1977, another company, Rawlings, has made the official MLB ball.

In 1981, Spalding worked with a Japanese company to design car wheels. These wheels were called the "Message" series. One of their designs even won awards.

In 1996, a company called Kohlberg Kravis Roberts bought Spalding. Later, in 2003, Spalding became part of the Russell Corporation. In 2006, a large company called Berkshire Hathaway bought Russell Corporation, which included Spalding.

Spalding Products

An example of a Spalding NBA ball, the ZK Pro Platinum

Spalding has made balls for many sports. These include baseball, softball, American football, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and golf. They also designed car wheels for a short time.

Basketball Products

Spalding created its first basketball in 1894. It was designed like a baseball. Spalding was the official company that supplied game balls to the National Basketball Association (NBA). They did this from 1983 until 2021. After 37 years, the NBA started using balls from Wilson again.

In 2006, Spalding and the NBA tried a new official game ball. It was made of a synthetic leather instead of real leather. However, many NBA players did not like the new ball. They said it became too slippery and did not bounce well. Because of this, the NBA went back to using the old leather balls in 2007.

American Football Products

Before the AFL–NFL merger, Spalding made the game ball for the American Football League. This ball was a little different in size from the NFL football.

Spalding also made the game balls for the XFL (2001) league. These balls were black with a red "X" design. The company was also the official ball supplier for the Arena Football League, an indoor American football league, from 2004 until it closed in 2019.

Other Sports Products

Spalding was one of the first companies to have famous athletes promote their products. In 1951, tennis player Pancho Gonzales signed a special deal with Spalding. Spalding sells softballs through its company, Dudley Sports.

Spalding Athletic Library

Wrap cover of Spalding's Athletic Library Baseball: Base Ball, published in 1911.

In 1892, Spalding started the Spalding Athletic Library. This was a collection of books about sports and exercise. They sold these books through their American Sports Publishing Company.

The first book was about a boxer named James J. Corbett. The books covered many different sports and activities. A newspaper called the Brooklyn Daily Eagle said this collection was "the recognized American cyclopedia of sport." The company stopped publishing these books in 1941.

The books covered sports like archery, baseball, basketball, boxing, golf, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. They also had books on exercise like using dumbbells. Spalding also sold a catalog where you could see pictures and prices of their sports equipment and books. For example, "How to Play Golf" cost 25 cents.