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 a famous American company. It makes sports equipment like balls. Albert Spalding started it in Chicago in 1876. Today, its main office is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Spalding makes softballs through its company called Dudley Sports. They have also made balls for many other sports. These include American football, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and golf.

The Story of Spalding
What Spalding Makes
Spalding Athletic Library
Teams and Leagues Spalding Works With
See also

The Story of Spalding

Albert Spalding, who started Spalding, in 1910

Spalding began in 1876. Albert Spalding was a baseball player and manager then. He played for the Chicago White Stockings. His company helped make baseballs and bats standard. This meant all teams used the same type.

Spalding's "League Ball" became very popular. The National League used it from 1880. Other leagues used it too. In 1892, Spalding bought other sports companies. These included Wright & Ditson and A. J. Reach.

A.G. Spalding Brothers Co. factory in Chicopee, Massachusetts, 1928.

In 1893, Spalding bought the Lamb Knitting Machine Company. This company was in Chicopee Falls. Spalding moved its ice skate and gym equipment making there. Lamb had been making bicycle wheels for Spalding. Spalding kept making bicycles for a while. But in 1899, they sold their bicycle part.

An infantry fencing mask made by Spalding for the U.S. Government.

By 1900, Spalding sold many items. These included dumbbells, Indian clubs, and punching bags. In 1916, they sold lots of sports clothes. They also sold fencing gear, golf clubs, and track equipment. This included discus, hurdles, and stopwatches. By 1919, they even made fencing masks for the U.S. Government.

From the 1930s to the 1940s, Spalding made hockey pucks. These were the official pucks for the National Hockey League. Spalding also made the "Spaldeen" ball. This was a bouncy rubber ball. It was popular with kids in cities from 1949. Spalding made the official baseball for Major Leagues until 1976. Since 1977, Rawlings has made the official MLB ball.

What Spalding Makes

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.

Basketballs

Spalding made its first basketball in 1894. It was based on a baseball's design. Spalding was the official ball for the National Basketball Association (NBA). They supplied balls from 1983 to 2021. Then, the NBA started using Wilson balls again.

In 2006, Spalding and the NBA tried a new ball. It was made of synthetic leather. But many NBA players did not like it. They said it was too slippery. They also said it did not bounce well. So, the NBA went back to the old leather balls. This happened on January 1, 2007.

American Footballs

Before the AFL–NFL merger, Spalding made the game ball for the American Football League. This ball was called the J5V. It was a bit different from the NFL's ball.

Spalding was also the official ball supplier for the Arena Football League. This was an indoor American football league. They supplied balls from 2004 until the league closed in 2019.

Other Sports

Spalding was one of the first companies to use famous athletes. They signed tennis player Pancho Gonzales in 1951. He was the first athlete to have an exclusive deal with them.

Spalding sells softballs through its company called 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 series of books. They sold books about sports and exercise. The American Sports Publishing Company, also started that year, published them.

The first book was about boxer James J. Corbett. It was published in 1892. The books covered many sports. These included baseball, basketball, boxing, golf, and swimming. They also covered different exercises.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper called this collection "the recognized American cyclopedia of sport." This means it was a huge source of sports information. The company published its last book in 1941.

The books also had ads for Spalding's products. You could find prices and pictures of their gear. For example, "How to Play Golf" cost 25 cents. "How to Play Basketball" was 10 cents.

Spalding bought Wright & Ditson Co. and A.J. Reach Co. in the 1890s. These companies also published sports books.