Sports culture is huge in most places in the world, having the power to transcend barriers such as language, ethnicity, and nationality. And of course, as an integral part of our lives, the necessity of adhering to different types of sports apparel has made space for one of the most profitable industries in the world. In this article, we take a look at some of the richest and most valuable sports brands in the world.
1. Nike
Nike is easily one of the most known brands in every country around the world, with a net worth of $34.8 billion. The company was founded by Bill Bowerman in 1964, a college track-and-field coach with incredible vision. Since then, Nike has grown to become a billion-dollar company, and one of the biggest corporations standing up for social justice in sports worldwide. The company produces gears for every single sport, and currently holds the title of best in the world.
2. Adidas
Though Adidas is another huge company worldwide, the $16.48 billion dollar corporation has mostly stayed in second place in the sports gear world. Since being founded in 1924, Adidas has continued to grow exponentially, taking its biggest marketing jumps since 2014. Though several people believe that Adidas is an American company, the corporation is actually German, founded by Adolf “Adi” Dassier. For 30 years now, Adidas has been the official sponsor of the FIFA world cup.
3. Reebok
Since Adidas bought Reebok for $3.8 billion some 14 years ago, it is currently unclear how much the company is worth. Nevertheless, the American footwear and apparel brand has continued to excel in the industry, as a subsidiary of Adidas. Since 2016, the company has changed its marketing strategy to focus more strongly on millennials. To this date, Adidas is still the brand that produces the most variation of sports apparel worldwide.
4. Under Armour
Though not nearly as popular as Nike and Adidas, Under Armour falls under the title of fourth-richest sports company in the world. The company is quite new in comparison to the previous three veterans, existing only for 23 years. With its official headquarters in Baltimore, Under Armour started with producing some limited sports clothing, when it decided to expand to footwear in 2006. Since then, they have managed to compound a valuable fan base.
5. Puma
Puma was created by German founder Rudolf “Rudi” Dassler, the older brother of Adidas’ founder. Just like Adidas, Puma has grown to become one of the most valuable brands in the world, worth about $4 billion. Though the company has established itself primarily within the footwear business, it has grown and expanded to produce sports accessories including clothing, travel bags, and shades. In the last 71 years, the brand has grown into an 11,000 employee empire.
6. Fila
Fila was founded by Ettore and Giansevere Fila in 1991, in Italy. The company has gone through several phases and has recently made an enormous comeback thanks to the millennial generation. Since its founding, the brand has been sold to a US-based company in 2003 and was later sold to Fila Korea. Fila is probably one of the oldest sports apparel company in the world, but it has managed to maintain a global consumer base.