By: Erin Irish
Under Armour was founded in 1996 by Kevin Plank, a University of Maryland Football special teams captain. It is an American company with its global headquarters in Baltimore, MD. It has offices all over the world. It manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel, and sports equipment. Plank started the company in his grandmother’s basement. He was motivated to create gear that battled moisture from sweat and kept athletes cool, dry, and light. He was tired of having to change his under shirts beneath his football gear and jersey, but noticed his compression shorts weren’t as soaked. This is where his desire to create a t-shirt made of moisture-wicking synthetic fabric came from.
Under Armour has grown significantly since its birth. It sponsors famous athletes and teams. Some mentionable contracts are with the University of Notre Dame, UCLA, and will be the supplier of uniforms for Major League Baseball starting in the year 2020. It sponsors many different athletes around the world. Some of the athletes that are sponsored by the brand, to name only a few, are NBA star Stephen Curry, NFL star Tom Brady, swimming superstar Michael Phelps, and PGA golfer Jordan Spieth. Some of the sports Under Armour sponsors are soccer, auto racing, baseball, basketball, golf, gymnastics, hunting, ice hockey, mixed martial arts, paintball, rugby, skateboarding, skating, skiing, snowboarding, surfing, swimming, tennis, and countless colleges and universities. It has non-athletic sponsorships, for example, with actor Dwyane Johnson and fashion model Gisele Bundchen. It was also the major commercial sponsor for the TV reality show Duck Dynasty.