The Birth of Under Armour Under Armour Inc. is a performance apparel and sporting goods company based in Baltimore, Maryland. Under Armour was the first athletic apparel company to produce gear designed to keep athletes cool or warm depending on the temperature. The founder of Under Armour Inc. is Kevin Plank. Plank was a special teams captain on the University of Maryland’s football team. Plank hated having to change his sweat-soaked cotton t-shirts repeatedly during two-a-day practices. That is when plank came up with the idea of a lifetime. Kevin conducted extensive research on synthetic fibers and eventually designed the first Under Armour HeatGear t-shirt. He began selling them from his grandmother’s basement in 1997 before moving his headquarters to a warehouse in Baltimore in 1998 (Under Armour Inc., 2013) The Growth of UA …show more content…
The ambitions of Kevin Plank led him to the movie industry. “Plank and his team signed on to supply product for the Oliver Stone film, “Any Given Sunday,” starring Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx. In the film, the football team wears Under Armour apparel and accessories in key scenes” (Under Armour Inc., 2013). This decision payed off well and generated a $750,000 increase in sales. Since then, Under Armour has developed partnerships with Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the Baltimore Marathon, and many others. They have also secured deals to sponsor universities such as the University of Maryland, Auburn University, and Hampton University (Under Armour Inc., 2013). Under Armour’s network of professional athletes they sponsor is very impressive as well. Cam Newton, Stephen Curry, and Michael Phelps headline the list. Under Armour produces quality sporting goods such as clothing, shoes, accessories, and sporting equipment for several sports. Not only do the excel in their production, the company also has the spokesmen and advertising savvy to make it