Louisville Slugger, iconic U.S. baseball brand, sold to Wilson

By Steve Bittenbender and Jussi Rosehdahl LOUISVILLE, Ky./HELSINKI (Reuters) - One of the biggest deals in U.S. baseball this spring may be the $70 million purchase on Monday by a Finnish company of the Louisville Slugger brand, a name synonymous with the sport itself. The rights to the Louisville Slugger, the market-leading wooden baseball bat in the United States after over 130 years in business, are being acquired by sporting goods company Amer Sports. Amer Sports, the parent of Wilson Sporting Goods, is paying U.S. equipment maker Hillerich & Bradsby Co in cash for the brand and intellectual property, executives for both companies said. Amer Sports, whose brands include Wilson tennis rackets and Salomon skis, said the acquisition would improve its underlying operating profit margin.

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