Photo/Liu Ling

China is embracing a larger role in the global sports world as a Chinese company is poised to acquire the company that owns one of the most iconic brands associated with the US pastime of baseball: the Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

Earlier this month, an international consortium led by China's Anta Sports that includes Tencent Holdings and Anamered Investments, which is owned by Canadian billionaire Chip Wilson, founder of yoga apparel company Lululemon Athletica, offered to acquire Finland's Amer Sports, which owns the Louisville Slugger and Wilson Sporting Goods, for $5 billion according to Reuters, as well as two other sports items frequently made with wood components, Wilson tennis rackets and Atomic Ski.

Along with apple pie and hot dogs, baseball remains a symbol of the United States. The hardwood Louisville Slugger bats are mainstays among American ballplayers from youth leagues to the major league, where it is the official and No 1 bat.

Founded in 1884, Louisville Slugger's website says it has sold more than 100,000,000 bats, which continue to be made where they began, in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, which is also home to The Louisville Slugger Museum.

While baseball is not as global as soccer or basketball, it has been international for a long time, said David Hollander, a professor of sports management at New York University.

"Baseball players use Japanese products regularly. I don't think any of them will suddenly look at a product they've been relying on for their entire careers and say 'Hold on a second, this is made in China! No way I'm using that', I don't see that happening. Sports has always been a common ground for people of different backgrounds to come together. Sports business is too, and in this instance can be yet again," he told China Daily.

Paul Swangard, a professor of sports brand strategy at the University of Oregon, also doesn't expect the sale to have much impact on consumers. "Foreign ownership of iconic domestic brands isn't unusual and the casual consumer might never make the connection," he said.

China's Anta is eager to expand its brand in the international market. Tencent has been increasing its involvement in sports. Earlier this year, Major League Baseball (MLB) and Tencent formed a strategic partnership to livestream MLB games and MLB highlight programs in China.

Swangard believes there is a domestic upside for overseas sports brands in China.

"As consumers' sporting activity continues to grow in the country, I strongly believe foreign brands will be in high demand for perceived quality. There is also a lot to learn from these Western brands as China's own domestic sport market emerges. They are acquiring business best-practices not readily seen in the current domestic market," he said.

Of the US professional sports leagues, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has made the biggest inroads into the Chinese market, Swangard said.

"While the other three leagues (National Football League, MLB and the National Hockey League) have all been in the market for years, they are all still trying to crack the cultural code to get the sports ingrained into the DNA of the population. Basketball has had a century head start and that will continue to provide a solid foundation for future growth," he added.

Email: zhanglingxiao@nbd.com.cn