Voit (official name: "Industrias Voit S.A. de C.V.") is a sports equipment manufacturing company based in Mexico. The company was founded by German Americans, German American entrepreneur William J. Voit (1880–1946) of Worthington, Indiana. Current range of products by Voit includes mainly balls (for ball (association football), association and ball (gridiron football), American football, basketball (ball), basketball and volleyball), and also goalkeeper gloves, racket (sports equipment), tennis rackets, Kit (association football), football uniforms, shin guards, and swimming equipment (swimsuit, suits, goggles, swim cap, caps, and swimfin, fins) and accessories (backpacks, bags).

History

Voit began in Los Angeles in 1922 as a tire retreading products factory. In the late 1920s Voit developed and patented the first full-molded, all-rubber inflatable ball and the first needle-type air retention valves. They also developed highly accurate pocket and wrist watches during this period. In 1931, Voit developed and patented the first all-rubber athletic balls, including the process of vulcanization which allowed a material to be fixed onto a separate rubber bladder. In the same year, it changed names from the ''W. J. Voit Corporation'' to ''Voit Rubber Corporation''. Later in the 1930s, Voit developed the process of icosahedron winding, which allowed balls to be machine wound with nylon threads over the bladder, providing both strength and consistency in shape and permitting mass production by a machine process. Those Voit patents and products made possible greatly increased athletic and recreation activity in the school systems, and led to universal use of a new type of product that now dominates sales in its field. In 1957, the company was purchased by American Machinery and Foundry, AMF. Other developments and patents later in the 1950s and 1960s included: * The Swimaster line of professional dive equipment. Voit was one of the five original USA diving gear makers: US Divers, U.S. Divers, Healthways (scuba gear company), Healthways, "Voit", Dacor (scuba diving), Dacor, Swimaster. Voit scuba gear had been featured in television, such as in an ''I Love Lucy'' ("Lucy Meets Orson Welles"), where Voit basketballs and sports equipment are displayed prominently in a department store scene where Lucy appears in Voit scuba gear (obviously an early 'placement ad') when she meets Orson Welles- - and in the movies ''Underwater!'' (1955); the TV series ''Sea Hunt'' (1958–61); and movie and TV series versions of ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (novel), Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea'' (1961; and 1964-68 respectively) where it was included in the series' closing credits; and both got a tie-in in the James Bond movie ''Thunderball (film)'' * The Equi Staff line of professional golf equipment (which included the innovation of the "Power Plugs" or screws to adjust the balance of golf club (equipment), golf clubs). * The first rubber-bodied water polo ball (which was adopted as the official ball of college, international and Olympic competitions). V-Shock, introduced in the late 1990s, was Voit's inexpensive alternative to the Casio G-Shock watches. They have since been discontinued.

Sponsorships

Voit has sponsored the following association football events and athletes: * Liga MX – official game ball and referee (association football), referee kits * Liga FPD – official game ball * Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, Liga Nacional * Óscar Pérez Rojas

References

External links

Voit USA
{{Sports equipment brands Sportswear brands Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Sporting goods manufacturers of Mexico Manufacturing companies established in 1922 Diving engineering Greene County, Indiana Manufacturing companies based in Mexico City Mexican brands 1922 establishments in California Diving equipment manufacturers