Schutt Sports (

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...

of Kranos Corporation) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

company that manufactured protective gear for several sports, focusing on

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

. Products manufactured by company, headquartered in Litchfield, Illinois, included helmets and other protections such as jockstraps, and shoulder pads. The company also produced American football sportswear including jerseys and pants. Established in 1918 as a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

equipment manufacturer, during its existence Schutt signed agreements with sports leagues such as

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

and American Amateur Baseball Congress in the 2010s. Nevertheless, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

affected the company's operations severely so it filled for bankruptcy in December 2020.

History

The company was established in 1918 as a

hoop and dry line developer. It created the first football faceguard in 1935. In 2008, competitor Riddell sued Schutt for infringing on three patents. The three products identified were branded by Schutt under the names "DNA", "ION", and "AIR XP". Two years later, the company sued Riddell, also for patent-infringement. However, Schutt ended up losing in the lawsuit, forcing them to file bankruptcy. Despite this, football helmets and facemask sales in 2011 increased by 15%. After the bankruptcy,

Platinum Equity Platinum Equity, LLC is an American private equity investment firm founded by Tom Gores in 1995. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. History Platinum Equity was founded in 199 ...

acquired the assets of the company in September 2018. In December 2020, it was announced that Innovatus Capital Partners, LLC, had acquired the assets of Kranos Corporation including its brands Schutt, ProGear Shoulder Pads, Tucci Bats, Hollywood Bases and Adams USA.Innovatus Capital Partners Acquires the Assets of Kranos Corporation including Schutt Brand
on Businesswire, Dec 23, 2020 While Schutt was able to emerge from its initial bankruptcy filing and secure new business, such as a 2018 deal with

to supply bases, home plates and pitching rubbers,Schutt Sports Extends Partnership with Major League Baseball
on Businesswire, 1 Mar 2018 the company was not able to withstand the damage to its business wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 18, 2020, Kranos Corporation, which had done business as Schutt Sports, filed for Chapter 7 liquidation.Former Operator of Sporting Gear Maker Schutt Sports Files for Liquidation
by Aisha Al-Muslim on WSJ, Dec 21, 2020 In the petition filed with the court, the company listed $1,219,773 in assets and $58,342,153 in liabilities; as noted by SGI News, the assets consisted entirely of Zamst inventory, a line of sports braces and related sports medicine products that Schutt agreed to distribute exclusively under a multi-year contract with Nippon Sigmax.

Concussion prevention

Schutt has been active in developing equipment to prevent concussions in American football, including creating a device in 2008 for

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

players called the "Shockometer". The device is shaped like a triangle, with an adhesive on one side, that sticks to the helmet. When a player is hit by a

g-force The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measur ...

of more than 100 g, a light in a capsule on the device will flash red. However, fan activity could potentially affect the device. In 2012, the company developed a helmet line called "Vengeance", which the company stated will give players "the opportunity to face their foes head-on." Critics and doctors questioned the model's marketing, saying that the statement, as well as the name, can give the wrong message. However, Schutt CEO Robert Erb stated that the name stems from the competition between Schutt and Riddell, and that the name will not appear on the helmet.

Sponsorships

The company's basketball equipment was used by various athletic associations; Schutt's rims were the official rims of the SEC men's and

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...

basketball tournaments. The company was also sponsor of the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fe ...

Schutt Sports Slam Dunk Spectacular dunk contest. The

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

frequently used Schutt's equipment during their summer camps, and was the preferred equipment of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

. Schutts also developed equipment for the

United States men's national softball team United States men's national softball team is the national team for the United States. The 1988 World Championships were held in Saskatoon, Canada. The team played 13 games in the round robin round. The United States beat Australia 21–1 in ...

/ women's softball teams, and developed the Aqua Tech helmet in 2012 for the women's team.

References

External links

* {{Sports equipment brands Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Litchfield, Illinois Design companies established in 1918 Manufacturing companies established in 1918 1918 establishments in Illinois

History

Concussion prevention

Sponsorships

See also

References

External links