Akadema is a privately owned sporting goods manufacturing company located in

Hawthorne, New Jersey Hawthorne is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 19,637, an increase of 846 (+4.5%) from the 2010 United States census, 2010 census coun ...

, United States. The company was founded by brothers, Joseph and Lawrence Gilligan of

Ringwood, New Jersey Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decrease of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228, which in turn reflected a d ...

Lawrence was a former

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

player for the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. The company specializes in manufacturing

baseball glove A baseball glove or mitt is a large glove worn by baseball players of the defending team, which assists players in catching and fielding balls hit by a Batter (baseball), batter or thrown by a teammate. Gloves are traditionally made of leather; b ...

History

The first series of gloves were released in 1998 under the name "Academy". In 2000 the company experienced rapid growth when it changed its name to Akadema, moved into the old

Yoo-hoo Yoo-hoo is an American brand of chocolate-flavored beverage that was created by Natale Olivieri in Garfield, New Jersey, in 1928 and is currently manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper. As of 2019, the drink is primarily made from water, high-fructos ...

factory in Garfield, NJ, and released the patented Reptilian Glove. Akadema signed

Ozzie Smith Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...

as the company spokesman and then Anthony Telford and Clay Bellinger became the first Major League Players endorsing Akadema. Kris Totten (a former

player for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

) joined the firm to head up sales. The company would follow up the Reptilian with the Claw, The Funnel and Spiral Lock, Tacktion Grip, The Hot Hands and the UFO Mitt to continue the companies first decade in creative sports design. The most popular of the patented glove however has been the Praying Mantis Mitt which was created with input from

Gary Carter Gary Edmund Carter (April 8, 1954 – February 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball catcher whose 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed "Kid" for his youth ...

. The company crossed over into popular culture when their products appeared in

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...

films such as '' Click'', '' Benchwarmers'' and the

Billy Bob Thornton Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...

remake of ''

Bad News Bears ''Bad News Bears'' is a 2005 American sports comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Linklater, written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden and Sammi Kane Kraft. It is a ...

''. Akadema also has been a sponsor of

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...

programs "

Pros vs Joes ''Pros vs. Joes'' is an American physical reality game show that aired on Spike from 2006 to 2010. The show featured male amateur contestants (the "Joes") matching themselves against professional athletes (the "Pros"; mostly of retired male and ...

" and "DEA" second season.

Sponsorship

Akadema's most important and visible endorsement deals have been the signing of

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican Americans (Dominican Republic), Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played wit ...

from 2004 to 2011 and a five-year deal with future star

Bryce Harper Bryce Aron Max Harper (born October 16, 1992) is an American professional baseball first baseman and right fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals. One o ...

Shane Victorino Shane Patrick Victorino (born November 30, 1980), nicknamed "the Flyin' Hawaiian", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodge ...

has won three

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

trophies since signing on with Akadema. Akadema's other current endorsements are with:

Bobby Jenks Robert Scott Jenks (born March 14, 1981) is an American professional baseball coach (baseball), coach and former pitcher who is currently the manager (baseball), manager for the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League. He played in Major ...

Brandon Moss Brandon Douglas Moss (born September 16, 1983) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Oakland Athlet ...

, Jose Veras,

Tim Redding Timothy James Redding (born February 12, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and more recently the pitching coach for the Hagerstown Suns. He pitched for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, New York ...

Mark Melancon Mark David Melancon ( ; born March 28, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, San Fr ...

Vin Mazzaro Vincent Michael Mazzaro (born September 27, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami M ...

Ross Ohlendorf Curtis Ross Ohlendorf (born August 8, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers (basebal ...

Vicente Padilla Vicente de la Cruz Padilla (born September 27, 1977) is a Nicaraguan former professional baseball pitcher. Padilla played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers an ...

Brandon McCarthy Brandon Patrick McCarthy (born July 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and front office executive. He is the special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in M ...

Darnell McDonald Darnell Tyrone McDonald (born November 17, 1978) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2004 and 2013 for the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, ...

Derek Holland Derek Lane Holland (born October 9, 1986), nicknamed "Dutch Oven", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco G ...

Willie Eyre William Mays Eyre (born July 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles. Baseball career High school & college E ...

Cameron Maybin Cameron Keith Maybin (born April 4, 1987) is an American professional baseball sports commentator, broadcaster and former center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Florida / Miami Marlins, Sa ...

, and

Craig Breslow Craig Andrew Breslow (; born August 8, 1980) is an American baseball executive and former professional baseball pitcher. He is currently the President of baseball operations, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox. Breslow pitched for 12 ...

. Akadema also became strong within the women's fast pitch market. They have sponsored Crystl Bustos 2000-2010 and

Monica Abbott Monica Cecilia Abbott (born July 28, 1985) is a retired American professional softball player. Abbott was an All-American pitcher for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in college before starting a professional career in the NPF and in the Japan S ...

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

2008-2010 and are an official supplier to USA softball Olympic team and the National Pro Fast Pitch League. As the pro ranks grew, the Akadema brand spread quickly and became very popular among

and college level players. In addition to modern gloves, Akadema introduced the Hoboken Collection, a vintage line of equipment that had been used by

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig ( ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941), also known as Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig, was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was ...

Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...

Dazzy Vance Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher for five different franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) in a career that spanned 16 seasons over 21 year ...

Mickey Cochrane Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and De ...

and

Yogi Berra Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born Lorenzo Pietro Berra; May 12, 1925 – September 22, 2015) was an American professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of Manager (baseball), manager and Coach (baseball), coach. He played 19 seas ...

. Akadema quickly gained rights to Ken-Wel and Reach companies trademarks.

Manufacturing

Akadema started manufacturing through suppliers overseas but unlike most manufacturers of the day, Akadema has brought some manufacturing in house to the USA. Akadema started its own wood baseball bat shop and can customize a bat. Two years later the company opened its own embroidery shop. This year the company started its own baseball glove shop making it one of the few companies that still makes wood bats, metal bats and gloves in the USA. In 2008 the company purchased an industrial building and consolidated its operations under one roof in Hawthorne, NJ. According to ''

Inc. magazine ''Inc.'' is an American business media company founded in 1979 and based in New York City. ''Inc.'' publishes several print magazine issues per year, and is anchored by journalistic content online and on social media, focused on entrepreneurship a ...

'', 2007 sales were 4.8 million.''Inc 5000 Magazine'', Summer 2008
/ref> Current sales are said to be around seven million.

References

External links

Company website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akadema (Company) Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Passaic County, New Jersey Gloves Hawthorne, New Jersey Baseball equipment