Top Ten Athletic Companies

When looking for your best athletic apparel, it can sometimes seem a bit daunting to know what direction you should go in your search. With so many national and local athletic companies popping up, it helps to know the best of the best and where you should spend your hard earned dollars.

  1. Nike

    • It's no surprise that the top athletic company in the world, let alone the country, is Nike. The brand has been a household name for decades and for good reason. Nike's footwear market share is a whopping 31 percent worldwide.

    Adidas

    • Adidas is right behind Nike as a worldwide leader in athletic apparel. The company has sponsorship deals with as many as 173 sports programs across the globe.

    Under Armour

    • Under Armour is the newest company on the list. Founded in 1996, the company became a household name, thanks to testosterone-filled ads that depict various nameless athletes working out and firing up their teammates. Forbes ranks it among the top earners in the country in the athletic apparel field.

    Reebok

    • Reebok is by far the oldest company on this list, and with age comes wisdom. The company was originally formed in 1890, but wasn't actually known by its current name until the 1960s. The company has numerous contracts with the NFL, the NHL and the NBA.

    Footlocker

    • One of the country's most profitable athletic apparel retailers, Footlocker was originally owned by the same corporation that controlled the famous Woolworth's chain. Footlocker now has a business presence in more than 20 countries.

    Champs Sports

    • Actually a subsidiary of Footlocker, Champs Sports does just fine all on its own. Besides having more than 600 stores across the country, the company actually sponsors a college football bowl game, the Champ Sports Bowl, which takes place in Orlando, Fla.

    Sports Authority

    • Sports Authority is another young company that has grown impressively since its founding. The first store was opened in 1987 in Florida, had grown to nine stores in six different states by 1990 and 136 stores nationwide five years after that.

    East Bay

    • East Bay was founded in 1980 in the middle of Wisconsin, with the initial goal of selling sporting goods to the local high school teams. By 1990, it was one of the better known direct-mail sports retailers, with a call center that took an entire city block.

    Dick's Sporting Goods

    • Dick's is one of two companies on this list that is actually named after its owner--the other being Nike, having been founded by Richard Stack in Binghamton, N.Y. Built on a $300 investment in 1948, the company took in more than $3 billion in 2008.

    Lady Footlocker

    • Lady Footlocker is the only company in the group that is focused exclusively in catering to women. Being one of the first athletic companies in the country to do so, it cornered the market. While it's true it is basically a subsidiary of Footlocker, it has its own identity and management team.