Cooperstown, N.Y. – The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced today it has selected Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands to be the exclusive licensing representative for its organization and members. Under the new relationship, Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands will manage the Hall’s licensing assets – highlighted by its signature program, the Hall of Fame Member Licensing Program.
The Hall of Fame Member Licensing Program was established in 1996 to generate market exposure and royalty revenue for participating Hall of Fame members while providing a revenue source to fund the Museum’s nonprofit educational mission. The program combines the rights to Hall of Fame logos and trademarks with those of 89 participating Hall of Fame members including Tony Gwynn, Reggie Jackson, Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Ozzie Smith.
In addition to maximizing exposure for the Hall of Fame members and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, this new alignment will help secure strong partnerships for licensed products across various categories and retail channels. Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands is a boutique trademark management area focused on sports, fitness and arts within the new Learfield IMG College corporate structure.
“We are very excited to work with Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands,” said Sean Gahagan, Baseball Hall of Fame vice president of retail merchandising and licensing. “As a leader in the sports licensing industry, Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands brings a wealth of experience that will help take our licensing programs to the next level.”
Along with handling the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s trademark licensing program’s day-to-day management duties, Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands will utilize licensing and marketing agreements to stimulate fan connectivity and engagement to grow awareness. Celebrating its Hall of Fame members and the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s prestige will generate co-branding opportunities and increased visibility.
“As lifelong baseball fans, we are thrilled and honored to represent the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s licensing rights,” said Bob Bernard, president and CEO of Learfield Licensing Partners Specialty Brands. “We have great appreciation for the dedication and mastery required for these legendary athletes to make it to the pinnacle of their profession. We are excited to have the National Baseball Hall of Fame as our newest client and look forward to assisting its members grow their brands and connect with new fans.”
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an independent nonprofit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime. The National Baseball Hall of Fame opened on June 12, 1939 and has stood as the definitive repository of the game’s treasures and as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete. It is every fan’s “Field of Dreams,” with its stories, legends and magic shared from generation to generation.