Schumer: Adidas plans to end contract

 U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer revealed that Adidas has plans to end their contract with American Classic Outfitters (ACO) in Perry, NY and for the first time produce the game day jerseys worn by NBA players at facilities outside of the USA.

Schumer today called on Adidas to reverse this flawed decision and continue to make the jerseys for the NBA in the United States, a move that could save approximately 100 jobs in Perry, NY and many more across the country.

Schumer pointed to Perry’s 40 year history of producing game day jerseys,  including the jerseys worn by members of the 1992 Dream Team,  and said that outsourcing the jerseys worn by top US athletes would be a decision that not only hurt hundreds of American employees, but basketball fans across the country and the NBA brand.

Schumer said that approximately 50% of the NBA jerseys worn by players during official league games are made at the Perry facility, as well as all WNBA game day jerseys and all jerseys worn by players in development leagues.

Schumer said Adidas is in the middle of a seven year contract with ACO, but has decided to ditch this contract and manufacture all these jerseys overseas, at a factory in Thailand. This move would deprive the US of a $7 million per year industry.

“It is flat wrong for Adidas to take away the production of game-day NBA jerseys from the company and workers here in New York who have done so well for the NBA for so long,” said Schumer. “And to do it in this economic climate adds insult to injury. Basketball is a marquee American sport and the NBA is its premier stage. A short-sighted decision to destroy over a hundred years of history by moving production of game day jerseys overseas just cannot stand. The jerseys the NBA players wear should be made in the U.S.A, plain and simple. From outfitting the original Dream Team to LeBron James to the WNBA, the workers right here in Perry, New York have produced a first-class product that has been a vital part of the sport's growing popularity. To cut them off from the future growth of the sport is flat wrong. Adidas must do the right thing and reverse this decision, and continue to produce all these jerseys domestically at ACO. To do anything else is an insult to the American worker and sports fans everywhere in America.”

American Classic Outfitters (ACO) has a rich American history in designing and manufacturing custom athletic uniforms for sports teams at all levels of play, including the NBA. ACO has been making NBA jerseys for nearly half a century at the facility in Perry, NY. The company prides itself in its long-established tradition of hand-crafting quality team uniforms.

In 2008, ACO secured a long-term contract with Adidas to become its exclusive provider of customized sports apparel. As a result of winning the contract with Adidas, American Classic Outfitters invested over $1 million in facility improvements and equipment to produce the game day jerseys for the NBA. Recently, Adidas announced that they are going to move operations overseas, despite being in the middle of a seven year contract. The move puts the more than 100 jobs at the ACO facility in Perry, at risk and could significantly impact the local economy.

In an effort to preserve the jobs at ACO, Schumer today urged Adidas to maintain jersey production at the facility.