Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Authentic Brands Group Acquires TAPOUT and Silver Star Casting Company






Big news for major brands in Mixed Martial Arts today as Authentic Brands Group, LLC announces the acquistion of TapouT and Silver Star with the press release below.

Personally, I see this as a move that TapouT had to make in order to reach that next level of acceptance into the mainstream retail market, especially after the passing of their emotional leader Charles "Mask" Lewis, who truly defined the brand for most hardcore MMA fans.  However, it will be interesting to see if there will be any backlash from these hardcore fans.  Much of the appeal of TapouT was the grassroots nature of their creation, from selling t-shirts out of the back of their car to a television show on the Versus Network about being crazy fans of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.
  
Interestingly, as a hardcore fan myself, I've never personally identified with the "in your face" style of most MMA brands. But, I've always digged the message that "Mask" and TapouT represents, which to me has been this notion that they don't seek out champions to represent their brand, and they wouldn't even cut a fighter for losing 10 straight fights.  Rather, it's a recognition of the incredible courage, determination, and willingess to put it all on the line as an athlete competing in this sport of MMA...win or lose.  Let's hope the Authentic Brands Group can keep that original message alive.   

NY/LA/Toronto – September 6, 2010 – Authentic Brands Group, LLC, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto, is proud to announce the acquisition of TapouT and Silver Star Casting Company (Silver Star), two of the biggest names in the mixed martial arts (MMA) industry. MMA is the world's fastest growing sport with billions of dollars in annual revenue and global appeal. Authentic Brands Group acquired TapouT and Silver Star as part of its multi-branded distribution strategy designed to protect brand integrity.
Authentic Brands Group has global brand building experience in apparel, action sports, consumer electronics, home and celebrity brands. The company's innovative marketing strategies include traditional and social media, and securing partnerships with high profile athletes and celebrities.

Authentic Brands Group's Chairman & CEO Jamie Salter said, "This sport is still in its infancy. We strategically chose these acquisitions as our first big move because we're getting into the right business at the right time. We're looking forward to working with the best brands and the best athletes in the world as we transition these two companies into global lifestyle brands with our retail and licensing partners."
With the acquisition of TapouT, Authentic Brands Group now owns the number one MMA lifestyle brand in the world, a brand name that has become synonymous with the sport itself. TapouT has global brand awareness that has grown alongside the MMA over the last 15 years by staying focused on the athletes and the fans. Built by three impassioned men who trained in MMA, the late Charles "Mask" Lewis, Dan "Punkass" Caldwell and Timm "Skyskrape" Katz, TapouT has maintained its authenticity through its rapid growth by staying deeply rooted in the MMA culture.
The rest of the official press release after the jump.