A Creve Coeur company makes a jaw protector seen on MLB helmets, but competitors are on deck
CREVE COEUR • Baseball fans may know Rawlings as the official provider of balls and helmets to Major League Baseball, a deal that gets the Town and Country-based sporting goods company tons of TV exposure over the course of MLB’s six-month regular season.
But another St. Louis-area company you may not have heard of, Markwort Sporting Goods, also sees its fair share of airtime.
Markwort is the manufacturer of the C-Flap, the 5-inch-long jaw protector that bolts onto helmets worn by hundreds of MLB players, including stars such as Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper and Yadier Molina.
The adoption among Major League players has driven sales of the C-Flap in amateur and youth leagues across the world — Markwort President and CEO Herb Markwort said the protective piece accounts for about 15 percent of Markwort Sporting Goods’ overall sales.
“Sales tripled last year and could triple again this year,” he said.
