Varsity Brands
Corporate brand
UnclaimedVarsity Brands is a privately held American company focused on academic apparel, graduation products, cheerleading, and team sports uniforms and equipment.
Last updated August 25, 2026
Overview
Varsity Brands is an American education and sports merchandise company whose activities center on apparel, recognition products, competitions, and equipment associated with schools and youth athletics. The company is best known through two principal operating businesses: Varsity Spirit, which serves the cheerleading and dance markets through apparel, camps, competitions, and related events, and BSN Sports, a distributor and supplier of uniforms, sports equipment, and team-related products. Its business model combines direct sales, distribution, event operations, and participation in school and athletic communities. The company developed through the combination of businesses serving adjacent school and sports categories. Herff Jones acquired Varsity Brands in 2011, with Varsity founder and chief executive Jeff Webb becoming president and chief executive of Herff Jones. Herff Jones subsequently acquired BSN Sports in 2013. In June 2014, the combined operations were organized under the Varsity Brands name, a move intended to present the businesses as a more integrated platform rather than as unrelated individual companies. Varsity Brands has subsequently passed through several private-equity ownership cycles. The company was sold to Charlesbank Capital Partners in 2014 in a transaction reported at approximately $1.5 billion, and Charlesbank later sold it to Bain Capital in 2018 for a reported value of roughly $2.5 billion. Adam Blumenfeld, who had led BSN Sports as chief executive since 2007, became chief executive of Varsity Brands in 2017. In 2023, the company divested its Herff Jones graduation business to Atlas Holdings, narrowing the portfolio toward sports, cheerleading, and related school activities. In August 2024, Varsity Brands was acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in a transaction reported at approximately $4.75 billion. Varsity Brands operates in markets where brand identity, participation, institutional purchasing, and event ecosystems are closely connected. Varsity Spirit supports cheerleading programs not only through clothing but also through camps, competitions, and qualification structures. BSN Sports serves schools and teams with uniforms and sporting goods, using a distribution-oriented model. This integrated position has also exposed the company to scrutiny. Plaintiffs have alleged that Varsity used its position in cheerleading competitions, camps, apparel, and related services to restrict competition. The company and former owners agreed to an $82.5 million settlement in 2024 in a class-action antitrust case, following a separate $43.5 million antitrust settlement announced in 2023. Varsity Brands and connected parties have also faced lawsuits involving alleged sexual assault by coaches associated with the company's broader cheerleading network. These matters remain important to the company's public profile alongside its commercial role in school sports and academic recognition.
History
Varsity Brands is an American company built around school identity, youth sports, cheerleading, and academic recognition products. Its businesses have historically occupied overlapping institutional markets: schools purchase uniforms and equipment, students and athletes purchase or receive apparel, and families and participants engage with camps, competitions, graduation services, and memorabilia. The company is closely associated with Jeff Webb, who is identified as its founder and chief executive. In 2011, Herff Jones acquired Varsity Brands. Webb moved into the leadership of Herff Jones, becoming its president and chief executive. Herff Jones expanded the combined platform in 2013 by acquiring BSN Sports, a business focused on team uniforms, sports equipment, and related school-athletic supplies. In June 2014, the operations were brought under the Varsity Brands name. The rebranding reflected an effort to organize the businesses as an integrated company serving schools and sports communities. That year, the company was sold to Charlesbank Capital Partners in a transaction reported at approximately $1.5 billion. The ownership change placed Varsity Brands under private-equity control while preserving its multi-business structure. A further management change came in 2017, when Adam Blumenfeld became chief executive of Varsity Brands. Blumenfeld had served as chief executive of BSN Sports since 2007, giving him experience in one of the company's largest operating businesses. In 2018, Bain Capital acquired Varsity Brands from Charlesbank in a transaction reported at approximately $2.5 billion. Varsity Brands later simplified its portfolio. In 2023, it sold the Herff Jones graduation business to Atlas Holdings. The divestiture separated the graduation-products operation from the remaining sports and spirit activities and left Varsity Brands more concentrated around Varsity Spirit and BSN Sports. In August 2024, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired the company for a reported approximately $4.75 billion. The company's commercial development has occurred alongside legal controversy. In 2020, Varsity Brands faced consolidated antitrust litigation alleging monopoly control in cheerleading apparel. The allegations expanded beyond apparel into the organization of competitions, camps, and related participation services. A separate antitrust settlement reported in October 2023 involved $43.5 million. In May 2024, Varsity Brands and previous owners agreed to an $82.5 million class-action settlement. Reported terms included removing requirements that athletes attend Varsity-run camps to remain eligible for certain championships, ending requirements to stay at Varsity-approved hotels, and ending information sharing between Varsity and the U.S. All Star Federation, an organization founded by Varsity. The company and its broader network also faced two lawsuits in 2022 involving sexual-assault allegations related to connected coaches. These disputes have shaped public discussion of the company's influence over the cheerleading ecosystem.
- 2024
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquisition
[1]Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Varsity Brands in a transaction reported at approximately $4.75 billion.
- 2023
Herff Jones graduation business divested
[1]Atlas Holdings acquired the Herff Jones graduation business from Varsity Brands.
- 2018
Bain Capital acquisition
[1]Bain Capital acquired Varsity Brands in a transaction reported at approximately $2.5 billion.
- 2017
Adam Blumenfeld becomes chief executive
[1]The chief executive of BSN Sports since 2007 was appointed to lead Varsity Brands.
- 2014
Operations adopt the Varsity Brands name
[1]The businesses began operating under the Varsity Brands identity to emphasize their integration.
- 2014
Charlesbank Capital Partners acquisition
[1]Charlesbank Capital Partners acquired Varsity Brands in a transaction reported at approximately $1.5 billion.
- 2013
BSN Sports joins the Herff Jones platform
[1]Herff Jones acquired BSN Sports, adding a major team-sports distribution business to the company's portfolio.
- 2011
Herff Jones acquires Varsity Brands
[1]Herff Jones purchased Varsity Brands, and founder Jeff Webb became president and chief executive of Herff Jones.
Products and positioning
An integrated school, spirit, and team-sports platform serving institutions, athletes, students, coaches, and families through apparel, equipment, events, and participation programs.
Cheerleading and spirit
Varsity Spirit
Varsity Spirit is the company's cheerleading and spirit-focused operating business. It provides apparel and related products while also organizing camps, competitions, and other participation-oriented programs. Its role extends beyond merchandise into the event and qualification infrastructure surrounding competitive cheerleading, making it a central part of Varsity Brands' position in the sport.
Team sports uniforms and equipment
BSN Sports
BSN Sports distributes and supplies uniforms, sporting goods, and equipment for schools, teams, and athletic programs. The business supports institutional and team purchasing rather than functioning solely as a consumer apparel label. Its distribution capabilities provide Varsity Brands with access to a broad range of school sports beyond cheerleading.
Academic apparel and memorabilia
Herff Jones graduation products
Herff Jones supplied graduation-related products and academic memorabilia within the broader Varsity Brands portfolio. The business included products associated with school recognition and commencement. Varsity Brands sold this graduation business to Atlas Holdings in 2023, so it is no longer part of the company's current operating portfolio.
Controversies
2024
Cheerleading antitrust class-action settlement
Varsity Brands and former owners agreed to an $82.5 million settlement resolving a class-action case alleging monopolization of cheerleading competitions, camps, and apparel. Reported terms included changes to camp, hotel, and information-sharing practices.
2022
Lawsuits involving alleged sexual assault by connected coaches
Two lawsuits were filed concerning sexual-assault allegations involving coaches connected with Varsity Brands. The cases became part of broader scrutiny of safeguarding and accountability in the company's associated cheerleading network.
2020
Consolidated cheerleading antitrust lawsuit
Varsity Brands faced consolidated litigation alleging that it maintained monopoly control in the cheerleading apparel industry and used its position across related cheerleading markets to restrict competition.
Brand decisions
2023
Divest Herff Jones graduation businessM&ABackground
Varsity Brands reviewed its portfolio after operating across graduation, cheerleading, and team-sports categories.
Action taken
The Herff Jones graduation business was sold to Atlas Holdings.
Aftermath
Varsity Brands became more concentrated on spirit, cheerleading, team uniforms, and sports equipment.
2014
Unify operations under the Varsity Brands identityStrategyBackground
Following the Herff Jones acquisition of Varsity Brands and the subsequent addition of BSN Sports, the businesses covered related school, sports, and apparel categories.
Action taken
The company announced that it would operate under the Varsity Brands name to present the portfolio as a more integrated operation.
Aftermath
The reorganization established the corporate identity later associated with Varsity Spirit and BSN Sports.
Recent events
- 2024
Varsity Brands acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts[1]
M&A
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Varsity Brands in a transaction reported at approximately $4.75 billion.
- 2023
Varsity Brands sells Herff Jones graduation business[1]
M&A
Varsity Brands divested its Herff Jones graduation business to Atlas Holdings, reducing its exposure to graduation products.
- 2017
Adam Blumenfeld named chief executive of Varsity Brands[1]
Leadership change
Adam Blumenfeld, who had led BSN Sports since 2007, was appointed chief executive of Varsity Brands.
- 2014
Varsity Brands adopts integrated corporate identity[1]
Other
The company announced that its operations would use the Varsity Brands name, following the acquisition of BSN Sports and an effort to present its businesses as a more unified platform.
Sources3 sources
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