Baseball in Licensing Deals With Nike, VF

Major League Baseball signed five-year apparel licensing agreements with Nike Inc., VF Corp. and five closely held companies that will generate at least $500 million from 2005 through 2009, Commissioner Bud Selig said.

The agreements, which will pay each of the 30 MLB teams an average $3.3 million a year, represent a 70% increase over the previous agreements.