Champion is a manufacturer of clothing, specializing in sportswear. The brand is a subsidiary of HanesBrands Inc. (based in Winston-Salem), which was spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation.
 

Champion is HanesBrands' second largest brand with Hanes beating them in first place. Other brands owned by HanesBrands Inc. are Playtex (its third largest brand), Bali, Just My Size, Barely There, Wonderbra, L'eggs, C9 by Champion, Duofold, Beefy-T, Outer Banks, Sol y Oro, Rinbros, Zorba and Ritmo.
 

Product History
Champion is the clothing company that invented the sports bra, rugby jersey, reversible t-shirts, and breathable mesh clothing (found in trucker hats).
 

Champion sportswear has been a popular staple in hip hop and urban fashion since the early 1990s. The Champion hooded sweatshirt was heavily popularized by seminal 90s New York based rappers including Tribe Called Quest, Ill Al Skratch and Mobb Deep. These rappers were often seen wearing the iconic Champion hoodies in their music videos and during their live performances. Today, hardcore rappers like 50 cent, The Game, Ghostface Killah and Fat Joe have continued the tradition of wearing Champion hoodies in their music videos and during their television appearances. Many rappers have referenced Champion hoodies in their rhymes. Most notably, Nas name-dropped Champion's trademark sweatshirt on DJ Kay Slay's "Too Much For Me" in 2003 rapping,"I'm a braveheart in Carhartt and Champion hoodies".
 

Champion has produced uniforms for National Basketball Association teams. It has also produced sportswear for many major colleges.

Sponsorship
During the 1990s Champion was the official sponsor of the NBA. They stopped being the sponsor in 2000.
 

In 2007, Champion sponsored Australia's controversial rugby league footballer, Willie Mason. Mason makes an unusual choice to advertise sports bras and sportswear, as the footballer is famed in Australia for drug use, alcohol-fueled excursions to brothels, and belittling women