Team Insight - January, 2009
A Positive Insight for 2009
I, for one, am very, very glad that 2009 is here. The past 12 months have been a year of trials and tribulations for our little industry, but I am here this month to pass the word that, indeed, we have weathered the worst there is. Now, you may as...
America's Past-Time?
Have rumors of baseball’s demise been exaggerated? While the sport may no longer be top of the charts among America’s youth, dealers still view it as a valuable producer in their team lineup.
Baseball is a funny game. It seems that someone is always trying to write its eulogy. Consider this headline from the New York Times: DECLINE OF BASEBALL: Interest in the National Game Has Steadily Decreased A story such as this one might gi...
Changing of the Mouthguard
Mouthguards sometimes have a difficult time catching the eye of a buyer, yet the importance of a good mouthguard can not be understated since they play a crucial role in player safety. In 2009, mouthguards have evolved into a surprisingly deep and ...
Dynamic Performance
With the economy teetering and consumer confidence spluttering, can team dealers rely on steady performance apparel sales? Yes, according to the Team Insight annual survey of dealers across the country that finds that ‘performance’ is a now a staple
The creation of the performance apparel category by Under Armour – admit it, for all intents and purposes UA did “create” the category -- and the aggressive amount of competition it spawned, is a well-documented story. Growth of the category is expec...
Grappling For Attention
Football may be TOPS for most team dealers, but there remain plenty of other secondary sports that command attention. Wrestling rates right up there as a way to extend sales and for team dealers to showcase their service to schools, clubs and leagu...
What’s In Your Bag?
Every athlete needs the right bag to stuff with gear. Any team dealer will tell you that not too long ago a utilitarian duffel would do. It was functional, durable and easy to carry. No longer, as sport-specific and high-tech bags that can be easily
Today gym and sport bags are packed with features, trending toward highly customized sport specific bags. Athletes want compartments for balls, water bottles, uniforms, MP3 players, even removable pockets to separate used gear from clean. Not only ...
SPECIAL REPORT: GET ONLINE
As another year in the cyber revolution takes shape, Team Insight reached out to a host of independent dealers and to the four major buying groups to determine how they have undertaken their own online expansion, why, and the results.
More Than Luck of the Irish Retail: www.kellyssports.com Team: www.kellys-sports.com If luck is the residue of preparation, Kelly’s Sports Ltd. was prepared to capitalize on its Internet presence. Some six years ago, the West Chester, PA te...
SPECIAL REPORT: GROUP ONLINE EFFORT
Buying groups no longer simply put together purchasing deals for their members, because once the wagon is full they need to help their members unload it. Or as one buying group executive notes, “You can’t just help a member buy better, you have to he
ADA’s Three-PART Approach www.adamember.com www.athleticdealersofamerica.com www.coachesonly.com Members of the ADA are no strangerS to the Web thanks to the efforts of the buying group. The Athletic Dealers of America operates three Web site...
Diamonds in The Rough
New products for the 2009 baseball season combine aesthetics, technology and tradition to keep the game current for today’s young players
The Wilson A1000 Baseball Glove line – the Official Ball Glove of Major League Baseball – has been completely revamped, with each glove manufactured to be game-ready right off of the shelf. The A1000 from Pro Stock patterns including Dual-Welting to...
The End Zone
Russell Expands NBA Relationships Russell Athletic has added a performance uniform to its product assortment as the NBA’s official institutional uniform provider, a deal that grants it exclusivity to utilize NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League team names and...
Deal or No Deal?
Nike explains its controversial distribution strategy as team dealers wonder about the impact on their own apparel and uniform business
Last Fall in an exclusive article in this magazine, Nike was touting its “New Deal” regarding its renewed commitment to the team dealer distribution channel. The effort has been met with mixed feelings by the trade. On the one hand, according to m...
The Obama Impact On Sporting Goods
What challenges and opportunities await the sporting goods and fitness industries as the U.S. prepares for a new Administration under Barack Obama? That question was presented and answered by a team of experts assembled by the Sporting Goods Manufact...
On The Road With ... George Kline III
Bethlehem Sporting Goods, Bethlehem, PA
Periodically Team INSIGHT heads ON out to the front lines of the team sports battles for conversations with the roadmen (and women). This issue we visit with George Kline III, of Bethlehem Sporting Goods, Bethlehem, PA. Kline has been covering nort...
The Soccer Event Kicked
Culminating in an exciting 2008 MLS Cup final, the Fourth Annual Soccer Event, held November 20-23 in Los Angeles, was an unqualified success. Presented by Major League Soccer and organized by Formula4 Media, publisher of Team Insight, The Soccer Eve...
Report Says Team Dealers Have Improved Profitability and Reduced Their Expenses. Have You?
Team dealers matched two of three key profitability benchmarks and three important productivity measures from a previous study, according to data contained in the new NSGA Cost of Doing Business Survey, published by the National Sporting Goods Associ...
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