Team Insight - November, 2008
Kicking It Up A Notch
There’s no denying that soccer’s popularity remains strong in communities around the country, but do team dealers feel the same way? Often, that answer comes down to the performance of manufacturers and how strong the specialty dealer competition is
Is soccer ever going to become mainstream in America? We all remember when that was the central question asked about the sport generally regarded as the most popular everywhere else in the world. And we all know now that the answer is a resounding Y...
Soccer 3.0
Advice on how team dealers can face the unique challenges and opportunities in the soccer market
Team sports seems to be one of the more resilient areas where dealers can usually count on filling orders from year to year. But soccer, the “world” sport, is where team dealers have more of a challenge than in other traditional “American” sports. ...
Talkin’ Pigskin
Selling pads and helmets is still at the top of the list for America’s team dealers, and the major vendors plan on keeping it that way with technology and safety driving new product development. Team Intelligence convenes its Football Vendor Roundta
Sitting around the table … Gary Bethea, Director of Sales, Cutters, Phoenix, AZ Justin Niefer, COO, Director of Product Development and Marketing, evoSHIELD by All Sports Armour, Watkinsville, GA Ed Tobergte, President, Gear 2000, Hays, KS ...
The Year That Was ... ... And The Year To Come
Whoa, what a ride the past year has been for the team business. Led by economic woes that have local high school – and worldwide – ramifications, the past 12 months have thrown down the gauntlet for team dealers. So, what’s next? And how should deal...
Get Out Of The Blocks
Don’t overlook track and field to help fuel sales in the coming months. In a sport where crossing the finish line first is only one measure of success, you can forfeit the meet by not getting to the starting line.
Track & Field is all about speed, technique and explosion — propelling oneself higher and faster or throwing something farther. Athletes compete against other athletes, but they also compete individually against their own performance. They don’t have...
Color Their World
Color and style have teamed up with performance and weight as the key elements for success in the cleated footwear equation. Dealers and vendors are still working on making cleats the right fit at both team and retail.
Style may not be the trait most closely associated with cleated footwear, but the importance of how a shoe looks is becoming an increasingly important part of the cleated category across the board. Key trends that cleated footwear manufacturers are ...
Ground Floor
Socks for the team market help dealers build their business from the feet up.
Inhibitions at Trenway New this season from Trenway is the unique Debris Inhibitor, a patent pending athletic footwear product that inhibits fragments of crumb rubber on playing surfaces from entering the inside of the shoe. Debris within the shoe c...
Going Global
A4 Buys fabric in Asia, cuts it in Los Angeles and sews it in Mexico. Owner Mark Mertens says it's the only way to flourish in today's world.
It's 7 a.m. on a Monday in Vernon, CA and already the trucks are causing a traffic jam. The tractor trailers are snarling the streets of this industrial area less than 20 miles from LAX, picking up and offloading their containers. Two blocks...
Looking Ahead by Looking Back
The team industry – the basic business of selling uniforms and equipment to schools, clubs and recreation programs – is as close to recession proof as a business can be. Almost everyone echoes that simple observation, echoing the oft-repeated phrase ...
Schutt Accessorizes Its Football Playbook
Looking to expand its already significant reach in football, Schutt Sports this fall entered into two licensing agreements with accessory suppliers that will soon put the company’s logo on football gloves, off-field apparel and mouthguards. In the...
Are You in the Top 10 States?
According to figures recently released by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 10 states accounted for more than half of high school sports participation in the United States. Can you guess who they are? Before we get t...
No SGMA Las Vegas Trade Show in 2009
With mixed reviews of the 2008 event and a difficult economic situation working against it, SGMA has decided to not hold its Team Sports Show or its Sports Licensing Show -- known previously as the SGMA Spring Market -- in 2009, with its future in do...
On The Road With ... David Neely, Team Sports, Holland, OH
Periodically Team Intelligence heads out to the front lines of the team sports battles for conversations with the roadmen (and women). This issue we visit with David Neely, a roadman with Team Sports, Holland, OH, covering northwest Ohio for the pa...
Partnership Needed ... The Role of The Factory Rep
In tough times, dealers need to rely on the independent sales representatives to help level the playing field. And factory reps need to embrace their vital role as the liaison between brands and team dealers. In these challenging times, both sides of...
Niche Sports Growing, Traditional Sports Holding Their Own
While traditional team sports like basketball, baseball and soccer are attracting the most team sports participants in the U.S., niche team sports like lacrosse, paintball and cheerleading are exhibiting the strongest growth patterns, according to t...
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