Team Insight

NEWS & ANALYSIS OF THE TEAM MARKET • JULY/AUGUST 2020 • A FORMULA4 MEDIA PUBLICATION

BACK TO BUSINESS TEAM DEALERS AND VENDORS ARE READY FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON. HOT PRODUCTS: SIX PAGES OF THE HOTTEST NEW PRODUCTS DEALERS WILL NEED TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS. teaminsightmag.com

GET THE LATEST IN HEADWEAR, SPORTSWEAR, AND PROTECTIVE GEAR www.augustasportswear.com

lers that team dea ts c u d ro P t o H ere!

36 It’s Hot Out Th siness! Page u b to k c a b t e ey g will need as th

TEAM INSIGHT

®

Editor/Associate Publisher Michael Jacobsen mjacobsen@formula4media.com 201-396-7005 Editorial Staff Nancy Baeder, Correspondent Mike May, Correspondent Colleen Merrill, Research Art Director Francis Klaess Digital Brandon Christie Publisher Jeff Nott jnott@formula4media.com 516-305-4711 Advertising Sam Selvaggio sselvaggio@formula4media.com 212-398-5021 Katie O’Donohue kodonohue@formula4media.com 828-244-3043 Ron Stern rstern@formula4media.com 201-774-2432 Production Michael Jacobsen mjacobsen@formula4media.com Subscriptions www.teaminsightmag.com

Formula4Media® Trends...........................................................8

Topping It Off............................................ 26

COVID-19 Coverage: Searching for A Silver Lining; Home Field Advantage: One-on-One with Pat Donnelly

The Team Insight Headwear Roundtable explores the different cap needs of a season like no other.

On The Rebound...................................... 14

Tap Into Team Pride............................... 34

Basketball looks to return next season, but how will it look for team dealers and their schools?

Custom caps are hot with these top six custom headwear trends.

Diamond Duo............................................ 20

End Zone.................................................... 46

Baseball and softball aim to recover from a strike out of a Spring 2020 season.

SanMar and Allmade Partner In Apparel; Four States Add Girls’ Wrestling; Soccer Participation on the Rise

NEWS, ANALYSIS, OPINION. From the most experienced editorial staff in the team sports industry.

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Time To Get Back to Business It’s a time for the team business to step up and show what it is made of.

Many are already doing just that, with dealers taking the initiative to be a part of the reopening solution in their local schools.

L

et’s put this right up front: The next 60 days are, arguably, the most important two months in the history of the team sports business. This isn’t hyperbole — it may even be downplaying the seriousness of the situation a bit.

But the survival of many in our world of team sports – from independent team dealers to large national networks, from public school teams to private sports clubs, from single-product vendors to multi-brand corporations – is at stake with the upcoming fall sports season.

Like many, many others, this industry suffered a body blow when spring sports were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with them went an entire season’s worth of business and the confidence that there will always be youth sports in America.

That confidence was shattered when virtually every school in America called their team dealer in March and cancelled their orders for the season. And while a few dealers were fortunate enough to have delivered on some spring orders, primarily uniforms, the equipment fill-ins, online stores and post-season sales disappeared with the flick of a light switch. There are a lot of unused baseballs sitting in warehouses around the country.

But team dealers are resilient and, for the most part, good businessmen and women.

They reacted quickly, worked with their vendors, tapped into federal relief funds and cut expenses, all the while keeping in virtual touch with their coaches and schools. Summer brought some relief with

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limited camp activity and summer leagues, but that has been little consolation.

Now we turn to the Fall 2020 season, a time of vital importance to everyone in the business of team sports — a time when we can ill afford a repeat of the past few months, a time when King Football makes or breaks many team dealers. It’s a time when thousands of boys and girls should be playing soccer.

And it’s a time for the team business to step up and show what it is made of. Many are already doing just that, with dealers taking the initiative to be a part of the reopening solution in their local schools ... dealers working hand in hand with coaches to make sure summer practices are safe and taking every precaution to assure the fall season takes place ... of everyone in the supply chain prioritizing the safety of their employees, their customers and their athletes.

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There will be a Fall 2020 sports season — it is already happening in many parts of America and thankfully dealers are delivering products to teams taking those first tentative steps back onto the field. But this season will look different in Florida and Texas than it will in New York or California.

Local challenges will demand local solutions. Seasons will start, athletes and coaches will test positive, schedules will be disrupted, maybe cancelled. Products will be ordered, then cancelled, then re-ordered as a dynamic situation becomes even more fluid.

But there will be a “next normal” and team dealers will be a vital part of that resurgence.

You will be there to offer advice, to deliver product at the last minute, to help assure the safety of America’s young athletes. You can be a part of the solution and position yourselves as the go-to guys, the business leaders who helped America return from a pandemic.

It is said by politicians that you should never let a good crisis go to waste. That simply means there are opportunities even in the worst of times to not only survive, but to thrive in a challenging and changing world. You can do it and we will be here to tell the world about how you did it. Now let’s all get back to business! n

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TEAM TRENDS Dealers are still persevering as they prepare for the Fall 2020 season amidst a pandemic. By Mike May

Searching for A Silver Lining Dealers alternate between ready-to-roll to wait-andsee as the all-important fall season slowly approaches.

S

o, what’s it like out there as the team sports industry gets back to business, schools return to inperson teaching and athletes get back on the field for the Fall 2020 season? (All of these can have the word “hopefully” added to them, of course.)

To find out we once again headed out to the front lines of the team business, looking for some optimism among those severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

We were not disappointed – to an extent – and dealers alternated between ready-to-roll to wait-and-see as the all-important fall season slowly approaches.

The May/June issue of Team Insight used the words bizarre and unprecedented to describe the situation at that point. We can repeat them here, from both dealers and their suppliers looking longingly to a hopefully brighter future In Two Words: Cautious Optimism Rod Zide, owner of Zide’s Sporting Goods, Marietta, OH, is desperately searching for the elusive silver lining in the COVID-19 crisis.

“Maybe something good will come out of all this,” he says. “I hope that the worst is behind us and I hope for the best in our future.”

In the south Florida hotspot, Joel Dunn,

8 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

a salesman at Pro Performance Sports in Miami, is confident that high school sports will be played in Florida this coming school year, but even in mid-July he was not sure if the fall season will start late or get shortened.

“I think we will have something, but it will be different,” says Dunn. “There’s also been talk of having spring sports in the fall and fall sports in the spring, but I don’t see that happening.”

Dunn says that Florida is a big state and that life is different in Miami than it is in a central Florida city such as Orlando or Pensacola, which is so far west that it is in a different time zone.

“The ultimate decision on school sports this upcoming school year will be made by the Florida High School Athletic Association in Gainesville,” says Dunn.

In another south Florida community, Scotty’s Sports Shop in Wellington is keeping the lights on thanks to federal funding to small businesses.

Moving forward, owner Jerry Steurer is hoping that local schools open up and that local rec sports return, specifically youth football, soccer and baseball. And since Scotty’s Sports Shop also generates revenue from selling P.E. shirts and shorts, he is doubly dependent on schools reopening into some sort of normalcy.

If there is no school there is no P.E.; if there is no P.E., there are no sales.

And further up the east coast of Florida in Vero Beach, the sports business is experiencing a reboot, so to speak.

“As predicted, youth travel baseball has fired back up,” reports Becky Whipp, co-owner of Dave’s Sporting Goods, Vero Beach, FL. “In fact, one of our local baseball leagues has been hosting tournaments on recent weekends and high school football teams are back doing conditioning.”

Dave’s has also picked up some back-toschool sales, another key category dependent on school reopenings.

From Survival to Upbeat In the late spring, Betsy Frey, owner of Holyoke Sporting Goods, Holyoke, MA, said she was “in a survival mode” because of the COVID-19 lockdown. In early July, her tune had not changed, but her attitude remained upbeat.

“It’s pitiful. The sports business is dead.

It’s so sad. The only thing I’m selling are face masks,” says Frey. “There’s just a glimmer of hope to share. I’m beginning to sell a few baseballs and softballs, but only a few, and no gear or uniforms. As for my school business, I have received a few small orders for the fall.”

And like many others Frey just doesn’t know what’s going to happen after Labor Day. “We’re still in limbo when it comes to fall sports,” says Frey.

Unlike most team dealers, football is not a key category for Holyoke, but there is another form of football that is her cash cow every fall that is in limbo.

“I make my money in the fall from soccer,” says Frey, with other contributions from field hockey, cheerleading and some youth football.”

Frey usually has three part-time employees in the summer, but they remain on furlough.

“I’d like some help cleaning the store, but I’m managing,” says Frey.

In the Hoosier state of Indiana, there’s an uplifting attitude when it comes to youth baseball and high school football, according to Doc Claussen, manager of Coaches Corner, Terre Haute, IN. “We’re moving forward here in Indiana,” says Claussen. “But, there’s still so much unknown.”

Once they were given the green light, local baseball teams didn’t take long to get back on the diamond. “We’re flying by the seat of our pants with youth baseball,” says Claussen, who teaminsightmag.com

The Impact on Team Sports is busy by day selling baseball and by night as a baseball umpire. “Baseball has kick-started back into play.”

Football coaches in Indiana are focused on having a full fall season and they couldn’t wait to start practice and Claussen has to be ready to react to their last-minute demands.

“I have football coaches calling me every day asking about when they will be getting their helmets,” he says.

Claussen admits that the last few months have been tough on business, but it’s clear that he and his associates at Coaches Corner are strong and resilient. “The coronavirus has definitely affected us, but we’re grinders,” says Claussen. “Let’s move forward. You can’t lock down people forever.”

In Elizabethtown, KY, foot traffic and sales have definitely improved since the spring, according to Duke Sporting Goods co-owner Tony Carter.

“Things are definitely picking up, though it’s not business as normal,” Carter reports.

“We have more customers in our store every day.” (As a precaution, all of its employees are required to wear a mask and they provide a mask to customers.)

And in a much-welcome sight, local athletic fields in the greater Elizabethtown area are now being used by recreational baseball leagues, club soccer teams and high school football teams — although with social distancing.

“High school football teams are allowing no more than 10 players per practice and there’s no physical contact,” says Carter.

The one big change is that the first day of school in Kentucky has been pushed back to August 24. How that will affect the start of high school sports in the fall in Kentucky remains to be seen.

Slow In the Capital Region In the vicinity of our nation’s capital, P.J. Sports has a brick-and-mortar presence in both Falls Church, VA, and Bethesda, MD, and, according to owner Mike Galipoli, business has been very slow. “We are open, but we’re not very busy,” says Galipoli of business at his soccer specialty store.

“We are 70 percent soccer, 25 percent lacrosse, and five percent field hockey,” says Galipoli. “We really depend on youth soccer being played.”

But, as of early July, the fields were vacant in Maryland and Virginia.

At the high school level, soccer is a fall sport in Maryland and a spring sport in Virginia, but travel youth soccer is played year-round.

Galipoli remains upbeat that his store will survive and then, hopefully, thrive. “We’re teaminsightmag.com

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE MANDATED

shutdowns of youth sports due to the COVID19 pandemic this spring and summer have greatly impacted the business of team sports. Team dealers and their vendors certainly know that.

That impact has also been felt by the public and private associations that promote and support youth sports programs across the country.

Looking to gauge and understand that impact, the SFIA’s Coronavirus Update Series recently hosted a webinar on the topic, featuring Evan Brandoff, CEO and co-founder of LeagueSide, a youth sports sponsorship platform, and Alex Silverman, senior reporter, Business of Sports Morning Consult, a reporter covering the business of sports.

“Youth sports is such a special industry that brings communities together and people together. COVID-19 has been devastating for the youth sports industry,” Silverman said in explaining why the two groups have focused on the segment.

Here are some of the findings of their recent research: • Nearly half of youth sports organizations say they are in danger of permanently suspending operations if the situation continues and 45 percent of organizations expect less youth sports participation. In addition, 54 percent of parents are worried a program that their child participates in could fold. • Nearly two in five youth sports programs say they are within three months of shuttering. They have expenses for facilities and staff they must continue to pay. Sixty percent of programs generate more than three-quarters of their revenue from registrations.

• One quarter of parents don’t expect to feel comfortable with their children participating until 2021. As a result, 52 percent of parents say they’re less likely to enroll their kids in sports in wake of the pandemic.

• Almost all parents said they need to see cases decline in their area before allowing their children to play organized sports.

Nearly three in four say it’s important that a vaccine exist.

• Sixty percent of parents did say that sports were the most important activity their children participate in.

going to make it through this,” he says.

In Columbia, MO, Red Weir Athletic Supplies is now open part-time – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays – after emerging from a 43-day shutdown due to the coronavirus.

“We have reduced hours because nobody is shopping,” explains owner Mike Weir, who adds that the supply chain has also been disrupted and is offering another challenge to business.

But, business is beginning to pick-up for Red Weir Athletic Supplies. “I have sold a few basketball and football uniforms to schools,” says Weir. “And, we have generated some revenue through some high school awards sales.”

Weir says the key to long-term survival for team dealers will be a return of Friday Night Lights across the country.

“We need high school football because football drives high school sports,” says Weir.

No where is that more true than in Texas, where the mood is more upbeat in Port Neches, TX, according to Complete Athlete owner Jesse Garcia.

“Without a doubt, we’ve seen an increase in business,” Garcia reported in mid-July. “A few summer camps and programs have started, which needed T-shirts. We’re also doing some business with non-sports clients such as local restaurants, breweries and car shops.”

Garcia remains very thankful for the local support that helps keep his doors open. “We are counting our blessings and we are praying every day,” says Garcia.

As for the chances of high school sports being played this fall, he’s more confident now than he was a few months ago that he will see high school students blocking, passing, running and tackling on the gridiron in the Lone Star State.

“I’m optimistic that high school football will happen,” says Garcia. “After all, that’s what Texas is known for.”

And out west in Mesa, AZ, sales and hours of operation for East Valley Sports have definitely been negatively impacted by the coronavirus.

Since the spring, the hours of operation for East Valley Sports have been expanded to 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during weekdays and half days on Saturdays, but the mid-summer rise in coronavirus cases in Arizona may put a dent in East Valley Sports’ hours of operation.

For the dealer, swimming is its number one category. To get a good idea of the impact of the coronavirus on swimsuit sales, owner Dennis Callison normally sells at least 500 swimsuits every year to local lifeguards. This year, due to public pool closures and lifeguards being out of work, his sales of swimsuits to lifeguards

“I’m optimistic that high school football will happen.

After all, that’s what Texas is known for.”

Jesse Garcia, Complete Athlete

July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 9

TEAM TRENDS Getting back to business opens up a host of opportunities for independent dealers. By Jim Hoff

The Team Dealer’s Home-Field Advantage You also have the ability to hand deliver any of those items that are in your inventory or goods you decorate yourself. National networks, for all their advantages in size and resources, simply can’t match that. They can’t enter the order, have it shipped from a distant warehouse and get it to a school nearly as fast as you can. Speed counts in times like these.

It is imperative for team dealers to play to their strengths to navigate these uncharted waters.

O

ne thing is certain in these uncertain times — business will never be conducted as it used to be, even a few months ago. (Remember the “good old days” when a meeting with the AD meant stopping by the office with a cup of coffee and a pencil ready for ordering!)

Getting past the fact that in many cases we don’t even know yet how many schools will be open for classes, much less sports, it is imperative for team dealers to play to their strengths to navigate these uncharted waters. That means maintaining regular contact with coaches and administrators to understand how your schools will operate and what sports will (hopefully) be played.

10 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

Keep in mind that as an independent team dealer you have that all-important home-field advantage. Being local and known in your community gives you the ultimate opportunity to have the upper hand. Being small and nimble gives you the ability of quick response based on information learn “on the street.”

You have the ability to be flexible with any unusual or last-minute request because you don’t have to call someone else and get permission. A big part of the value you have with your schools is that as an independent team dealer from the neighborhood you can make those decisions on the spot and also turn an order faster than others with faraway headquarters and distribution centers.

Staying in Touch Remaining in contact with coaches as much as possible over the last few months may have provided you with insight as to the fall sports possibilities. Unfortunately, this hasn’t always been easy, even for the local guys.

If your schools remain closed through mid-summer, go ahead and use the school’s website for staff contact info to acquire e-mail addresses and send notes with questions or requests for appointments. Or leave a message on their school phone line if it is listed.

(Hopefully any dealer with good relationships will have the cell number of key contacts at the schools for a quick call or, increasingly these days, an even quicker text.)

If a coach is a walk-on and does not have a school e-mail address or phone, use Linkedin or other social media to send out messages requesting a contact opportunity. The other obvious means is, of course, refer to past orders and search for the contact info of those who placed orders for the school in the past. That person may not be a coach, but may have the contact info of the coach whom you would like to reach.

(And if all else fails, stop by the practice field. As a local dealer you should know where that is.)

Even though some schools are just about to open in many parts of the country and others have put in place plans to reopen in some manner, there remain a lot of unanswered questions as this BTS season starts.

• Will there be competitive sports this fall at your schools?

• If so, which sports will be active?

• Will the traditional fall sports start later or be moved to a later season?

• Will there be a full schedule of games?

• Will there be fans in the stands?

• Will the number of players be the same as teaminsightmag.com

How Risky Are Sports? in the past or will team sizes be reduced?

• Will there even be sub-varsity teams as many fringe players opt not to participate this year?

• What will practices be like?

• What equipment/uniforms will be needed for the sports that will field teams?

• When will those teams be able to confidently place those uniform and equipment orders and when do they want delivery?

And, most importantly, when will you get paid?

The most important of the questions, of course, is the first one. By now you should already know if football or soccer will occur as scheduled and if cross-country teams will run, since practices may have already begun. The answer concerning the other fall sports will come from administrative staff, ADs or, in some cases, the coaches themselves. As mentioned earlier, it is vital

We truly don’t know what the future holds.

What we do know is that no business can handle it better and more effectively than independent team dealers. to remain in contact with all of these levels of decision-makers.

Personal visits remain the best means tohat the information you need and at some point outsiders will be allowed back into a school to visit. But remember when sending your roadmen to a school now it is important to be reminded to respect the social distancing guidelines the schools have put in place.

It is smart also to keep meetings as brief as possible and involve as few individuals as are necessary.

Sales Tip: It is a very good idea to have a resource for masks or face coverings in school colors or even logos — and then wear one to the school when having those meetings. You never know, perhaps school administrators would like to make something like that available to the staff or even the entire student body. It helps to promote school spirit with a very practical item.

Getting Ready for the Rush Even if you are great at keeping in touch, your own BTS efforts can all be for naught if you and your company can’t fill those orders when they do suddenly appear. teaminsightmag.com

In other words: Do you have inventory now? Are you working with vendors who can supplement your inventory and ship to you within 24 hours? There is no doubt teams will be ordering late. Be their resource and savior this year and you become the go-to guy when the new normal returns.

Of course, the downside to investing in this inventory is, What happens to all of it if sports are not played? What do you do with that inventory that you currently own and planned to turn this season?

It is here that your relationship with your vendors becomes extremely important.

Your vendors don’t want to lose you. You are too important to them. You are their best resource. You have great value.

While understandably somewhat reluctant, your vendors will need to find a solution that will help you and be acceptable to them.

That could include some return privileges of selected excess inventory. Perhaps they will require payment, but be willing to provide additional discounts in order encourage the payment. They could also consider providing extended terms on the due invoices.

If you don’t reach out and ask for the assistance, they will presume you are prepared to absorb the full responsibility. Be proactive about this important facet of your business.

This is a time when we all need to help each other. No one expected what occurred over the last six months and, as a result, absolutely no one – large and small team dealers, schools or vendors – were prepared for this.

The best any of us can do is learn what we don’t know and act quickly on it. What we do now will help us all be better prepared for the next season and how to handle it.

We truly don’t know what the future holds.

What we do know is that no business can handle it better and more effectively than independent team dealers. n About the author: Looking for a fresh viewpoint on the team business in these challenging times, Team Insight reached out to industry veteran Jim Hoff for his thoughts on where the team business is today and what it needs to do to get back to business in a COVID-19 world. Hoff has been a sporting good salesperson, manager and executive for more than 45 years. He has worked in retail and manufacturing as well as with Spalding, Huffy, DP, Bollinger, Avia, Asics and BSN Sports.

He now operates JMH Consulting teaching best business practices for business operation, sales and marketing. He can be reached at 949-6976436; hoff.james19@gmail.com

WILL THERE BY SCHOOL SPORTS IN THE FALL? That’s

the multi-million dollar question for team dealers and vendors and the answer will go a long way to determining whether they pass or fail this school year. Most districts around the country seem to be making plans to return to school in August and September and, along with that, hopefully some sort of fall sports schedule.

The success or failure of these efforts this school year will depend, of course, on how the world of high school sports reacts to a return to play amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

And while there are certainly risks in common with all activities, not all sports are equal. Each has varying levels of risks and a recent very informative article in The Oregonian/OregonLive rated team sports as lower, medium or higher risk.

Factors that were considered in the safety of the sport include contact versus non-contact, individual versus team sport and indoor versus outdoor. Generally, non-contact is safer than contact, individual is safer than team and outdoor is safer than indoor.

Higher Risk Basketball: Basketball is rated as the highest risk sport because it combines all the possible factors that could lead to increased risk — it is played indoors during the winter and the closed environment could lead to a higher risk of the virus spreading compared with outside.

Football: Like basketball, football involves prolonged close contact, especially at the line of scrimmage. But the amount of contact at any position provides large risks.

Wrestling: Wrestling requires contact and the athletes have the potential to touch the other’s face, which has clear high risk. There isn’t much protective equipment to wear either.

Medium Risk Ice Hockey/Field Hockey: More protective equipment such as large gloves are worn in ice hockey, but there is not sufficient face covering. Field hockey doesn’t have masks at all. If players can find a way to have more protective face coverings, the sports would be slightly safer.

Soccer: Soccer is far safer than basketball because contact happens for a shorter period of time, the field is larger and it is generally played outside.

Lacrosse: Like hockey, lacrosse has helmets and at all levels of men’s lacrosse those cover the whole face. Women’s lacrosse only has eye coverings. Lacrosse is played outside, which creates a slightly lower risk than indoor sports.

Lower Risk Baseball/Softball: It’s a sport where physical distancing is a natural part of the game. Catchers have the highest risk, since they will be close to the batter and umpire.

Track and Field/Cross-Country: Distancing is easier with running. Lanes can be closed between runners to allow more space between them. But there is no contact, which lowers the risk.

Volleyball: Volleyball can be played spaced out. During the run of play, athletes don’t typically come close to one another.

The starting positions have some space between them.

TEAM TRENDS New NSGA chair provides insight into the association’s role in a COVID-19 world. By Michael Jacobsen

One-on-One With Pat Donnelly

R

eflecting the increasing role the team business is playing within the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), Pat Donnelly, of Donnelly Sports, recently began a three-year term as chair of the association. Donnelley is the owner/partner of Donnelley Sports, a team dealer that has been in business for 45 years in Idaho and Nevada. He has been on the NSGA Board since 2014 and joined the NSGA Executive Committee as treasurer/chairman-elect last year.

(In addition, Greg Miller, of Universal Athletic, was selected as treasurer/chairman-elect and Ron Rugal, of B&R Sporting Goods, joined the NSGA board. Their appointments went into effect June 1. The moves were made necessary by the resignation of former chair Cathy Pryor, who resigned earlier this spring after leaving Hibbett Sports.)

Team Insight editor Michael Jacobsen reached out to Donnelly as he began his term to get his vision into the future of NSGA, the changing face of the team sports business and what the industry needs to do to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

since 2014 and am enjoying the opportunity to give back to an industry that has been so good to Donnelley Sports.

You are taking over from Cathy Pryor, which are some interesting and groundbreaking shoes to fill.

Team Insight: Can you start by giving us a a little background?

The role of the chair is to listen to people, participate in the discussions, provide strategic oversight and help execute any plans that materialize.

Donnelly: I have a BA in business administration from Boise State University. After graduating in 1982, I accepted a job with Donnelley Sports and have been with the company for almost 40 years. My dad and mom started the company in 1975 with a $5000 SBA loan. My brother, Mike, brother-in-law, Scot, and I purchased the company from my parents in 1993 and have successfully operated the company to this day.

With a loyal customer base throughout Idaho and Nevada and membership in the Sports, Inc. buying group, we have had many great years in business. I have been on the NSGA board

12 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

Cathy Pryor was a long-time board member and very involved during that time. She left the industry to pursue different opportunities and only had the chance to direct the board for one year. Even though it was only a short period of time, Cathy had an excellent impact during her tenure. She will be a difficult person to follow. She has great vision, knowledge of the industry and is well-respected. I hope to build on her work to the best of my ability going forward.

What do you see as the role of chair of NSGA?

NSGA has a tremendous board of directors, a group that represents the team dealers and retailers across the industry.

They are smart and experienced and quite frankly a great group to represent NSGA. CEO Matt Carlson and his staff do an outstanding job of managing and executing the mission of the association. Keeping the NSGA team informed about what I see happening in the

marketplace is a big part of my role. I also think the role of the chair in this wonderful organization is to listen to these people, participate in the discussions, provide strategic oversight and help execute any plans that materialize.

What skill sets do you bring to the role? What is going to be your biggest challenge?

I am willing and able to listen and to build consensus around prudent ideas and give credit where credit is due. I don’t plan to reinvent the wheel here. I just want to make sure NSGA keeps moving forward during my tenure. There are challenges to be sure, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. NSGA has taken the challenge of lobbying on behalf of its membership to find ways to navigate the uncertain waters of COVID-19.

These are challenging times for the sporting goods industry as a whole, and team sports in particular. How can NSGA help its members in the tough days ahead?

As I mentioned before, NSGA has been very involved in the lobbying efforts to bring financial relief to our membership.

We continue to lobby for extensions of the PPP funds made

available through the CARES Act, for simplifying the forgiveness part of the program and for treating our retailers and dealers in the same light as the leisure, travel and restaurant industries. Our members have been uniquely and specifically hurt in this environment and deserve the same attention.

It’s always good to see a team guy at the helm of NSGA. But I always wonder what are the challenges of being one of the “smaller” members when it comes to being chair. What different perspective can you as an independent team dealer bring to your new role?

Thank you for asking this question. I have been involved as an independently owned team dealer for 40-plus years. It’s all I have ever done and all I know.

This is where my head and heart lie. We were also team retailers for most of those 40 years and I have a great understanding and respect for the brick-and-mortar companies that are still fighting the good fight.

While it’s true Donnelley Sports is smaller in size as a company, we don’t know that.

We operate the same way and encounter the same problems on a daily basis as the big companies do, just on a smaller scale. As NSGA chair, I have to be expansive in representing all segments of retailers and dealers, including big-box retailers, shoe retailers, ski and snowboard retailers, outdoor retailers, hockey retailers and many other segments, both here in the United States and in Canada. NSGA represents all those constituents.

As an independent team dealer, we rely on relationships with customers, vendors, our teaminsightmag.com

banks and employees to be successful. My perspective would be to continue to build relationships within the industry and its vendor partners to support the common success of everyone involved.

How has membership in Sports, Inc. contributed to that?

A huge contributing factor to weathering the storm is our relationship with Sports, Inc. They have played an enormous role in helping us manage our payables and other expenses as well.

Looking at the team industry as a whole, how badly has Donnelly and the business been impacted

by COVID-19?

What is your message to dealers on how to survive in a COVID-19 world?

COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate when it comes to its effect on the economy. Like everyone else, it has had a huge impact on Donnelley Sports. When they closed schools and suspended spring sports, a significant portion of our revenue stream dried up instantly. Fortunately, we were able to take advantage of the PPP funds to help us through the second and third quarters.

First, if you are not a member of NSGA or a buying group, you need to be. Second, if you don’t have a solid relationship with your lender, build one. Lastly, work hard, work smart and take care of your employees. They have played a huge role in our ability to move through the last four months and I believe that’s true for anyone else in this position.

teaminsightmag.com

From the perspective of a team dealer and as chair of NSGA, what is your message to the team brands as the industry tries to recover?

Our relationships with our team brands are critical right now. Our loyalty and commitment to their products over the years have built a bunch of equity between us. My message to the vendors is to maintain great relationships with your dealer partners. Be patient with us and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

If they can do this, we will all emerge better and stronger on the other side.

Where would you like to see NSGA be when your term expires in three years?

NSGA is working hard every day to find ways to better

serve our constituents. There are some excellent ideas floating around that will help with growing our membership and providing more resources for the organization.

One last thing: The NSGA chair traditionally hosts a hospitality suite during the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit. Will trade magazine editors continue to be invited if we promise to behave?

My message to vendors is to maintain great relationships with your dealer partners. Be patient with us and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Hey, I’m just hoping that we will turn the corner on this pandemic and we can get back to building our business at events like the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit! The trade media should be our partners to achieve that goal, too. Consider yourself my first invite. n

July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 13

ill it w w ay o h eM but on, By Mik s a s? t se nex school n r tu ir to re and the s k l loo lers tbal m dea e k Bas for tea look

TEAM BASKETBALL

REBOUND ON THE

Unfinished business. That’s the best way to describe the 2019-20 basketball season, which will remain, for the

most part, forever in limbo with many unanswered questions and dreams frozen in time. Were Obi Toppin and the University of Dayton Flyers good enough to have won March Madness? Would NCAA women’s Division I Player of the Year Sabrina Ionescu and her University of Oregon Ducks teammates have fulfilled their destiny by winning the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament? Closer to home, what about those thousands of high school seniors whose final season of high school basketball was suddenly and emotionally cut short?

E

ven closer to home, how were team dealers impacted by the abrupt end to the school season and just how will the sport rebound at the scholastic level this winter?

When the NBA suspended play on the evening of March 11, it started a domino effect that impacted every level of basketball play around the world. The NBA’s announcement was a catalyst that drove decision making in all sports at all levels around the world. That’s the global power of NBA commissioner Adam Silver and the worldwide reach of basketball.

If basketball’s creator -- Dr. James Naismith -- were alive today, he would be impressed by the global power and influence of the game that he invented — and equally saddened that it had to be at the forefront of a global sports shutdown.

There is one piece of good basketball news that comes Mark Koski of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), who reports that 11 state high school basketball championships were completed and broadcast by the NFHS Network. So there was closure in some high school basketball circles this year.

For team dealers the impact was much less than it was when the spring sports season was cancelled, since most school hoops seasons were played to near-completion, with only the loss of teaminsightmag.com

post-season tournament sales and awards.

But clearly the fallout from COVID-19 continues to linger and it will certainly impact the upcoming scholastic 2020-21 basketball season. Just what that impact will be is a subject for debate and won’t be answered until this fall.

Who’s Playing Hoops?

For as long as the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has been tracking sports participation patterns, basketball has been the single most popular team sport in terms of actual participation in the U.S. That trend continues even in a pandemic.

As recently as 2018, there were 24.2 million basketball players in the U.S., which is actually 8.5 percent more than in 2016. But since 2013, basketball participation in the U.S. has remained steady — in the vicinity of 22-24 million players.

What’s really driving the basketball business for team dealers is the core participant, defined as those playing 13 or more days a year. According to SFIA, there are 14.9 million players in the U.S. who are classified as core basketball participants, a list that includes everyone from Lebron James and Steph Curry to all college basketball players to the millions who play in local rec leagues, on school teams, on the travel circuit or in regular neighborhood pick-up games every week.

With those numbers in mind, it is no surprise that hoops has the largest amount of core participants and the highest percentage of core participants among team sports.

Among some other numbers important to team dealers: • There are far more males (19.3 million) than females (5.6 million) playing basketball in the U.S., according to SFIA. • The typical basketball player is male, age 6-17 and from a family with a household income of at least $75,000 a year.

• The heaviest concentration of basketball players in the U.S. – nearly 20 percent – lives in the South Atlantic region.

July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 15

TEAM BASKETBALL

• More than 40 percent of all basketball players in the U.S. have yet to graduate from high school.

• On the flip side, it’s worth noting that more than 25 percent of all basketball players in the U.S. are 35 or older.

• According to figures from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), 66 percent of all basketball play in the U.S. in 2019 was recreational rather than organized.

• The top 10 most popular states for boys’ high school basketball are Texas, California, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin. For girls the top 10 are Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Minnesota and New Jersey.

• The traditional hotbed for basketball in the U.S. remains at the high school level and figures released by the NFHS reveal the powerful popularity of the game for both boys and girls.

Basketball ranks number one for both genders in terms of the number of schools that sponsor teams. For boys, there are 18,617 schools with a team; for girls, there are 18,210. Basketball ranks number three for both boys and girls in number of participants.

• Again according to NSGA, from 2000-2009, there were an average of 27.1 million basketball players in the U.S. From 2010-2019, that dropped to 25.2 million, a seven percent decline.

“One of our big concerns is how basketball – and all sports – will emerge from the COVID19 pandemic,” says Marty Maciaszek, NSGA’s director of communications. “Will participation be impacted because of a time frame where people may not have had access to a gym or court to play? Will the economic hardships many are facing from COVID-19 impact the ability of kids to play basketball next season?

“We definitely hope this isn’t the case,” he adds. “Seeing kids returning to play this summer is very encouraging and, hopefully, there won’t be many major issues keeping kids and adults off the court during their organized seasons this fall and winter.”

On the Front Lines With Dealers Despite the fact that the 2019-20 came to a abrupt halt in mid-March, team dealers feel confident that players will return to the sport and that spending on basketball product will return. But the rebound, no pun intended, may take some time.

In the south Florida community of Jupiter, optimism is high that basketball will bounce back strongly from the COVID-19 crisis.

“I’m confident that basketball will happen next season, but we need the schools to open 16 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

Despite the fact that the 2019-20 season came to a abrupt halt in mid-March, team dealers feel confident that players will return to the sport and that spending on basketball product will return. up,” says Kevin Licata, manager of Medallion’s Sporting Goods, who reports that the majority of his basketball business comes from local recreation programs, travel teams and a few high schools.

“I have 80 teams in a local recreation basketball program,” says Licata. “I sell them basketballs, shorts, socks and shirts that we decorate. The socks are either solids or stripes.

Occasionally, I introduce a few crazy sock designs.”

At the high school level, he supplies warm-up gear for the players, polos for the coaches and fan wear for spectators. And business is strong.

“We do have 10-12 local, independent travel basketball teams that buy from us,” Licata says, purchasing mostly uniforms, warm-up gear, basketballs, sandals and socks. The parents of the travel team players will also chip in and buy additional items.

He does not sell basketball shoes simply because there are too many brands, designs, sizes and colors to stock in order to meet the ever-changing demands. Plus, many players want a Nike shoe and he doesn’t sell Nike.

Licata’s walk-in traffic by individuals looking to buy a basketball, apparel, headbands, nets and socks is another plus for his basketball business.

In southern Indiana, the 2019-2020 basketball season was a good year, financially, for Kratz Sporting Goods, Clarksville, IN. But high school basketball players in Indiana lacked full closure.

Salesman Jim Brown reports that high school girls were able to crown state champions in the Hoosier state, but the boys were only able to complete the first round of the post-season.

The presence of COVID-19 did impact the basketball schedule, but it has not negatively impacted interest. “Because it’s Indiana, everybody plays basketball and will continue to do so,” says Brown. “Because of the volume of play, it is our number one sport.”

Brown and his associates sell basketball gear, footwear, apparel and accessories to every level of play starting with elementary schools

up to small colleges, such as Hanover College in nearby Hanover, an NCAA Division III school.

“We just sell basketball footwear from Adidas,” says Brown. “That brand remains very popular with boys and girls in Indiana.”

It’s fair to say that Brown is not sure what the 2020-21 season will look like. “In Indiana, we have a wait-and-see-attitude,” he says. “In the meantime, I’m in touch with basketball coaches through Zoom meetings. We have produced videos so we can showcase new product without seeing customers in person.”

Bleak in Illinois, Optimistic in Kentucky In neighboring Illinois, basketball is a very good business for Eich’s Sporting Goods, Plainfield, IL, which sells uniforms, socks, practice gear and pinnies, according to Pat Shanahan, team sports sales rep. Shanahan says he’s “hopeful” and has his “fingers crossed” that sports will resume in the new school year.

Right now, the situation in Illinois is bleak.

“Everything is being cancelled this summer, not just basketball,” says Shanahan.

In the Bluegrass State of Kentucky where basketball is king, Tony Carter, co-owner of Duke’s Sporting Goods, Elizabethtown, KY, is optimistic that the boys’ and girls’ high school basketball season will take place as planned.

New uniform orders were placed back in February and he is expecting to sell his regular allotment of Spalding basketballs and Adidas shoes, plus customized socks, scorebooks, nets and practice gear.

Because of the coronavirus restrictions, the one category that Carter expects to sell more of this year will be water bottles, since every player should have their own.

Up in Michigan, the basketball business is on the upswing for Jack Pearl’s Sports Center, in Battle Creek.

“Our basketball business is growing, especially with travel teams,” says owner Keith Manning. “Many kids are transitioning out of rec basketball and onto travel teams where there’s better competition, tougher competition and more games.”

Travel teams are purchasing reversible jerseys, which are often sublimated, socks, practice packs, backpacks and basketballs, especially the state-approved high school Rawlings basketball.

The one basketball category that Jack Pearl’s does not sell is basketball shoes.

One hot product he is selling are reversible jerseys to middle school programs.

“With having to take care of one jersey, that’s one less item that the players must bring to a game and one less item that they have to take teaminsightmag.com

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TEAM BASKETBALL

care of during the season,” Manning explains.

He is quick to compliment the manufacturers of basketball jerseys on the quality of their uniforms, which he says is now better than ever. Even though high school varsity teams are buying new uniforms every three or four years, the existing jerseys are still in great shape for the junior varsity and freshman teams to wear.

“Today’s basketball uniforms are made to last,” says Manning. “That gives schools a better bang for their buck.”

As Manning looks to basketball’s immediate future, he’s not sure what will happen with high school sports, or sports in general, but he knows what society needs.

“I’m hoping they (schools) get back to a normal lifestyle for these kids,” says Manning.

“There’s talk of the spring sports, like baseball and softball, being played in the fall and the fall sports, like football, being played in the spring, but I don’t think that will happen.”

Right now, basketball coaches in Michigan are in touch with Manning, but nobody is spending any money, yet.

“Everything is in a state of limbo,” he says.

“Coaches have been told to put a hold on spending.”

Manning is ready for a rush of business when schools, players, and coaches get the approval to play ball — and to spend some money.

In Marietta, OH, Zide’s Sporting Goods sells basketball to schools, teams, clubs and recreation programs in both Ohio and neighboring West Virginia. Whatever a basketball team needs, owner Rod Zide will deliver it — his inventory includes uniforms, basketballs, shoes, goals, backboards, nets and scorer’s tables.

“When it comes to selling basketball, we try to be as aggressive as we can be,” says Zide, who remains confident that the 2020-21 basketball season will take place. “It’s amazing to see how coaches and players have learned how to adapt.”

In Cumberland, MD, owner Larry Brooks of Riverside Sporting Goods sells basketball to schools, clubs and recreational programs in four different states — Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

While basketball is an important part of his sales portfolio, it’s one of his least profitable categories. And, it’s not currently one of his priorities.

“Right now, basketball is the least of our thoughts due to COVID-19,” says Brooks.

While Brooks is looking forward to delivering basketball product this fall, he’s more concerned 18 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

It is no surprise that hoops has the largest amount of core participants and the highest percentage of core participants among team sports. with trying to recover from the national shutdown this past spring, which continues to linger.

“We probably lost 80 percent of our baseball business since March,” says Brooks. “But we’re slowly seeing things beginning to pick up.”

While basketball is a category that he sells every year, it’s not as big as football or baseball.

“Basketball teams don’t buy that much other than uniforms, basketballs and practice gear,” says Brooks. “Plus, there are not that many players on a team. With youth teams, it’s usually just shorts and a shirt.”

Masked Up in Ohio In Ohio, COVID-19 has severely disrupted the basketball business for Scott Nelson, founder and owner of Local Team Shop, Coshocton, OH, who says basketball is a key, critical sales category for his business. But that category is in survival mode.

“Right now, basketball is not good in the Midwest,” says Nelson.

Nelson only sells soft goods in basketball.

“I sell 100 percent cloth in basketball – such as uniforms, practice gear, socks, T-shirts and polo shirts – to teams, coaches and to fans,” says Nelson. “I sell to roughly 30 schools in Ohio.”

The one hot soft goods category Nelson is selling is protective masks, which are sublimated and customized with team names and logos. “That’s one hell of a pivot, no pun intended,” says Nelson. “And, I have created a new brand for these masks — safefaced.com.”

In recent months, Nelson has sold nearly 30,000 masks to roughly 100 schools, mostly in Ohio.

“The mask business really started out as a public awareness program and now it’s taken off with strong sales,” says Nelson. “I’m now branching into other sports, such as golf.”

In Texas, the current focus is more on football than basketball, reports Jessie Garcia, owner of Complete Athlete, Port Neches, TX. If the football season can take place in Texas, without too many delays or interruptions, then basketball and other sports will have a better chance of having their seasons being

played as well.

For Garcia, he services most of his basketball clients in July and August. As a full-service team dealer, he sells everything — uniforms, shoes, socks, practice gear, warm-ups and basketball systems.

Looking forward, Garcia is feeling skeptical, yet trying to be cautiously optimistic, about a full scholastic basketball season for the 2020-21 season in Texas. But, of course, it all depends on how football goes this fall in the Lone Star state.

“If football goes away, I don’t know where we’d be,” says Garcia.

On Schedule in Missouri?

In Missouri, the abrupt stoppage of the basketball season in March and the cancellation of spring sports was tough to take. “It was a rough time,” says Mike Weir, owner of Red Weir Athletic Supplies, Columbia, MO. He remains cautiously optimistic that the 2020-21 basketball season will go off without a hitch because coaches, athletes and parents have a back-to-school mentality in the greater Columbia area.

“Everybody is thinking about going back to local schools and colleges on schedule,” says Weir. “But, who knows?”

Thankfully, many local high school basketball coaches have a business-as-normal mindset when it comes to ordering new uniforms. “I’ve already sold basketball uniforms to schools that are on a rotation to replace existing uniforms,” says Weir.

Out in Las Vegas, NV, the negative impact of COVID-19 on the basketball business for Turf Sporting Goods was substantial.

“While high schools did finish their season, the AAU teams didn’t play tournaments and the NBA Summer League was cancelled,” says owner Jerry Okuda. “From time to time, we do some rush jobs for the NBA teams.”

When basketball teams are buying from Okuda, they are purchasing basketballs, uniforms, practice gear and socks, some of which are custom designs.

“Many of the uniforms are sublimated,” says Okuda. “More and more middle school teams are buying reversible jerseys so the players only have to bring one jersey to games.”

Okuda feels the basketball business will return, but how quickly it rebounds will all depend on how soon students return to school.

“We need to get the kids back in their schools,” he says. “That will also help the local recreation leagues, which is a big part of our basketball business.” n teaminsightmag.com

TEAM

BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

LOST DIAMONDS Team dealers anxiously await a return of baseball and softball after a lost 2020 season. By Kobie Brown

T

o use a backyard sports metaphor, the Spring 2020 baseball and softball season was one big whiff for the team business. Never before has an entire season been sent to the showers, leaving dealers holding inventory, receiving cancelled POs and longing for the days when tracking down a late delivery was their biggest concern.

For the entire sporting goods industry, and the team market in particular, the coronavirus pandemic has put a screeching halt to what began as a strong and promising year. In January and February 2020, team sports equipment was in great shape, logging a volume of $803 million, up 13 percent from the year-ago period of January and February 2019, according to NPD Group. However, this lift was offset by the COVID-19 losses in March through May. NPD reports that sales of Non-Wood Bats declined 46 percent (-$89 million), sales of Baseball/ Softball Gloves and Mitts dropped 36 percent 20 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

(-$57 million), and Batting Helmet sales plunged 49 percent (-$26 million) for the five months ended May 2020.

That’s a triple play no one in the industry saw coming.

Now, as the U.S. gradually reopens for business, the hope is that kids will go back to school this fall and that team sports will figure into the equation. But for now, most team dealers are feeling as though they’re in limbo and are anxiously awaiting decisions from state and local governments, health authorities and school districts. They lost the spring baseball and softball seasons, and summer leagues came back in only a few regions. Fall Ball has offered some sales bump, but for the most part now they can only hope other sports return in the fall so their bread-and-butter diamond sports can return safely in the spring.

“We’re primarily involved in the school business but the season got cut short,” says Dan Carey, owner of Carey’s Sporting Goods,

which has been operating in Fort Worth, TX, for 42 years. Although some baseball and softball travel teams are playing this summer, he believes that until a vaccine becomes available, sports will mostly remain on hold.

“Schools will come back, but Texas might’ve jumped a little too fast. The situation is bleak.

We’re writing business, but not at the level we’re used to,” he says. “Schools are all over the wall with this —it’s crazy and very discouraging.

The problem is the unknown; it’s hard to plan.

It’s like trying to put a jigsaw puzzle together blindfolded.”

In Southern California, organized baseball and softball remain on the sidelines, reports Kim Karsh, owner of Harbor City, CA-based California Pro Sports. “We’ve had coaches try to run small practices, but they got kicked off the fields [by city Parks and Rec personnel].

Fortunately, for the regular season we got everything delivered before the shutdown happened in mid-March. teaminsightmag.com

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“The situation has hurt our All-Star business for uniforms, bags and spirit sales —it’s been a tremendous loss of income,” he adds.

“Athletic directors are telling coaches not to step onto the field and not to have contact with any kids.”

Karsh observes that while people are eager to get out on the diamond, everybody is being extremely cautious.

“It looks like people will be back out playing in October — it won’t be big, but diehard baseball and softball teams and groups will be ready to play the minute they get the go-ahead,” he says. In the meantime, California Pro Sports has sold some bat grips and practice balls, but bats and gloves have been very slow movers, and batting gloves and shoes haven’t sold at all.

“There’s no demand right now, but hopefully once things start up the floodgates will open,” Karsh says. In the meantime, customized

22 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

facemasks with team logos have been extremely popular, and vendors have adjusted their programs and have plenty of stock, leading to a positive outlook for dealers – but not necessarily their vendors – in 2021.

Some Action In Indiana Unlike in Southern California and Texas, baseball and softball are gradually starting to come back in Indiana, proof of just how much the team sports landscape differs between states and regions due to the pandemic. Mike Blythe, owner of Blythe’s Team Sports in Valparaiso, IN, says his business is down about 40 percent in baseball, but people are anxious to get back.

“We did about five Little Leagues this year compared to 17 last year, and camps are doing well now,” he reported in mid-July. “It’s taking a little longer to play because people want to figure out how to do so safely.”

In a case of turning lemons into lemonade, he notes that parents are bringing their own chairs to the games instead of sitting on bleachers.

As a result, he says, “we’ve seen an increase in chair sales and we’re able to decorate the backs with player names and numbers and team logos.”

In the softball category, Blythe mentions that adult teams are playing, the men’s leagues are up and running, and youth, travel ball and town leagues are starting to pick up again. Yet, people are now waiting until the last minute to make purchases.

“Last year we had a lot of orders put in, but when things got cancelled we had to issue refunds. We went from $1 million in sales during a typical April to $65,000 this past April —it was a tough month for sure.”

He believes that people may have reacted a little too quickly to shut things down, and

teaminsightmag.com

TEAM

BASEBALL/SOFTBALL

and softball products aren’t selling well right now, basic pants, belts and socks are holding steady, unconventional items such as masks are in big demand and there have been limited sales of balls, gloves and bats.

“In addition to the cancellation of play, many people are also limited on funds and are being very careful about spending,” Keith explains.

“It’s mainly younger kids new to the game that are buying equipment — most other kids already have their own gear.”

“The virus is definitely a changer, but not a defeater.

You just have to figure out how to adjust quickly.”

Mike Blythe, Blythe’s Team Sports

that perhaps having fewer games and longer seasons to get in more play would’ve been better. But on the bright side, he says, “I expect a lot larger Fall all season than ever before. A recovery is coming.”

As summer moved along Blythe’s Team Sports is doing well with practice balls, training aids, helmets and helmet shields, sanitizers and cleaning sprays for equipment. Teams are also buying extra balls and a lot of throwdown bases, which help to spread kids around the field. Sales of bats and gloves remain soft.

Another saving grace has been online stores and contactless sales. “We’ve been able to add products to online stores such as socks, balls and hand sanitizers, and include logos on the whole package,” Blythe says. “The more you can add on and keep people from having to go into the physical store, the better business will be, because people are hesitant to embrace in-store shopping right now.”

Predictably, masks with logos are huge right now for Blythe’s, which offers a quick-pick mask with a choice of 25 school logos. The dealer can print a single mask and provide same-day service, and can also do custom printing since customization is key when selling masks as fanwear.

With baseball and softball not dominating its time this spring, Blythe’s turned to alternative revenue streams, with graduation signs and banners a big seller in its online stores. They were often tied in with fundraisers and parents were happy to be involved.

Blythe emphasizes that the key to succeeding 24 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

in this pandemic environment is to adapt, make changes, think and brainstorm. “The virus is definitely a changer, but not a defeater,” he says. “You just have to figure out how to adjust quickly.”

Spring Turns Into Summer Meanwhile, Dale Keith, owner of Duke’s Sporting Goods, which operates one location each in Elizabethtown and Bowling Green, KY, says local baseball leagues – comprising about 31 local teams – just started up in early July, but other surrounding counties are not playing yet.

Softball teams remain benched for now, and there’s still debate about when kids will go back to school.

Keith doesn’t think that there’s much potential for summer/fall baseball and softball because it would interfere with fall/winter sports such as football, basketball and soccer.

(Editor’s Note: In early June, Duke’s merged with Campbellsville, KY-based H+W Sports.

The stores will not be renamed, and the deal makes the combined company one of the top 15 Adidas dealers in the nation; Duke’s was already the second-biggest school jacket seller in the U.S., and this may push it into the top slot.)

“Our spring season was fine because we got the bulk of our business done before the virus hit. However, the youth camps weren’t done this year, so that really hurt,” says Keith.

“Now, we’re trying to order only what we need and to use what we have in stock — we’re being very conservative.” Although baseball

The Dealer/Vendor Game A key to a team dealer’s survival in these challenging times is its relationship with its key vendors, which can make or break a business when times are tough. Fortunately, those relationships are strong throughout the team business, with the buying groups playing a huge role in that strength.

In fact, many team dealers have been pleasantly surprised with the responsiveness they have seen from their key partners during the coronavirus crisis. “Most have been spectacular,” says Carey, of Carey’s Sporting Goods. “I’m very proud of our industry. We’re all partners and we need each other.”

Blythe is also heartened by what he’s experienced, particularly from smaller vendors.

“The smaller players have been terrific, but the big guys haven’t been as responsive,” he says. “With smaller businesses, it’s more of a personal relationship.” He singles out Augusta Sportswear, Badger Sport and Champro as being “fantastic partners that provided extended dating, eliminated restocking fees and were overall very understanding of the situation and willing to communicate.”

For now, there is general consensus that while the pandemic has temporarily turned business-as-usual – especially in the baseball and softball markets – on its head, the effects will not likely be permanent. The expectation is that things will return to normal once a vaccine becomes available and that the Spring 2021 season will see some sort of return to normalcy for baseball and softball.

“Right now, we’re living day to day, making do and adapting to the situation. But I see positive things in the future,” says Keith, including for his key diamond sports business.

In fact, as the pandemic continues to drag, the willingness and ability to remain flexible and adaptable will determine not just which businesses will survive, but which will also thrive. As famed basketball coach John Wooden put it, “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” n teaminsightmag.com

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APPAREL HEADWEAR

Sitting at the Virtual Table

TOPPING ITOFF

The Team Insight Headwear Roundtable explores the different cap needs of a season like no other.

James Matson VP-Sales–Sporting Goods, Cap America Brad Reagan National Sales Manager, OC Sports Ken Rood Sales Lead, Pacific Headwear Nathan Hulvey Sales Manager–Team Division, Pukka Kelly Richardson President/CEO, Richardson Sports Chad Kennedy National Sales Manager, The Game Moderated by Michael Jacobsen

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of hope for a return to normalcy for the fall business.

James Matson, Cap America: We saw a sharp decline in cap sales at the beginning; however, our ability to make and import masks enabled us to keep our doors open and to continue operating. We are finally starting to see a slow return to normalcy and we’re very optimistic.

Let’s start with the obvious question: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your business?

26 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

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What particular steps did you take to mitigate the impact over the past three months?

is that our diverse business model allows us to weather big storms like this much better than most.

Chad Kennedy, The Game: We were able to complete and deliver the majority of spring school business prior to the shutdown. Where we saw the biggest impact was in-season school orders as well as Little League and travel business. We have seen that come back in areas.

Nathan Hulvey, Pukka: The timing of the nationwide shutdowns and cancellations of sports occurred during our busiest time of the year, thus having a significant short-term impact. The loosening of restrictions during the summer months is providing some sense

Matson: We initially started producing USAmade masks to donate to our local emergency personnel and health care workers. When we soon realized we would not be able to meet the demand we were seeing, we retooled some of our machines to increase our production and imported a few overseas options. We quickly added the masks to our product lines.

Hulvey: These last three months allowed us to shift our focus on product development for future selling seasons.

Kennedy: We pivoted to domestic production as much as possible and offered different promotions. We also amped up inventory levels to accommodate that shift in production Reagan: Mid-March we had several employees, myself included, that began working from home. While at home our focus was on being nimble and helping our team dealers as much as we could. We shifted our focus from selling to educating and elevated our teaminsightmag.com

Photo: Cap America

Kelly Richardson, Richardson Cap: When COVID-19 hit and businesses and schools were forced to close in mid-March, the orders stopped. It was painfully obvious that baseball caps are not that important during a pandemic.

But thankfully, we were able to stay open and continued producing the backlog of custom orders we had in-house. That kept our production departments and support teams busy for the next month and allowed us to retain most of our staff. Sales in April and May continued to be off substantially from the prior year. But business started picking up the first of June and has gradually increased each week since.

Ken Rood, Pacific Headwear: Like everyone else it’s had a significant impact on our business. We’ve taken a good look at how we can help our customers recover quicker by examining what they need from us and how we can help them better understand the market .

Brad Reagan, OC Sports: Team sports have been heavily impacted by this global pandemic.

Outdoor Cap is no different and the effects are something we will feel for years to come.

Baseball is our core business, Spring is our key season and March is our strongest month.

The timing of the shutdowns, suspensions and stay-at-home ordinances essentially stopped the spring buying season. The one positive

CM

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APPAREL HEADWEAR

digital platform to help dealers prepare for a return to sports.

Rood: We decided to not back away from investing in our business and industry.

Richardson: Prior to March, we were in a growth mode with several large expansion projects in the works. Most of those projects were put on hold and we’ve spent the last few months working to improve operations and looking for ways to be more efficient.

What discussions did you have with your team dealers and how did you work together with them?

Rood: We’ve had many and continue to.

Headwear is an easy and natural sell to new markets and can help regain lost revenue streams. We’ve partnered more than ever

“While continuing to be positive that we will get back to normal, realistically fall sports could still be limited in some pockets of the country.”

Chad Kennedy, The Game working alongside them on customer calls.

Matson: The timing of the pandemic, although tragic in every respect, allowed us down time to educate our team dealers on a new line of On Field Premium headwear. In mid-July we will be launching this new line and I feel as a company we could not be better educated or prepared to support the launch.

Richardson: We just tried to stay in contact with our team dealers and let them know we’re open and here if they need anything.

We offered a few special discount programs with extended terms, but when there’s no demand it’s tough to sell anything.

Reagan: At the beginning it was hard to reach team dealers. Many were deemed non-essential and were either not coming into their stores or only coming in a few times a week for curbside pick-up. Our new catalog dropped in May and we have been educating team dealers via Zoom or other video conferencing technologies.

28 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

SELL MORE Any advice to team dealers on how to sell even more caps in this different environment?

Chad Kennedy Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and make sure to learn the product. Dealers have great relationships with their coaches.

Use that relationship to educate them on all the great options available and that will generate ideas and excitement. Also get in front of them early to capitalize on early order incentives and programs.

Nathan Hulvey It is important to think outside the normal sporting goods business channels during these unknown times. There are many opportunities outside of the sporting goods industry to help leverage business while the sporting goods industry continues to stabilize.

Ken Rood Of course teams are the focus, but going after PPD and other opportunities is a way to build a more diverse customer base over time. Hats allow you to do this quickly and easily.

Kennedy: We have had multiple discussions with dealers on how we can help and work together. We have been aggressive with programs to help dealers get in front of coaches as part of the sports industry has begun to pick up. We will continue to do that to help drive sales and incentives to place orders.

Hulvey: Our biggest concern was the safety and well-being of each of the dealers and their employees. We wanted the dealers to know that we were there for them during this difficult time. If the dealers had specific requests we made sure to do everything in our power to help.

What is your outlook for headwear sales in Fall 2020?

Kennedy: While continuing to be positive that we will get back to normal, realistically Fall sports could still be limited in some pockets of the country, which will hinder overall sales.

Reagan: Asof Mid-June we are seeing a nice rebound, definitely a step in the right direction from March, April and May. Many Spring/ Summer leagues were cancelled, leaving a lot of demand for Fall Ball. The impact of this virus is changing by the day and we stand here optimistic for the fall season.

Hulvey: The biggest concern right now is the unknown of how things will look when schools reopen. The Fall 2020 outlook is somewhat optimistic based on signs that schools will reopen and sporting activities will resume with safety precautions in place.

Richardson: If schools can open in the Fall and they start playing sports again, we think the team headwear business will be good in the fourth quarter. If schools delay opening and don’t play fall sports, it will be a tough quarter for everyone. The rest of our business will depend on how quickly businesses bounce back and when large events can take place.

Rood: Were very optimistic for sure. We believe school/community spirit will thrive in a big way. The business may not be the traditional business, but no doubt there will be many headwear opportunities.

How has the impact of the pandemic changed your product development?

Reagan: The biggest shift for us is our PPE platform. We began selling sublimated facemasks, face shields and button hats earlier this month. Now our focus is on the health and safety of the market we service.

Kennedy: We have not made changes from a product development standpoint. While the pandemic could continue to effect sales teaminsightmag.com

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APPAREL HEADWEAR the remainder of the year, we know that they will eventually come back. With that we have continued to develop at the same rate as always to ensure we are fully equipped.

Hulvey: Our history with our supply chain partners has allowed us to continue our normal product development calendar without any interruptions.

Richardson: We had already finished our new product development for 2020 when the pandemic hit and we have several new styles to offer. We are now working on new product additions for 2021.

Matson: We added masks and an option in our overseas programs to add a snap on the

“The biggest concern right now is the unknown of how things will look when schools reopen.”

Nathan Hulvey, Pukka side of the caps to relieve the wearer’s ears from the stress of wearing a mask all day.

As for our normal product line of headwear, we’re moving ahead as usual. We were in the middle of launching a new product line when the pandemic hit and our team worked very hard to continue with that project while also pivoting to produce and sell masks.

Rood: It hasn’t changed it at all. We just launched a catalog in June with six new styles and three new appliques and we plan to launch another in October.

SELL MORE Kelly Richardson Beyond the team market, there are good opportunities to sell headwear. That is the nice thing about headwear — it’s a product category almost every market or customer purchases.

As the country gets back to work, companies, organizations and brands will be looking for products to promote their businesses. A cap with their logo on it is a great way to do that.

Brad Reagan First, be proactive. Without a PO in hand manufacturers like us can be working on mock-ups, samples or flyers you need to be ready. Second, educate yourself on vendor strengths. Everyone

major factor in demand for the fall season. But with the anticipation that football and other fall sports are played, we will see a demand for quicker turnaround and stock items.

Reagan: Using current gauges the demand is on par with previous years, with the chance of a slight uptick. I absolutely think people who normally play only spring ball will shift to fall. I also think several parents who signed up for spring will bow out for fall and not put their kids at risk.

Is stock product going to be more in demand since there may not be time for customization?

Richardson: Yes, we’ve seen the demand for stock styles with domestic decoration grow over the last few months and believe that will continue through the rest of 2020.

Reagan: 100 percent yes. We have shifted our focus to our stock MLB replica headwear and seven-day domestic decoration. The decisions being made whether to play or not are rapid and team dealers will require a rapid response.

Rood: Stock is always key. Of course speed is critical as well and we believe we have the perfect blend,. There is still a significant opportunity for custom as well and we are ready for both segments.

Kennedy: We have seen that for immediate needs and we’re well-stocked to handle that demand for Winter 2020 and Spring 2021.

Hulvey: The demand for stock products was high when things started reopening, but long term we do not believe there will be an increase in demand.

Matson: We believe stock product will be more in demand. Quick turnaround times will be essential.

has their strengths and now is What do you think the demands will be for product for the fall season?

Rood: We believe a full recovery will take some time; however, we see demand being high in new channels and organizations using headwear as brand billboards and fundraisers — and baseball hopefully having a Fall season.

Hulvey: There is no doubt the demand will be less than it was in previous years, but we are fairly optimistic for an active fall season based on increasing requests for fall product catalogs.

Matson: We hope that demand will normalize, maybe not to 2019 levels at first. But as the country reopens we anticipate that teams will once again take to the diamond.

It’s definitely a fluid situation.

Kennedy: Football being played will play a 30 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

a great time to fully understand them and test them out.

James Matson Spec samples. Show your customer their mascot or their school colors on the hat you want to sell and let them try it on and feel it in their hands. It’s a sure fire way to sell that cap.

What are the fashion trends in headwear?

Richardson: The trend in team headwear continues to be about lightweight, performance fabrics with stretch or adjustable fit.

Direct embroidery is still the main choice for decoration, but new heat applied technical applications are getting popular. For us, our mesh back styles are still the number one-selling cap style across all markets and channels.

Matson: As in past years it’s still deep inventory in multiple color combinations along with the most advanced technical materials available.

Hulvey: We continue to see trends heading in more of a Lifestyle direction — comfortable lightweight fabrics with stretch and sun protection.

Kennedy: Again it goes to perforation, but teaminsightmag.com

also a multitude of options in performance fabrics — in weight, breathability and/or UV protection.

Reagan: For on-field headwear it is still all about customization and perforation. Our customers expect to be able to make a cap their own and get it quickly.

Rood: Fashion trends are key, but we like to blend them with performance for a great-looking, on-trend hat.

We believe that online stores will become the dealer’s best tool moving forward in a postCOVID-19 world.

interface has always been on the horizon for this up-and-coming technology.

Richardson: We see more and more team headwear business coming from online stores and expect this to grow as they improve the user experience and how to deal with minimum quantity requirements. Technology and online access to products and information will continue to be important for the team market.

Are online team stores a big part of the cap business now? How do you see dealers approaching this?

James Matson, Cap America

There may be a demand for quicker turnaround with late ordering this year? If so, how is your company addressing this?

Rood: Online stores are critical to maximizing headwear sales. Hats connect both on-field, sidelines and fanwear to each other, so it’s key to online store success. Hats are arguably the best fanwear branding item and fanwear is essential to online stores.

Reagan: We work very closely with several of the top online store platforms across our industry.

Headwear is a staple, but not in the same capacity as something like a T-shirt or hoodie. Headwear has always been an intimate purchase where a player wants to try it on before they purchase.

For that reason we focus on comfort and sizing above all else.

Kennedy: Initially caps were not thought of as much when team stores began to really take off.

Now dealers are seeing the opportunities that caps provide. Not only are the low minimums easier to reach, but it also gives a better price point then a lot of apparel items.

Hulvey: Online stores continue to grow in popularity, allowing dealers to focus on managing multiple layers within their businesses.

Matson: We believe that online stores will become the dealer’s best tool moving forward in a post-COVID-19 world. The ability to communicate with your team dealer and book complete uniforms through an easy-to-use online

Reagan: Speed is key. It doesn’t matter if you order online, call in or email an order, our team is fully staffed and focused on getting orders out on time.

Kennedy: We were in process of expanding embroidery capabilities even prior to the shutdown. With thinking that later ordering could be possible this year we have continued that expansion in not only embroidery capabilities, but SKUs and inventory levels as well.

Rood: We are expecting this to be the case and are prepared for it. We have brought in a deep inventory styles in both of our facilities in Oregon and Virginia. We have ramped up customer care

WEAR THE

BEST! www.richardsonsports.com

teaminsightmag.com

July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 31

APPAREL HEADWEAR teams and art teams are ready to turn proofs quicker than ever.

Matson: We have always offered three-day production after sample approval on all embroidered orders. We’re continuing to improve our efficiencies on all other decoration techniques like screenprinting and patches. And being located in mid-America ensures a quick ship.

Richardson: We know speed-to-market is very important in the custom headwear business and we’re working hard to reduce our lead times for all types of customized caps. Since the pandemic hit our lead times on most of our domestic decoration have decreased.

We’re planning to open a decoration facility in Texas later this year that will also help us reduce lead times.

Hulvey: We offer custom headwear in as little as two weeks with our Custom Express Program. If they need them quicker, we also have a Domestic Stock program where you can get caps in as few as two or three days.

32 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

Finally, where is the cap market headed postpandemic in terms of looks, technology, demand?

Reagan: Digital, digital, digital. When the dust settles we will all be more reliant on technology as it pertains to convenience.

OC is building a digital platform for website, cap customization and online vendor profiles that will enable our team dealers to free up time for themselves due to the order simplicity we provide.

Richardson: We anticipate our total business will be back to 2019 levels by the end of the year. We see the popularity of mesh back styles staying strong at least through 2021 and believe technology will be key to growing the custom headwear market.

Kennedy: Customization will continue to be at the forefront with innovative new performance fabrics and headwear applications. Technology such as Build A Caps and user-friendly ordering software are going to be very important. Ease-of-ordering and

speed-to-market are an area of extreme focus for us as we look ahead.

Hulvey: Technology will play a huge part in the future and online design tools and hat builders will be the focus. One-on-one Zoom design meetings have already replaced a lot of the in-person showings.

Matson: Although this pandemic will have historic consequences and permanent cultural changes, life will resume and sports will again become a cornerstone of our society. A true antimicrobial fabric will gain traction and we believe it’s just a matter of time before manufacturing can bring it to market at an acceptable cost.

Rood: Looks and technology are always evolving and key innovations are needed quickly.

New designs, features and fabric technology that’s relevant and what our customers want are being developed as we speak. We are very bullish on demand as we believe there’s no better way to share your brand, your beliefs, or your team than your hat. n

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Cap America’s i8501 is a mid-profile structured on-field cap with shapeable flat, round visor in a poly/spandex blend fabric with performance mesh and Flexfit sizing.

OC Sports’ Air25 perforated performance cap in polyester/spandex features perforated side panels with a structured, slight pre-curved visor and Q3 wicking.

TriTech is Pukka’s most advanced performance fabric for headwear, featuring lightweight four-way stretch, moisture wicking technology and UV sun protection.

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The Game’s GP521 GameChanger Perforated Cap features perforated side panels for enhanced breathability, poly stretch performance fabric and a performance sweatband.

Pacific Headwear’s ES342 is a flagship member of its Elite Series line, created with a distinctive ES crown and visor shape. Featuring contrast front panel eyelets on combo colors and a shapeable visor.

Richardson Cap’s custom Ultra On-Field program offers the ultimate in custom made-to-order baseball caps and is available in all PTS styles and fabrics.

July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 33

APPAREL HEADWEAR Custom caps are hot with these top six custom headwear trends. By John Loucks of fabrics. There are foam front caps with mesh backing, polyester blends, wool blends, cotton twills and even caps made from polyester mesh.

TAP INTO TEAM PRIDE

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ou aren’t really a member (or fan) of the team unless you have a custom cap to prove it. Originally developed to protect a player’s eyes from the sun while on the field, baseball caps have evolved from a simple, functional head covering to one of the most coveted pieces of every athlete’s sports kit.

It doesn’t matter what kind of team they are on — football, soccer, lacrosse, rowing, skiing, heck, even the dance and chess team members want caps. And so do their parents, grandparents and other fans.

Hats come in every conceivable style, shape, size, fabric and color. There is literally no end to the number of different types of

34 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

caps. While it’s great to “have choices,” it’s easy to become overwhelmed when selecting the right cap for any given job. It helps to be familiar with headwear lingo.

Cap Terms When shopping for caps, you will hear words like low-profile, six-panel, five-panel, pro-style, oversized, foam front, full crown and low crown. If you look closely, you’ll find these words perfectly describe the appearance of each cap.

In addition, these styles can be structured – with backing behind the two front panels that give a stiffer appearance – or unstructured, with no backing for a more form fitting look.

In addition, caps are made from a variety

Choosing Your Print Method Once you have determined the right cap for the job, the next step is selecting the decoration method. It used to be the only acceptable, high-quality finish for a team cap was direct embroidery. Custom embroidery is still widely used as a highly desirable cap custom cap decorating choice. Direct screenprinting is also a common and widely used approach.

But both direct embroidery and direct screenprinting have several drawbacks when it comes to printing custom caps on demand — both can be labor intensive and costly and usually only make sense when you are printing large quantities. This is where heat printing comes into the mix.

You will find more and more hats featuring heat printing graphics, including stock embroidered lettering, screenprinted transfers, molded plastic patches, engraved leather patches and 3D embroidery. Each heat printing method results in a different look.

However, the biggest benefit of heat printing is it allows you to accomplish many of the latest hat decorating trends, even for oneoff or smaller quantity jobs, such as teams.

Top Six Hat Printing Trends Let’s take a closer look at some of the hottest fashion trends when it comes to hats.

1. Autographed Caps A big trend at the popular custom cap stores and caps purchased in stadiums is adding a player’s autograph (for around $14) to the side of the cap. This is usually done with embroidery and is a licensed product. But it’s on-demand customization that a buyer can add. You can mimic this trend using heat transfer vinyl.

2. Adding Player Names or Numbers Instead of having the coach or parent take a Sharpie marker and add the player’s name to the inside of the cap, why not use heat transfer vinyl to add player names? It looks great and if a cap is misplaced, it is easily returned.

There are heat transfer vinyls designed for detailed and small lettering, so make sure you use one of those. Names added to caps would normally be under one-inch in height.

You can also use pre-cut stock numbers to add player numbers.

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When ordering screen printed transfers for application on caps, you’ll need to know the crown size.

3D embroidery looks can be created using a heat press and 3D patches, which are custom ordered and then heat applied.

Custom apparel specialist Stephanie Boeder created this offcenter logo custom cap using a heat press.

Team dealers should consider using stock pre-cut numbers or heat transfer vinyl to heat print player ID on caps

3. Off-Center Logo Placement Logos do not have to go smack in the middle of the front of the cap any more to look cool.

In fact, many companies and teams today are positioning their logo on the lower left or lower right front panel. It’s also a great way to avoid creasing when heat printing.

If you are talented enough you can even pull off this heat printing job using a flat garment press. Just slip the cap over the corner of the press. This method would require some trial and error, so you are better off using a hat press designed for caps.

4. Decorating Under the Bill Adding customization under the bill is another huge hat decorating trend. This is another great location for adding a player’s name. You’ll also notice this hot branding trend in other sports, such as motocross, where companies like Yamaha add their brand under the bill so it’s more noticeable in close-ups. Keep in mind it’s best to select a flat billed cap when printing on the bill.

Some heat press manufacturers have special heat platens you can install on your garment press to accommodate several cap bills at one time. This allows for more efficient printing for larger orders. You can print curved bills, but it requires a bit more experience. teaminsightmag.com

5. 3D Embroidery, PVC and Leather Patches While leather patches may not be used frequently by leagues or teams, they are a big favorite with fans. A big trend for baseball caps is the use of 3D embroidered patches that add high-quality dimension to any cap.

PVC or plastic, molded type logos are also very popular.

Keep in mind that thicker patches and emblems in this category need bottom platen heat to adhere properly and prevent flattening of the patch itself. A bottom heat platen hat press activates the adhesive where it is needed, underneath the patch, creating a better bond and no damage to the cap or patch.

6. Full Color Digital Screenprinted Transfers You will probably be hard-pressed to find a screenprinter willing to say “the sky’s the limit” when it comes to printing multi-color logos on caps. The difficulty in screenprinting on caps, especially when it comes to full color logos, is high. Not to mention the costs involved.

Now there are alternatives if you need a full-color logo on a cap thanks to digital screenprinted transfers. These transfers give you the freedom to print logos in any number of colors, including finely detailed lettering.

When ordering transfers for use on caps, it’s recommended to keep your maximum size about 4.5 inches. This will easily fit on your cap press and make application easier.

Custom Caps Are Game Changers The ability to create custom caps in-house can be a game changer for anyone currently selling uniform kits, no matter what the sport. If you offer this service it sets you apart from customers who do not.

Custom caps are the perfect upsell to any uniform order and they can be very profitable.

Don’t be intimidated by the wide variety of headwear available — there truly is a way to customize just about any type of cap.

You know that feeling kids get when they put on a custom printed sports jersey for the first time? The pride of wearing a good looking custom cap that represents their team is just as strong. Tap into the demand for custom caps and you are tapping into a new and highly profitable market segment. n About the author: John Loucks has been helping people learn how to print custom uniforms and caps for over 13 years as the national sales manager for Stahls’. He can be reached at john.loucks@stahls.com July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 35

hot

NEW PRODUCTS

It’s Hot Out There!

It’s been a long, hot summer – following a cool, damp, shut-down spring – for the team business.

Now dealers are hoping the market gets even hotter as schools prepare to reopen and fall sports take to the fields in whatever form in a pandemic world. Those dealers are going to need equally hot products – from the now-ubiquitous face masks on these two pages to high-tech accessories to trend-right uniforms – to bring to their schools, clubs and other organizations that are also dealing with unprecedented challenges. Well, there’s nothing like eight pages of these hot products from their top vendors to cool off any concerns this school year.

Compiled by the Team Insight Editorial Staff.

SHOCK DOCTOR

Designed specifically for athletes, the Shock Doctor PlaySafe sport face mask includes a Quick-Flip layered design that provides protection while maximizing airflow and breathability via a hidden opening. It provides quick, unobstructed access to mouthguard and hydration without the need to remove the mask or touch a face.

36 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

CHAMPRO

Champro’s Triple Layer Face Masks with customized graphics are available in overear and around-the-head fits and comes in adult and youth sizes. The outer layer is lightweight 100 percent polyester and the inner layers are 100 percent cotton. A portion of all sales support Champro’s initiative to provide masks to the at-risk population.

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SANMAR

The SanMar soft, fitted face mask is light, breathable and reusable and is made from an equivalent of up to one recycled plastic water bottle, organic cotton and Tencel Modal. The mask covers the wearer’s nose and mouth with multifunctional elastic head straps.

CLIFF KEEN

Cliff Keen’s custom sublimated face masks allow for team customization, while providing the necessary mouth and face covering needed for public gatherings and sport activities. The MXS fabric wicks moisture away from the face.

FSG AMERICA

UNDER ARMOUR

FSG America’s three mask sizes and infinite tension adjustments combine to create a fit across most head sizes. Front nose and chin seams create a tighter seal and comfortable fit and infinitely adjustable straps for comfort available in behind-the-ear and over-the-head styles.

The Under Armour Sportsmask is a reusable, water-resistant performance face mask designed for maximum breathability. The top of the mask features a moldable nose bridge to help secure it in place and mitigate airflow to the eyes, helping to prevent glasses from fogging. It can also be washed and dried.

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July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 37

NEW PRODUCTS

HOT LOOKS FOR NEXT SEASON

hot

UNDER ARMOUR

ASICS

The Under Armour men’s Qualifier Fleece Anorak is French Terry that can be worn during a workout because it wicks sweat and dries fast, while a generous half-zip front makes for easy layering and a front kangaroo pocket for carrying stuff.

The Asics Solid Modified Singlet was designed, developed and brought to market by a team of women at ASICS — created for her, by her.

38 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

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SANMAR

ALLESON

SanMar is partnering with Allmade to be the exclusive supplier of Allmade’s ethically and environmentally conscious blank apparel.

Allmade’s soft, tri-blend tees are crafted using 50 percent recycled polyester, 25 percent U.S-grown organic cotton and 25 percent Tencel Modal.

The Titan Chromagear Jersey from Alleson is a high-end, reversible football jersey loaded with full-length Pro-Flex tailoring that contours to the player’s shoulder and arms for improved range of motion and a No-Grab fit.

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July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 39

NEW PRODUCTS

HOT LOOKS FOR NEXT SEASON

hot

CLIFF KEEN

BADGER SPORT

Cliff Keen’s customizable Pinnacle Sublimated Custom Wrestling Warm-Up Jacket and Pant is tough enough for pre-match activities, yet stylish enough to stand out on the podium.

The Hex 2.0 collection from Badger Sport features distinctive shading.

Made with 100 percent Permacolor sublimated performance fabric and available in Tee, Short, Quarter-Zip and Performance Fleece Hood.

SUMMERSKATES

POWERS

SummerSkates, in exclusive partnership with Stahls’, is providing dealers with a custom sports sandal solution with performance, comfort, athletic style, dealer margin and consumer value. The sandals are now in a solid all-black Sport Lace design, while a new “Grip Your Game” Sport Lace Custom Beverage Holder adds to the product line.

The “Package” softball offering from Powers includes a fully sublimated jersey in ice mesh fabric paired with a knicker length poly warp knit pant. Sold as a set.

40 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

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PEARSOX

TRUSOX

PearSox’ Grippear is a Crew length, heel and toe constructed sock

with grip-enhancing silicone added to the interior and exterior of the footbed. It comes with built-in arch support, two mesh inserts on the top of the footbed for increased breathability and silicone grippers.

As the official manufacturer and distributor, Continental Sports has brought production of TRUsox back to the U.S. This patented sock has grip technology on the inside and the outside that reduces the heat and movement between the foot, sock and shoe.

UNDER ARMOUR SOCKS

HOLLOWAY

The Playmaker is an on-court and on-field sock in a Mid-Crew height to give extended coverage, but lower than traditional crews. Using special grip yarns in a strategic underfoot section provides a secure fit by gripping foot to shoe and helps keep sock in place.

The trend-right Ivy League Collection from Holloway is 55 percent polyester/41 percent cotton/four percent rayon, featuring Butter fleece for softness.

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July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 41

NEW PRODUCTS

THE EQUIPMENT SHED

hot

CARRON NET

JAYPRO SPORTS

T he original Anti-Whip net from Carron Net has a solid core of

durable fibers encased in tough 100 percent nylon. Always in stock and available in both nylon and cotton.

The all-aluminum FeatherLite volleyball system from Jaypro Sports is a lightweight system for competition play. The upright features a 16-pin stop micro-height adjustment for men’s and women’s net height requirements and the worm drive tension winch is easy to operate.

NOKONA

HOTRONIX

Nokona’s Alpha Select S-200I is made with virtually no break-in needed and has now been upgraded with AmericanKIP and SuperSoft leathers for a combination of game-readiness and durability. This mix of leathers provides a lighter weight glove.

The Hotronix 360 IQ Hat Press with patented Dual Silicone Platen technology is engineered to solve all cap printing problems. It eliminates creasing and scorching, prints on all sides of the hat, heats from underneath the hat, bonds adhesives from underneath and is ideal for thick patches and leather.

42 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

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SELKIRK

REUSCH

SCENTURION

Engineered with advanced materials, Selkirk’s Vanguard pickleball paddle is constructed with a QuadCarbon Face and features an X5 Honeycomb Thick Poly Core.

The Reusch G3 Speedbump foam keeper’s glove has a 3D structure that increases the friction between the ball and the glove, which leads to higher control and increased grip.

Scenturion is a clear, flexible, micro-coating fortified with pure Nano Silver formulated to kill 99.9 percent of the microorganisms that cause odor.

COOL CATCHER

CHAMPRO

PORTER

The Cool-Catcher Max cooling device for catchers has been redesigned with a Velcro hook and loop and allows a cold gel pack to be positioned on the rear cavity.

The Champro 7-on-7 helmet features a PRS foam system that provides a lightweight and breathable design with enhanced protection.

It received a 5-Star rated “Best Available” by Virginia Tech Flag Football headgear ratings.

Porter competition volleyball post pads will fit any system and brand a school’s or club’s court with pads available in 14 different school colors plus full-color digital graphics.

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July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 43

GET MORE INSIGHT NEWS & ANALYSIS OF THE TEAM MARKET • JULY/AUGUST 2020 • A FORMULA4 MEdIA PUbLIcATION

S S E N I S U B O T K C BA TEAM dEALERS ANd vENdORS ARE REAdY FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON. HOT PROdUcTS: SIx PAGES OF THE HOTTEST NEW PROdUcTS dEALERS WILL NEEd TO GET bAcK TO bUSINES S.

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

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The Game

The GB400 is an ultralight Performance Boonie with lightweight UPF 30 Sun Protection. In stock in 17 colors.

Richardson Cap

This 634 Mid-Pro shaped baseball cap delivers performance and comfort using PTS Lite fabric with a hook and look stretch fit. The Stay-Dri performance sweatband and Lite fabric will keep cool and dry through the whole game.

Available in Small and Med/Lg sizes.

Cliff Keen

The Sports Gaiter can be worn as a traditional face and head covering, do-rag, head band or a multitude of other uses. It can be fully sublimated with a team’s colors and graphic, minimum six per custom order

Cap America

The I8503 is a mid-profile structured on-field cap with shapeable flat round visor. It features apoly/sport blend fabric with perforated sides and back, along with UV protection and moisture wicking and a performance sweatband with Flexfit sizing.

Jaypro Sports

OC Sports

Jaypro Sport’s budget-friendly six-foot goal post pad uses a 14-ounce reinforced vinyl cover with high impact foam. Full-length hookand-loop enclosure provides for a tight fit.

Fourteen team colors are available and custom graphic available for an additional cost.

The MLB-350 is a classic baseball profile with performance fabric and Q3 wicking sweatband.

It has an easily shaped visor and hook/loop tape closure. This cap is offered in 36 MLB styles.

Champro

Markwort

The Markwort ForceField Protective Headbands for Flag Football. Is designed to help reduce the risk of head injury from player, ball and external object contact. Lightweight and ventilated, it features an impact absorbing polymeric layer that wraps around the head reduces impact up to 80 percent.

The Champro J-FJ5 reversible, single-ply Juice sublimated football jersey is constructed with a 100 percent polyester Dynamic Mesh body, collar, cuff and shoulder inserts, and Matte Dazzle sleeves and yoke. The stretch fit, cut conforms to the player’s body, limiting grab points for opponents and keeping pads in place.

Advertiser Index July/August 2020 Augusta Sportswear.............................................................. 3, 4 Cap America........................................................................... 25

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NEWS & ANALYSIS OF THE TEAM MARKET • JULY/AUGUST 2020 • A FORMULA4 MEdIA PUbLIcATION NEWS & ANALYSIS OF THE TEAM MARKET • MAY/JUNE 2020 • A FORMULA4 MEDIA PUBLICATION

Champion Sports.................................................................... 48 A NEW PLAYBOOK

Champro................................................................................... 5 eBay........................................................................................ 32 Fancy Sports Gear America..................................................... 23 Founder Sport Group.............................................................. 47

BACK TO BUSINESS TEAM dEALERS ANd vENdORS ARE REAdY FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON. HOT PROdUcTS: SIx PAGES OF THE HOTTEST NEW PROdUcTS dEALERS WILL NEEd TO GET bAcK TO bUSINESS.

Gared...................................................................................... 19 Markwort................................................................................. 22 OC Sports............................................................................... 29

THE TEAM BUSINESS HAS A REVISED GAME PLAN FOR SPORTS IN A ‘NEW NORMAL.’

Continued coverage of the impact of COVID-19 on the team sports business.

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NEWS & ANALYSIS OF THE TEAM MARKET • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 • A FORMULA4 MEDIA PUBLICATION

HOOPING IT UP CAP IT OFF

DECORATING

MERGER MANIA

Basketball Shoots for 2019

Technology Rules the Game

Who Bought Who This Month?

Team Headwear Is Styling

FOOTBALL LOOKS TO THE FUTURE HOT PRODUCTS! YOU CAN FIND MORE THAN 50 NEW TEAM ITEMS FOR 2019 INSIDE.

Richardson Cap....................................................................... 31 Soffe.......................................................................................... 7

SPECIAL REPORT

2020 VISION

THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF TEAM SPORTS

BY THE INDUSTRY’S LEADING EXECUTIVES. SUBLIMATION 6.0 INSIGHT

Stahls’....................................................................................... 6 The Game............................................................................... 27

NEWS & ANALYSIS OF THE TEAM MARKET • JULY/AUGUST 2019 • TEAMINSIGHTMAG.cOM

HOOP DREAMS

Rawlings.................................................................................. 21 SanMar................................................................................... 17

TEAM INSIGHT BASKETBALL dRIvING YEAR-ROUNd bUSINESS AS IT SHOOTS ANd ScORES FOR dEALERS.

STILL

NUMBER ON E? BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL MAKE MOVES TO MAINTAIN THEIR HOLD ON AMERICA’S YOUTH.

IT’S HOT IN HERE! 8 PAGES OF HE cOOLEST new team PROdUcTS FOR 2020 A FORMULA4 MEdIA PUbLIcATION

A FORMULA4 MEDIA PUBLICATION / JULY 2018

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Uni-Sport................................................................................. 11 teaminsightmag.com

July/August 2020 ~ Team Insight 45

A

END ZONE SanMar and Allmade Partner In Apparel

With an eye on servicing increasingly eco-conscious young athletes, SanMar is partnering with Allmade to be the exclusive supplier of Allmade’s ethically and environmentally conscious blank apparel to the promotional apparel and imprinted sportswear industries.

Founded “by screenprinters for screenprinters,” Allmade is “an impact-driven company that is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and to reducing our industry’s impact on the environment while also making exceptional shirts that are great to wear and print on.”

Allmade’s soft, tri-blend tees are crafted using three sustainable fibers: 50 percent recycled polyester, 25 percent U.S.-grown organic cotton and 25 percent Tencel Modal. The recycled polyester in each T-shirt helps prevent an equivalent of up to six bottles from ending up in a landfill. SanMar is now selling six adult styles in nine colors and one youth style in eight colors.

Field Hockey Eyewear Rule Altered In response to longstanding concerns regarding the wearing of goggles in high 46 Team Insight ~ July/August 2020

school field hockey, the NFHS Board of Directors recently approved a change in the eyewear rule that will take effect with the upcoming 2020 season. The rule, which currently states that “All field players shall wear eye protection that met the ASTM standard for field hockey at the time of manufacture,” will now state that “Goggles may be worn by all field hockey players.”

In addition to the current rule, an additional note was due to take effect in 2020 as follows: “Beginning in the 2020 fall season, all eye protection shall be permanently labeled with the ASTM 2713 standard for field hockey at the time of manufacture.”

While there is a required ASTM standard for field hockey goggles, there is no NOCSAE standard. The ASTM 2713 standard is not protective against a direct ball to the eye in testing. NOCSAE will not certify any facial/eye protection unless it is integrated into a helmet.

One of the ongoing concerns has been that ASTMcertified goggles are not available for all field players, notably those who wear corrective lenses. Since the current rule cannot be met by individuals with glasses, state associations have been issuing waivers for students with corrective lenses to allow participation.

Four States Add Girls’ Wrestling Four states – Arizona, Florida, Illinois and South Dakota – are adding girls’ wrestling to their high school sports lineups. This brings the total number of states to sanction girls’ high school wrestling to 26. Each is approaching the addition of the sport in a slightly different manner.

Arizona’s girls will compete

in a separate division in the 2020-21 school year for a team crown. Individual state medals were awarded to girls in 2019 and 2020.

Florida will start girls’ wrestling in the 2021-22 school year so all financial and scheduling aspects can be addressed. The state had an unsanctioned championship event in 2020.

Illinois will also begin girls’ wrestling in 2021-22 so it can determine how its state series will fit within the current wrestling state series structure.

South Dakota will also begin girls’ wrestling with the 2020-21 season. There will be one classification (boys’ wrestling has two) and four weight classes.

Obit: Dick Lipsey, 89

Soccer Participation on the Rise In U.S., Pre-COVID

COINCIDING WITH PROFESSIONAL AND YOUTH soccer returning to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, SFIA recently released its annual soccer participation report, which found soccer participation in the United States increased in 2019 after four straight years of decline.

In addition, 2019 marked the first time “core” participation for soccer has increased (1.5 percent) since 2010. After the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, participation was dwindling. However, in 2019 not only were more Americans playing soccer, but participation

Dick Lipsey, who was a major figure in research and history of the sporting goods industry, passed away on May 15 at age 89. Lipsey underwent bypass surgery for a heart attack and was set to return home when he contracted COVID-19.

Lipsey helped develop the NSGA Sports Participation in the U.S. study that continues to be the industry standard.

He also collaborated with former NSGA Research Director Tom Doyle on a book, “The Sporting Goods Industry: History, Practices and Products,” that was published in 2006 and provided a valuable examination of the sporting goods industry for professionals and students. n

numbers increased by 4.5 percent in just one year, which is a significant increase for the third most-popular sport in the U.S. Among the highlights of the report: • There are 11.9 million outdoor soccer participants in the U.S. • There are five million core soccer participants.

• 63.1 percent of all soccer players and 56.4 percent of core participants are male.

• 71.7 percent of all soccer participants and 82.4 percent of core participants are between ages of six and 24.

• 41.5 percent of female soccer players are between the ages of six and 12.

• 52.6 percent of all soccer participants have a household income of over $75,000 per year.

• 25 percent outdoor soccer players also play indoor soccer.

• There are 4.5 million children between the ages of 6-12 playing soccer.

• There are 2.4 million soccer participants between the ages of 13-17. n teaminsightmag.com

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