HOW THE 2008–09 RECESSION IMPACTED SPORTS PARTICIPATION

With the recent increase in interest rates and more economists anticipating an economic recession in 2023, one question that arises in our industry is “what will happen to sports participation?” Because NSGA has tracked sports participation for more than 35 years using consistent methodology throughout, we can look at the last recession (defined as 2008–2009 for purposes of this article) to gain insights into the future.

If the recession had a significant impact, we would expect to see sharp declines for the years the recession occurred (2008-2009) followed by a bounce back once the period ended. When plotted on a chart over time, the data for these years would resemble a “V” shape.

On a high level, we can use NSGA’s Total Participation Points (TPPs) metric to analyze participation among specific segments tracked by NSGA. With TPPs, one point is given for each sport a person participates in during a given year. This offers a more complete view of participation because both the number of people participating in each sport segment (reach) and the number of sports each person is participating in (depth) are considered.

Looking at the data over multiple years is also important when identifying trends. For this analysis, we will include data from 2004-2013, giving us 4 years before and after the 2008-09 recession. As shown in Figure 1, the years during the recession were part of larger trends the segments were experiencing during this period. The changes in participation during these two years were not abnormal or out of the ordinary and for the most part follow along the dotted trendline. The fitness segment saw participation increase during both recession years, following along with the larger trend of steady participation increases during the full 10 years. The changes in participation for the individual, team and wheel segments during 2008-09 also go along with the longer-term trends of declines in participation over that decade.

BY NICK RIGITANO NSGA DIRECTOR OF INSIGHTS AND ANALYSIS

As we get more granular, a similar theme takes shape for the selected sports shown in Figure 2. The recession figures for running/jogging, golf, and soccer follow the 10-year trendlines for their respective sports. The remaining sports deviate slightly during the recession years, but the changes are within the range of other non-recession years.

Based on the data, it appears the 2008-2009 recession itself did not have a significant impact on sports participation. The changes incurred during these years were part of longer-term trends and there are a variety of factors that influence changes in sports participation. Because different factors have different levels of influence for each individual participant, it is important for our industry to take a combination of them into account when developing programs and creating opportunities for involvement.

SPORTS INC. ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGES

Sports Inc. CEO Todd Adams announced at the buying group’s Team Dealers Fall Show he is stepping down and would be replaced on January 1, 2023 by Travis Elam.

Adams said it was a decision to spend more time with his family and grandchildren and he will stay on in an advisory role for the first part of 2023. He has been with the Sports Inc. buying group since 2000 and took over as CEO in 2011 from Dave Salvi. He worked for 10 years as a team salesman with Universal Athletic before joining Sports Inc.

“I’m going to miss all of you and all of it,” Adams said. “It has been incredible.” Elam has been in charge of Sports Inc.’s team division and started in the outdoors division. Max Pearson will move up to become the Sports Inc. director of team sports.

“I’m honored you would ask me to take on this awesome responsibility and I’ll do everything I can to carry on what you’ve done the last 11 years,” Elam said of Adams.

Other changes in the Sports Inc., transition plan have Corry Arntzen as Vice President, Operations, Andy Eames as Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Jay Hanson as Senior Director, Outdoor Sports and Kale Schwede as Director, Outdoor Sports. Elam, Arntzen, Eames, Pearson, Hanson and Schwede have a combined 79 years of experience working for Sports Inc.

Outdoor Retailer Announces New Event Format

Outdoor Retailer announced a new format in its approach to serving the outdoor and winter sports marketplace. Through the introduction of new events and a shift in future dates, Outdoor Retailer will provide more opportunities for the industry to engage in the timeframes that best support the industry. The new format will be:

• January 2023: Outdoor Retailer Snow Show runs January 10–12, 2023, at the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center and new Hyatt Regency Salt Lake, with the new addition of The Summit by Outdoor Retailer on-mountain experience on January 9, 2023 at Brighton Resort;

• June 2023: The Outdoor Retailer Summer national business-to-business commerce event remains in June at the Salt Palace at the front of the summer buying season, with the new Outdoor Adventure X (OAX) consumer festival staging the weekend prior at Snowbasin Resort;

• Starting November 2023: The national winter business-to-business commerce event rebrands as Outdoor Retailer Winter and moves to early November in the Salt Palace at the start of the seasonal sales cycle;

• Launching January 2024: The Summit by Outdoor Retailer expands into a new multi-day leadership conference with an immersive on-mountain winter experience, moves to late January, and aligns with Winter Sports Market, the specialty buying group trade event from Snowsports Merchandising Corporation (SMC) and Sports Specialists Ltd. (SSL).

For the next five years, 2023–2027, Outdoor Retailer events will take place in Salt Lake City and County, starting with

Snow Show on January 10–12, 2023, at the Salt Palace. Neighboring mountains and outdoor spaces will become destinations for experiential and consumer programming. Find all future dates at outdoorretailer.com.

“We’re evolving the Outdoor Retailer format and creating new, unique ways for brands to engage around their business needs and goals,” said Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer senior vice president and show director.

“These changes are based on feedback we’ve received from brands, retailers, reps and suppliers, all working on earlier product deadlines. So, we’re transforming to make sure we’re providing the most relevant platform to showcase product and do business. Outdoor Retailer Winter and Summer are now both at the beginning of the respective sales seasons and in position to support the greater buy/sell ecosystem.

“In addition, a new event, The Summit by Outdoor Retailer, will deliver elevated education and conversation. Through a renewed partnership with SMC and SSL, The Summit now aligns with Winter Sports Market to establish a more efficient industry calendar and new avenues for customer engagement. We’re excited to be expanding upon our cornerstone events, to move into the timeframes the industry needs, and to provide more meaningful opportunities for the community to connect.”

Hall Of Famer Johnny Morris Receives

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Tom Morris Award presented by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Morris will be honored Feb. 9 at the Send-Off Celebration at the 2023 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando, Fla.

Morris was inducted into NSGA’s Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame in 1998. Read his Hall of Fame biography at nsga.org/hof-inductee/johnny-morris/.

The Old Tom Morris Award is presented to an individual who, through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf, has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris. Old Tom Morris was a four-time British Open winner and the legendary greenkeeper at St. Andrews in Scotland.

RAWLINGS’ NEW HEADQUARTERS TO INCLUDE CORPORATE CAMPUS, EXPERIENTIAL RETAIL

“Our move to Westport Plaza reflects the tremendous growth of our baseball and softball business and allows us to create an immersive brand experience for fans and athletes alike,” said Mike Zlaket, CEO of Rawlings. “As a storied brand based in St. Louis, Rawlings has very strong ties to the local community, and it was important for us to remain here in such a renowned baseball town.”

The move coincides with significant revitalization plans taking place in Westport Plaza designed to attract new business tenants.

Within Rawlings’ expanded experiential retail space, their full assortment of baseball and softball product lines will be displayed and available for purchase as well as a wide array of customizable options across multiple product lines. Additionally, the brand will highlight historic artifacts that have been integral to its success and growth throughout the years.

Wilson Extends Ncaa Basketball Partnership

Ordermygear Acquires Brightstores

OrderMyGear (OMG) acquired BrightStores, a provider of online company stores for promotional product distributors.

The partnership brings together two market-leading technology platforms in the team sporting goods and promotional products spaces. Together, the combined solutions will provide best-in-class technology designed specifically to meet the needs of promotional product distributors, apparel decorators and team dealers as they grow their business online.

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc., the official baseball, glove, helmet, face guard and base of Major League Baseball® and the creator of the iconic Rawlings Gold Glove Award®, announced it will be moving from their current corporate headquarters located in Town & Country, Missouri to Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri in late 2023.

The decision to relocate was predicated by the need for additional office space and a desire to create a full corporate campus, including an experiential retail destination. Rawlings has been based in St. Louis since its inception in 1887 and hopes to elevate its visibility as a St. Louis-based company.

Wilson extended its well-established partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association® (NCAA) as the official ball of March Madness and the Final Four for both the men’s and women’s basketball championships and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT®). The extension builds on a storied relationship spanning more than two decades. Additionally, the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s basketball championships will exclusively use the Wilson NCAA Evo NXT ball for their tournament, joining other conference championships such as the SEC, PAC-12 and Big 12. Wilson’s other partnerships include the NBA and WNBA.

The addition of BrightStores enables OMG to offer a fully configurable, feature-rich online store solution to support complex, long-term use cases alongside OMG’s widely adopted online pop-up stores. With the combined expertise of OMG and BrightStores, businesses that sell custom branded merchandise and apparel to groups will have more opportunities to support a wide range of customer programs with a single platform and partner. Clients will continue to leverage the online store solutions they use to serve customers today, while also gaining access to additional online store capabilities to help them unlock new revenue opportunities.

Founded in 1999, BrightStores has focused exclusively on building technology for promotional product distributors, developing the most complete company store solution and deep industry expertise.

OrderMyGear is a longtime member of the National Sporting Goods Association and supporter of the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.

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RULES UPDATE: WILL OTHER BASEBALL ORGANIZATIONS FOLLOW MLB LEAD WITH BIGGER BASES?

BY MARTY MACIASZEK

NSGA DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND TEAM DEALER DIVISION

The National Sporting Goods Association makes an annual check with national sports governing bodies for rule changes regarding equipment and uniforms that could impact team dealers and retailers. NSGA shares what’s ahead for 2023 and beyond, starting with the potential trickle-down effect of Major League Baseball going to bigger bases next season.

BASEBALL:

BIGGER BASES A BIG QUESTION

Major League Baseball announced this summer it is increasing the size of its bases from 15 inches to 18 inches for the 2023 season. Minor League Baseball made the switch to bigger bases in 2022. Team dealers and retailers have asked NSGA if other organizations would move to bigger bases. Here’s a look at that issue and other baseball-related rule changes.

NCAA: The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee discussed a change to require larger bases at its annual meeting in July, according to the NCAA’s Ben Brownlee, who oversees baseball. The committee did not move to require that change but did move a change to permit larger bases in non-institutionally owned facilities. This eliminated the need for a waiver for colleges to play a game in a Minor League or MLB stadium. The next opportunity to review/recommend the base-size change will be in 2024.

NFHS: No changes are currently anticipated at the high school level regarding the size of the bases from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NHFS).

PONY Baseball: Rule 7H has been changed to bases shall not be smaller than a 15-inch square. This gives leagues the option of continuing to use present-sized bases or switching to the larger MLB-sized bases.

American Legion: Executive director Steve Cloud said they did not adopt the bigger MLB bases or the pitch clock because of the cost with the implementation. “The majority of our teams play on high school fields so we can’t mandate they upgrade the facility,” Cloud said.

Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken: There are no changes for 2023 on base sizes but it will be discussed by the rules committee at its annual meeting, according to president & CEO Steve Tellefsen.

American Amateur Baseball Congress: There is no move to go to larger bases currently, according to AABC president Richard Neely.

Dixie Youth Baseball: The earliest the size of the bases will be discussed is at its national meetings in August 2023, according to DYB commissioner William Wade.

A bat which does not meet specifications will be deemed an illegal bat and the batter using the illegal bat will be called out. If a second batter is called out for using an illegal bat in the same game by the same team the team manager will be ejected.

The use of pine tar or other similar adhesive substances on a bat is prohibited and will result in the bat being declared illegal.

Dixie Boys/Majors Baseball: Rule changes are made in odd-numbered years so some are anticipated for the 2024 season.

Little League Baseball: No changes for uniforms and equipment for 2023.

USSSA: No changes for uniforms and equipment for 2023.

Softball

USA Softball: A couple of rules regarding bats and helmets were revised and take effect January 1, 2023.

Any bats bearing the USA Softball, USSSA, or WBSC Certification mark and passes the USA Softball Fast Pitch Compression test thresholds will be allowed in the USA Softball Men’s Major and Men’s Open Fast Pitch Championships. This would allow players to use WBSCapproved bats they currently use in their Federation.

Any defensive or offensive player may wear a helmet at any time. In fast pitch, helmets shall have a non-glare (not mirror-like) surface. This allows helmets with a reflective or mirror-like finish to be used in slow-pitch softball.

PONY Girls Softball: At the Shetland Level, bats marked T-ball are not allowed when using a regulation 11-inch softball.

Wrestling

USA Wrestling: The use of protective headgear of the type required for scholastic wrestling is authorized and recommended in the Junior level and below. Headgear is allowed in U20, Masters, Senior and U23 competition. It is no longer required that headgear be removed in the United World Wrestling age divisions at the request of the opponent. In any division, a face mask is allowed only to protect an existing injury, or an injury occurring during the bout, and must be prescribed by a medical doctor or the event’s chief medical officer.