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Mueller Sports Medicine Becomes PFATS Platinum Sponsor

Mueller Sports Medicine increased its support for the athletic training profession as it became Platinum partner sponsor for the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS).

Mueller Sports Medicine has partnered with PFATS for more than 20 years in an effort to promote athlete safety and health to the National Football League and its players.

“Mueller Sports Medicine has been honored to partner with PFATS for the last 20 years," said Mueller Sports Medicine president John Cayer. "We are proud to increase our support to become a PFATS

Platinum sponsor for the first time and further support the athletic training profession.”

The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) is a Professional Association representing the athletic trainers of the National Football League. They serve the players of the NFL, the member clubs and other members of the community with the purpose to ensure the highest quality of health care is provided to the NFL.

Mueller Sports Medicine, Inc., was founded in 1959 by Curt Mueller, who is a member of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame. The company has been has been a long-time supporter of the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and its annual Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.

Cathy Pryor Becomes Franklin Retail Solutions President

Cathy Pryor was named President at Franklin Retail Solutions, a leading provider of in-store services within major retailers in the sports, outdoor, and fitness industries. They provide in-store intelligence, merchandising, brand ambassadorship, marketing services and more throughout North America.

“We are thrilled to have someone like Cathy Pryor leading Franklin Retail Solutions’ team. Her accomplishments and expertise are recognized throughout our industry,” said Marty Lillis, CEO of

Franklin Retail Solutions. “We look forward to Cathy bringing that talent and experience to her new role with us.”

Pryor was an executive officer and VP of Store Operations at Hibbett Sports leading a team responsible for over 1,000 Hibbett locations. She is the previous Chair of the National Sporting Goods Association. Having a history of more than 30 years in the sports, outdoor, and fitness retail business, she has a proven track record of success in organizational expansion, process innovation, visual merchandising, store design and team development. She is an innovator who combines collaboration, knowledge, business acumen and customer understanding to improve processes and set industry standards.

Wilson Replaces Spalding as Official Ball of NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Wilson Sporting Goods announced a multi-year global partnership that will make Wilson the official game ball of the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Spalding has been the official ball of the NBA since 1983. Wilson was the first official ball used by the NBA from 1946–83 and will return to the NBA for its 75 th anniversary season in 2021–22. The other debuts of the Wilson ball will be during the 2022 WNBA season, 2021–22 NBA G League season, 2021 NBA 2K League season and the inaugural BAL season.

OrderMyGear a Winner at American Business Awards

OrderMyGear (OMG) was named the winner of a Bronze Stevie ® Award in the Achievement in Product Innovation category in The 18 th Annual American Business Awards ® . The award recognizes OMG for 2019 product innovations bridging the technology gap for the Team Dealer and Promotional Product industries.

OMG powered over $328 million in online sales across 4.3 million transactions in 2019. In addition, OMG launched eight major product innovations to more than 6,700 users across three diverse industries, helping clients improve efficiency and grow sales.

Key accomplishments and innovations of the OMG Team include a live inventory feed with leading industry brands, express stores and a technology partnership with the Sports, Inc., buying group.

Described by one American Business Awards judge as having a “very impressive resume and approach to product innovation,” the OMG platform has taken great strides in successfully tackling key industry challenges. As another judge phrased it, “OMG has certainly proven itself.”