INDUSTRY NOW

Boost Oxygen Gets All-Star Game Boost

As millions of people tuned in to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on FOX to watch the American League All-Stars defeat the National League All-Stars, fans were in for a treat as closer Liam Hendriks of the Chicago White Sox brought a can of Boost Oxygen to the mound and utilized it prior to pitching the bottom of the 9th inning to earn the save in Denver, Colorado.

Boost Oxygen, which is a manufacturer member of the National Sporting Goods Association, did not sponsor nor compensate for this placement and usage. Boost continues to be organically adopted by professional athletes for its efficacy, portable convenience, ease of use, and high quality. Founded in 2007, the innovation by Boost for making purified supplemental oxygen available to all athletes, in the retail space, is the lightweight and portable containers with an easy-to-use and patented mask design. The 95% pure oxygen, commonly referred to as ‘Aviators Breathing Oxygen’ is 100% safe and natural for use by all ages. This non-prescription form allows it to be made available in the retail setting. Boost Oxygen is currently available in trusted sporting goods retailers nationwide.

Play It Again Sports Partners with Women’s Hockey Trailblazer Blake Bolden

Play It Again Sports and Winmark – the Resale Company™ announced a formal partnership with Blake Bolden, a trailblazer in women’s hockey who competed in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and is a pro scout for the Los Angeles Kings, to sponsor her inspiring girls mentorship program - emBolden her. The free six-month mentorship program will welcome 25 female hockey participants, ages 13–16, from across North America and support and empower them as they navigate and become trailblazers in the world of ice hockey. Lucky winners will be selected by Bolden and Winmark and announced via email on September 10, 2021. The program will meet virtually once per month for 90 minutes and will run from October 2021 to March 2022. Discussions will include a variety of topics, from mental preparation and goal-setting to self-motivation and time management, as well as a special guest speaker. Bolden’s hockey journey began at age 6 when she got her first set of hockey gear at her local Play It Again Sports. Since then, Bolden has gone on to make history as the first Black women’s hockey player to compete in the NWHL and the second woman to ever scout in the NHL. She also just joined ESPN’s NHL Coverage Team as an NHL reporter for the 2021–2022 season. To learn more please visit playitagainsports.com/embolden-her. Play It Again Sports and The Winmark Corporation have been NSGA members since 1990.

Rawlings Releases Innovative New Glove

Rawlings®, the Official Glove of Major League Baseball® and creator of the iconic Rawlings Gold Glove Award®, reached a new milestone in the evolution of glove design with its release of the REV1X series of baseball gloves. In development for several years, the REV1X used the Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS™) process to develop an optimized lattice structure. The REV1X also has several unique design attributes, including a lace-less web, adaptive fit system and Heart of the Hide® leather palm and gusset. The glove’s advanced manufacturing processes combined with its high-quality materials yield an ultralightweight, form-fitting, game-ready glove that provides athletes with consistent playability. Rawlings has been a National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) member since 1987.

Winter Sports Market Announces Show Changes

Winter Sports Market (WSM) announced it will no longer be just a buying group show serving the winter sports community of specialty retailers and manufacturers, beginning in January 2022. WSM said the move is in response to the changes of supply chain lead times, the Internet, national trade show consolidation and the evolution of regional shows that have occurred during the 25-plus years of its show. WSM said it will work with the supplier community to extend invitations to select retailers and suppliers not affiliated with the major buying groups and invite them to attend the show. WSM said it is compelled to bring more value and efficiency to the winter sports industry — both manufacturing and retail components. WSM will offer a standard booth format in the main exhibit space or, if exhibitors choose, a limited number of private meeting spaces that can become a brand’s showroom to host customers.

The dates for the upcoming shows at the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City are:

• January 20 – 22, 2022

• January 19 – 21, 2023 • January 30 – February 1, 2024. WSM is by invitation only. For more information email buyer_info@ wintersportsmarket.com or exhibit_info@wintersportsmarket.com.

Wilson Unveils New NBA, NCAA Basketballs

Wilson unveiled its new official game balls for the NBA and the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

The new Wilson NBA ball is in advance of the NBA’s 75th anniversary season. Wilson was the NBA’s official basketball manufacturer for the league’s first 37 seasons and replaces Spalding. The Wilson NBA ball is made of the same materials, eight-panel configuration and performance specifications as the Spalding basketballs. The Evo NXT will be the new official game ball for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Evo NXT will feature the NCAA logo with gold foil embellishments and will be used beginning with the 2021–22 season.

Wilson has been a member of the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) since 1950.

Franklin Sports Partners with USA Pickleball

Franklin Sports signed a multi-year partnership agreement with USA Pickleball. As part of the agreement, Franklin’s signature X-40 ball becomes the Official Ball of USA Pickleball, which provides opportunities for all players, including organizing and hosting a wide variety of regional and national pickleball tournaments on an annual basis.

Franklin Sports and USA Pickleball will also be partnering on growth initiatives for the sport, including working towards the goal of making pickleball a Demonstration Sport at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The two organizations will work together to develop pickleball programming for schools while also increasing the sport’s presence at retail stores across the country. “Pickleball is just scratching the surface of what we believe it can become as a sport, and our pickleball partnerships and growing product collection reflect that belief,” said Adam Franklin, president of Franklin Sports. “We share USA Pickleball’s vision of bringing this incredible game to the forefront of the sports world, so we’re very excited to collaborate with their team on a wide variety of growth and development initiatives. This is a sport that has so many amazing qualities – it’s highly accessible, it keeps people active, and it brings people together in a fun yet competitive way.”

CSGA Appoints New President & CEO

The Canadian Sporting Goods Association (CSGA) Board of Directors announced the appointment of Jon Irwin as the association’s new President & CEO, effective July 1. Irwin’s appointment came after an extensive search to replace Julian Savory, who retired after eight years of rebuilding the association to spend more time with his family and community on the west coast. “We are absolutely thrilled to have Jon take on the leadership of the CSGA during a very transformative time for the sporting goods industry,” said Brad Hause, CSGA Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of Sports Distributors of Canada (SDC). “I could not be more grateful and excited to accept the position of President and CEO of the CSGA. The association is poised to further develop its vision and build on the momentum that Julian has created over the past 8 years,” Irwin said.

Mike Trimboli Elected President of USA Hockey

Mike Trimboli, who has been involved in grassroots hockey as a player, coach, official and administrator for parts of the last six decades, was elected president of USA Hockey. The Massena, New York, native began his formal engagement with what was at the time the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (today USA Hockey) on the local outdoor rinks as a player in 1970. In 1979 he became an on-ice official and added youth hockey coach to his resume in 1984. He was elected to the USA Hockey Board of Directors as a director from the New York District in 2005. Since that time has served as a director representative to the Executive Committee and also been part of the Marketing Council, Junior Council, Player Development Committee and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. He was elected as a vice president of USA Hockey and chair of the organization’s Marketing Council in 2017 and has concurrently served on the USA Hockey Foundation Board of Directors. Trimboli succeeds Jim Smith, who served the past six years as president and played a significant role in the advancement of the sport over the past 30-plus years as one of the most active volunteers in the organization.