NSGA NOW - November/December 2022

NSGA OFFICERS

Chairman of the Board

Pat Donnelley

Donnelley Sports, Twin Falls, ID

Past Chairman

David Labbe Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, ME

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kevin Bezanson

Cleve’s Source for Sports, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Bob Fawley

Capitol Varsity Sports, Oxford, OH

Troy Freeman

Play It Again Sports, Minneapolis, MN

Gordon Geiger

Geiger’s, Lakewood, OH

Mick Montgomery

Denver Athletic Supply, Englewood, CO

Ron Rugal

B&R Sporting Goods, Shelby Charter Township, MI

John Scipio

SV Sports, Pottstown, PA

NSGA TEAM LEADERS

Matt Carlson

President & C EO

Marty Maciaszek Director, Communications and Team Dealer Division

Julie Pitts

Director, Public Affairs and President, NSSRA

Nick Rigitano Director, Insights and Analysis

Jennifer Shaffer Comptroller

The 24/7 news cycle creates the need for speed when it comes to news and information. Many informed citizens don’t want to wait for their evening news, or get the morning newspaper. Having timely information can be the difference between making great business decisions and missing the boat.

The desire for rapid information is no different in the sporting goods industry. NSGA addresses important issues every year at the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit. But with some of the biggest challenges evolving rapidly, it is also important that NSGA address them as quickly as possible.

That led to NSGA conducting another virtual event on October 11, “Navigating the Sporting Goods Landscape: Resources for What’s Ahead,” to present the latest perspectives on inflation, labor and supply chain issues. It gave us the chance to share some expert insights into how your business can prepare for what is on the horizon.

One of the best parts is these insights were not only specific to certain segments of the industry, but they came from people directly involved in those areas like Rhett Johnson, Tyler Lockard, Bill Terski and Kevin Sodhi. There are times where members of the industry are reluctant to share their ideas and opinions because of concerns they are giving their competitors an edge. But in this instance all four of them were willing to use their expertise to help others.

Johnson is the third-generation owner and president of Johnson-Lambe, one of the premier team dealers and retailers in the country. He talked about the necessity to think creatively and proactively in an environment where finding products is tougher than ever.

Lockard is the interim president and hardgoods category manager of Sports Specialists Ltd., one of the major buying groups in the ski and snowboard industry. He said one of the benefits to come out of the current challenges is significantly less discounting and customers willing to purchase products at full price at any time of the year.

Terski and Sodhi are two of the leaders of CCM, one of the major manufacturer players in the hockey industry. They talked candidly about ways CCM can do better and then offered advice on how retailers can best work with suppliers.

We were also fortunate to have Dr. Elliot Eisenberg, an internationally acclaimed economist, provide an in-depth look at the outlook for the economy and inflation. If you couldn’t watch the NSGA virtual event when it was broadcast, I encourage you to view these sessions at nsga.org.

We always hope to see as many of you as possible at the annual Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit so you can bring some new ideas and information back to your business. But we are also ready to hold a virtual event or use our other communication vehicles to give you important information in a timely fashion. Visit our website and look for our bi-weekly electronic newsletter, NSGA Scoreboard, in your email inbox today.

Best regards, Matt Carlson | President & CEO

NSGA NOW (ISSN 1045-2087) is published bi-monthly for members of the National Sporting Goods Association, 3041 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 210, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Phone: (847) 296-NSGA (6742); Fax: (847) 391-9827. Subscription price of $50 per year is included in membership fee. Non-member subscription information available from publisher. Periodical postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NSGA NOW,® 3041 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 210, Downers Grove, IL 60515. © NSGA 2022 all rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

How to Leverage Social Media For Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns

By Lizz McCrindle NSGA Communications and Social Media Manager

Let’s face it, the holiday season is chaotic in a normal year. Now, let’s factor in some of the external variables at play, whether it be consistent supply chain disruptions, an increase in the cost of raw materials, product shortages, inflation or a combination of these. Although a lot of these instances are out of your control, one thing completely within your control is how your business decides to leverage social media channels to communicate updates with current and prospective customers.

Before building a marketing plan for social media, equip yourself with all the information necessary to make informed decisions, realistic projections and impactful posts. Utilize the analytic features available through each channel to determine which platform best affords you the ability to connect with your target audience, generate engagement and ultimately result in conversions. Once you understand how and where your audience is engaging with your brand on social media, you can begin building out your marketing plan. Below are some easy and cost-effective ways to maximize your social media platforms this holiday season.

• Keep your customers informed. If your business is experiencing product shortages or delays on order fulfillment this holiday season, communicate that immediately to your customers so they can plan accordingly.

• Showcase products in stock. Evaluate current inventory and create a social media marketing campaign that features products available for purchase immediately.

• Tip: Increase visibility by including an image of the item and a brief description. Consider allowing your team to get creative by uploading videos demonstrating/using the product.

• If possible, direct the user back to your website to learn more about the product or to purchase. Utilize tracking links to measure referral traffic from your social media channels to your website.

• Provide and promote an omnichannel shopping experience. During the pandemic, many shoppers became accustomed to e-commerce shopping, the ability to order items online and pick them up in the store or even have them brought right out to their car. If your business offers any of these conveniences, share them on social media so your customers are aware of all the options available to them.

• Post Promotions and Sales. Use social media to share any promotions or seasonal discounts being offered. Consider including a promotional code in the campaign to drive sales.

• Tip: Increase visibility by including an image of the item and brief description.

• Humanize your brand. Sharing on social media affords your business the opportunity to take customers behind the scenes. Post video or photos of your team breaking down a big shipment to prepare for a sale or feature a member of your team every week introducing him or her to your audience. Find ways to connect with your customer base on a personal level to deepen brand loyalty and share what sets your team apart from the competition.

As you set out to develop or reassess your social media marketing plans for the upcoming holiday season, check out NSGA’s Small Business Saturday resource page on our website (www.nsga.org). There you will find some pre-drafted social media content, graphics and practical resources to help drive engagement and create impactful content.

Failure is Part of Road to Success

By Ritchie Sayner Advanced Retail Strategies

During his Hall of Fame career, this NBA legend missed more than 9,000 shots, lost nearly 300 games and 26 times was asked to take the game-winning shot which he missed. In fact, he didn’t even make his high school varsity basketball team on his first try. He failed and failed and failed again, yet Michael Jordan will tell you those failures were the very reasons why he was so successful. Winston Churchill is often credited with saying, “success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

You may be asking why am I talking about failing? I’m really talking about what it takes to be successful.

As retailers, you are confronted with failure constantly. It goes with the territory. The most obvious example would come from inventory decisions. From time to time, you might have too much or too little or you might select the wrong style. The vendor might ship late or not at all. The merchandise might not fit correctly or be defective in some other way, or perhaps the price is too high. These issues lead to markdowns in most cases. Markdowns stimulate sales and help a store clean up inventory problems. They also reduce margin. Taken in the right quantities and for the right reasons, markdowns are a healthy part of the retail business. It is only when markdowns are taken excessively that they become problematic. Markdowns represent mini-failures, but if taken properly, as already discussed, contribute to successful operations. Employee issues most certainly can be a source of failures. How many times have you hired someone who you thought would be a good fit for your store only to find out that was not the case? On the surface, this is clearly a minor setback (aka, failure). However, if you learned from the experience and went on to find even a better employee, the negative experience became a success.

Have you ever signed a bad lease or had a location that didn’t turn out as you expected? Often, the next location works out great. Ever run an ad campaign or sale that failed to produce the expected results? If you are paying attention, you will learn things during the failures that hopefully help prevent future reoccurrences.

Some of the failures we encounter are within our control while many others are not. It’s not if you will have failures, it’s how you turn them into successes that is important.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

The most successful merchants I have worked with are the ones who have experienced failures and have persevered nonetheless. These retailers have survived bad leases, closed stores, endured bankruptcy proceedings, etc., only to resurface as better, stronger merchants. Another common trait among these survivors is that no matter what happens, they always seem to maintain enthusiasm for their business.

As you close out this year and prepare for the next, try shifting your thinking from negative to positive and see how quickly those failures become successes.

Ritchie Sayner

Sayner has spent the past four decades helping independent retailers improve profitability. In addition to speaking to retail groups nationwide, Sayner is a regular contributor to retail industry publications. Prior to embarking on his retail consulting career, he was the general merchandise manager for an independent department store in the Midwest. Ritchie is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He is also the author of the book, “Retail Revelations-Strategies for Improving Sales, Margins, and Turnover.” He can be reached through his website at www.advancedretailstrategies.com.

Managing Employment-Based Costs Through Efficient Recruiting and Hiring

By Julie Pitts NSGA Director of Public Affairs

Every business needs good employees to be successful and employee management is a constant in every company. The effectiveness and efficiency of this function is the result of many variables and includes managing the costs of being an employer.

Employees are the most significant resource in any company, which begins with recruiting and hiring the best candidates and retaining them as productive, successful and fulfilled employees. Recruiting can be a costly exercise, and will quickly become burdensome if not done with planning and precision. The old adage, “A bad hire is bad for your company,” is still relevant today.

What can be done to control recruitment and hiring costs? Start with a well-written, clear, updated job description which includes the job title, purpose, essential functions, required and preferred qualifications, and working conditions. Prospective employees want to know your expectations for a position and what they will be doing. Ask key members of your current staff or a human resources expert to review the job description which will help to improve the quality of the document and yield better and diverse applicants.

Take the polished job description to the marketplace where it will receive exposure to the correct audience. If your company does not post job opportunities on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you are missing a costeffective way to communicate your hiring opportunities. Social media platforms offer templates for employers to post openings, allowing job seekers to share opportunities and apply instantly, eliminating time and significant advertising expenses. Your online presence allows you to take people behind the scenes of your brand to explore your company culture, employee experience, and community impact. Being diligent in the content you share will help prospective employees connect with your brand, increasing the likelihood that you will retain new hires as your applicants will already be familiar with your business and company culture.

Conventional hiring might focus on finding candidates with a strong skillset to engage in a variety of tasks and practices. While a multiskilled employee is always a desirable commodity, a company may benefit from looking at the output of its current team and searching for candidates with a “superpower” to close a skill deficit.

In Harvard Business Review, authors Atta Tarki and Cade Massey suggest a Moneyball approach to recruiting. In other words, look for candidates who bring a needed skill to further advance your business operations. This can be challenging for a small business with limited staff, however, you may find cost-savings when you hire for a superpower and subsequently train for other responsibilities at your organization.

For example, in a sporting goods retail setting, you may need a customer-facing employee to help on the sales floor. The “superpower” is great customer interaction and product knowledge. Jerry O’Brien, Executive Director of the Kohl’s Center for Retailing, instructor at the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and National Retail Federation Advisory Board member, suggests looking at your operations and challenging yourself to view things differently.

“The employees on the floor who work with your customers represent your brand — this is a skill that may deserve a little extra pay,” O’Brien states. “If you have them in the back putting away merchandise, you need to rethink this. The idea that an employee has to be a little bit of everything may not be best idea — rethink this.”

Time is priceless. Consider truncating your hiring timeline to save time and resources. Pre-employment tests, while requiring some initial expense, may benefit you in the long run. For example, background checks and pre-employment drug screenings are routine hiring practices for many employers. Since cities and states have a host of different legislation pertaining to background checks and fair chance laws, consult a qualified labor attorney before beginning these practices.

Use other assessments to refine your hiring such as skills tests or work-sample requests when a position requires a certain skillset that is an essential function of the job or to explore a superpower. If organizational fit is the priority in your business, integrity tests and emotional intelligence tests are helpful resources to assess the value of teamwork and reliability. These soft-skills tests are administered online through job sites or human relations firms.

Interviews are opportunities for your business and the applicant to learn if a good fit exists. An interview is not a one-way communication as candidates are also interviewing you and your company. Regardless of whether the labor market is tight or abundant with job-seekers, explain why you are a good employer and what you do to demonstrate that employees are valued. Prospective hires will use initial interviews to make determinations about your business and its culture. Do not only focus on the mechanics of the job, but also the attractiveness of your company.

O’Brien suggests the interview is a good place to offer learning opportunities for candidates, especially young people. The chance to participate in decision-making and learn how a business works can be a differentiator when a candidate may be applying at other retailers.

“Your interview also may be applying at Target, or Kohl’s, or Macy’s,” O’Brien said. “How will the candidate whittle down offers? Inform the candidate that you will show them how the business works by offering the chance to attend a vendor meeting. College students in particular want to feel like they are learning.”

Subsequently, interviews deserve planning and sound execution. Determine in advance the hiring team and the desired date you would like the selected candidate to begin work. Conduct structured, standardized interviews to evaluate candidates and mitigate the chance that important topics are not discussed with every candidate, thereby reducing time and hiring expenses. Know what questions are acceptable in an interview and hiring exercise (along with those that are unlawful) to help your process.

Candidates expect quick decisions. Within a reasonable timeframe, which can be as quick as one day, contact your selected candidate with an offer which may be conditional upon pre-employment screens such as a background check or drug test. Initial offers can be made with a phone call and followed up with a written offer to lessen the opportunities for a dispute or misunderstanding.

The recruitment and hiring of staff are cornerstones of a business operation and not always the easiest exercises. You can manage these costs with responsible hiring practices including planning, talking to existing staff about operational needs, active recruiting in the marketplace, timely interviews and job offers, putting the attractiveness of your company on display and consulting with legal counsel when necessary.

See You in Music City!

NSGA Report Provides Insight into Soft Goods Categories for Dealers and Brands

By Nick Rigitano NSGA Director of Insights and Analysis

Team dealers often face the difficult task of evaluating their product offerings and which brands they should carry. To make decisions even more difficult, the soft goods market is highly saturated with an abundance of brands and products.

To give team dealers a better idea of the brands being carried, along with their ratings for certain attributes for soft goods, the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) conducted the Team Dealer Trends: Brand Ratings Survey in the spring of 2022.

Whether an organization is an existing team dealer, a start-up dealer, or a retailer considering the addition of a team component, the resulting insights can aid in understanding the current landscape of the soft goods segment. This includes competition levels serviced, brands carried for select categories and how those brands measure up against others based on certain attributes. This report can also be used by manufacturers to get a better idea of where they stand with their dealer customers.

Here is a glance at the information contained in the report:

Soft Goods Sales Overview

This section provides an overview of soft goods sales among dealers for the most recent year in 2021. Included is information on the median number of teams serviced by competition level (high school, college, recreational league, etc.) and the percentage of soft goods sales from each level, along with the percentage of total soft goods sales among respondents broken out by product category. According to the study, the high school level was the mostserviced level, with team dealer respondents servicing a median of 60 teams, followed by the recreational level at a median of 55 teams.

Soft Goods Brands Carried

This portion of the report examines the average number of brands carried by dealers for each of the six product categories displayed in Figure 1, as well as the percentages of brands being carried by dealer respondents for the given categories. As shown in Figure 1, uniforms and performance apparel were the categories in which dealers carried the most brands on average (7.8 and 7.5 respectively). Dealers carried an average of 6.8 brands for the categories of hats (baseball-cap style), followed by 6 brands carried for jackets/ outerwear. Categories with the fewest brands carried were winter/ knit/beanie headwear and socks (4.9 and 4.3 respectively).

This section also includes a look at the percentages of respondents carrying given brands for soft goods. As seen in Figure 2, Augusta Sportswear Brands, CHAMPRO, Founder Sport Group and SanMar were the most popular brands carried, with 9 of 10 dealer respondents carrying those brands for at least one of the categories surveyed. Eight out of 10 dealers surveyed carried Twin City Knitting, Outdoor Cap and Richardson products while 7 out of 10 carried A4, Under Armour and adidas, rounding out the top 10 brands carried.

Soft Goods Brand Ratings

The final section of the report explores the ratings given to 24 soft goods brands by dealers carrying them, based on six different brand attributes of:

• Value for the price

• Timely delivery

• Product innovation

• Brand-name recognition

• Sell-through

• Customer service (toward the dealer)

An overall attribute score is also given for each brand based on their average scores among these six categories.

This section also includes ratings of brands carried by dealers based on overall feelings toward them. The ratings are on a 5-point scale (5=very positive, 3=neutral, 1=very negative) as shown in Figure 3. SanMar received the top spot in this category after dealers carrying the brand rated them most positively (4.53 average). Next were Founder Sport Group (4.45) and Twin City Knitting (4.21). Rounding out the top five were CHAMPRO (4.18) and Cap America (4.16). The report is available to NSGA retailer and team dealer members as a complimentary benefit and can be downloaded at the Research Offerings section of the NSGA website (www.nsga.org). Other organizations interested in obtaining the report may contact Nick Rigitano, NSGA Director of Insights and Analysis, at nrigitano@nsga. org or (847) 296-6742, ext. 1080.

FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3

Play It Again Sports Becomes Official Resale Partner of Rawlings and Easton

Winmark Corporation announced that its Play

It Again Sports retail chain has entered into a partnership with Rawlings Sporting Goods, Inc., makers of the iconic baseball and softball gear and Easton bats, as the Official Resale Partner of Rawlings and Easton.

As partners in value and sustainability, Play It Again Sports and Rawlings/Easton will work together to help players extend the life of their equipment, reduce environmental impact and provide value to baseball and softball players in their local communities across North America.

With over 280 franchised locations throughout North America, Play It Again Sports will provide Rawlings and Easton customers a resale option for their quality Rawlings and Easton products, which will help promote their iconic brands through a sustainable solution and help keep product out of landfills.

“Winmark has been a partner with both Rawlings and Easton for decades,” stated Renae Gaudette, Chief Operating Officer of Winmark. “To formally recognize this important relationship as an official resale partner is an exciting day for us. Our Play It Again Sports franchised locations are uniquely positioned to extend the lives of quality used Rawlings and Easton products, and this partnership supports our mutual goals of sustainability and providing value to local communities.”

As a Premier Sustainability Partner of Winmark & Play It Again Sports, Rawlings/Easton will sponsor Play It Again Sports Buy-Drive events and National Recycling Day promotions incentivizing baseball and softball players to sell their Rawlings and Easton gear for cash instead of it going to waste. Rawlings/Easton and Play It Again Sports will also team up to produce content that will be distributed on Rawlings’ and Easton’s YouTube and social channels and promoted by Play It Again Sports via local stores, social channels, website and national PR efforts.

“This collaboration with our long-time partners at Play It Again Sports and Winmark Corporation exemplifies our admiration for all the wonderful work they do to create a more sustainable environment for the athletes that use Rawlings and Easton products,” said Dave Bracci, National Sales Director for Rawlings. “We maintain a shared vision to provide quality baseball and softball products to athletes of all abilities and ages and look forward to growing our relationship in the future.”

Image Apparel Solutions Pairs with Athletic Licensing Company on NIL

Image Apparel Solu tions (IAS) launched an online store plat form that complies with NCAA Name, Im age and Likeness (NIL) regulations. To ensure a streamlined, secure and transparent process, IAS has partnered with Athletic Licensing Company (ALC), experts in NIL compliance and administration.

Since the landmark Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston, universities have struggled how to offer personalized merchandise, while ensuring student athletes are appropriately compensated under NIL regulations. The IAS online store option ensures that personalized athletic apparel can be sold to an athlete’s fans, family members and supporters and the student-athlete will receive his or her due royalty.

“We’ve developed a straightforward solution to an extremely difficult problem,” said IAS President Tim Kelliher. “Our expertise in branded apparel and merchandising, combined with ALC’s expertise in NIL regulations and disbursements, ensures that athletic programs can offer high-quality, personalized merchandise to their fans, know that their student-athletes are being compensated fairly, and maintain their compliance.”

Said ALC President Bobby Bramhall: “ALC is proud to partner with IAS to administer the NIL rights of athletes they serve. IAS’s NIL focus is what this new age in college athletics is all about, offering great products, keeping athletes at the center and providing revenue opportunities that benefit the student-athletes alongside the institutions they play for. Thanks to IAS, I will be wearing the names, logos and brands of my favorite college athletes in Year Two of NIL.”

Image Apparel Solutions has been an industry leader in innovative decoration techniques and promotional merchandise, featuring Performance Flex, applique, embroidery, screen printing and knitwear, since 1993 in the Chicago suburb of Wheeling. Learn more at www.image-apparel-solutions.com. Image Apparel Solutions is an NSGA member.

Athlete Licensing Company is an NIL company for all studentathletes that provides transparent NIL representation, intellectual property administration and brand monetization to studentathletes. There are no membership fees for athletes to join in 2022. Learn more at www.athlete-licensing.com.

Spalding Portable Basketball Goals Recalled

The Spalding Momentous EZ Assembly Portable Basketball Goals were recalled by Russell Brands because of an impact injury hazard, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced. Welds in the arm attaching the backboard to the pole can fail and cause the backboard to fall, posing an impact injury hazard to consumers.

The goals have a 50-inch or 54-inch acrylic clear backboard with a visible “H-frame” providing support behind the backboard, or a 54-inch acrylic clear backboard with aluminum trim, but no “H-frame.” All backboard styles are attached to a black metal pole with a black metal arm. “Spalding” is printed on the front of the black base and “6E” is molded on the back. The numbers 1010, 1011 or 1012 are printed to the right of the CAUTION statement on the front of the backboard.

Consumers should immediately stop using the portable basketball goals and contact Spalding to arrange for a technician to remove the original arm and install a new arm on the goal system. Spalding is contacting all known purchasers. About 13,400 units were sold in the United States and 62 in Canada, according to the CPSC.

There have been 26 reports of weld failures, including three backboards separating from the pole. One injury involved the backboard hitting a consumer on the shoulder/upper torso and another injury involved a consumer being hit on the head.

The basketball goals were sold at Academy and Scheels stores nationwide and online at Spalding.com and Amazon.com from May 2021–April 2022 for approximately $400–$600.

Moe Stein, Owner of Frank’s Sport Shop, Passes Away at 93

Moe Stein, the second-generation owner of Frank’s Sport Shop in the Bronx, New York passed away in early September at the age of 93. Frank’s Sport Shop celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and Moe was still working at the store until a couple of weeks before his death.

An Instagram post paid tribute to Moe Stein: “Moe was truly a Bronx legend, born and raised in Frank’s Sport Shop. Moe inherited the business from his father Frank and continued to work there with his children until he was 93 years old. He was the character and

face of the business. If you know Frank’s, you know Moe. We will miss him greatly.”

Frank’s Sport Shop opened in Manhattan’s Bowery in 1922 and moved a few years later to its current location. Moe Stein kept Frank’s Sport Shop going strong during the struggles of The Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s.

STAHLS’ Releases PVC Patches

STAHLS’ released PVC Patches, another quality custom transfer option in the Emblems & Patches product line. PVC Patches are high-end, dimensional patches that appeal to a wide range of markets. Featuring a rubber-like look and bright, on-trend color options, these custom patches are available as heat-applied or pressure-sensitive transfers.

PVC Patches are soft and flexible but durable enough to withstand wear and tear. With a waterproof finish and raised thickness, these new transfers are ideal for heavy apparel, outerwear and hard goods such as hats, jackets, bags, water bottles, tumblers and more.

STAHLS’ is a long-time NSGA member and supporter of the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.

Gatorade Introduces Its First Caffeinated Beverage

Gatorade’s first caffein ated beverage will be called Fast Twitch. Each 12-ounce bottle has 200 milligrams of caffeine, electrolytes and B vita mins and was developed along with the NFL and sports performance experts. It is designed to be consumed before drinking a hydrating beverage.

Fast Twitch comes in some of the same flavors as Gatorade and will be on the sidelines of NFL games this season and in stores in February 2023.

“We’ve spent decades studying the best athletes in the world, and what we’ve learned is there hasn’t been an athletic energy solution they can trust that is designed for them to start fast and ignite their performance,” Anuj Bhasin, vice president of marketing and general manager for Gatorade Brands, said in a statement.

Spalding Portable Basketball Goals Recalled

The Spalding Momentous EZ Assembly Portable Basketball Goals were recalled by Russell Brands because of an impact injury hazard, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced.

Welds in the arm attaching the backboard to the pole can fail and cause the backboard to fall, posing an impact injury hazard to consumers.

The goals have a 50-inch or 54-inch acrylic clear backboard with a visible “H-frame” providing support behind the backboard, or a 54-inch acrylic clear backboard with aluminum trim, but no “H-frame.” All backboard styles are attached to a black metal pole with a black metal arm. “Spalding” is printed on the front of the black base and “6E” is molded on the back. The numbers 1010, 1011 or 1012 are printed to the right of the CAUTION statement on the front of the backboard.

Consumers should immediately stop using the portable basketball goals and contact Spalding to arrange for a technician to remove the original arm and install a new arm on the goal system. Spalding is contacting all known purchasers. About 13,400 units were sold in the United States and 62 in Canada, according to the CPSC.

There have been 26 reports of weld failures, including three backboards separating from the pole. One injury involved the backboard hitting a consumer on the shoulder/upper torso and another injury involved a consumer being hit on the head. The basketball goals were sold at Academy and Scheels stores nationwide and online at Spalding.com and Amazon.com from May 2021–April 2022 for approximately $400–$600.

Moe Stein, Owner of Frank’s Sport Shop, Passes Away at 93

Moe Stein, the second-generation owner of Frank’s Sport Shop in the Bronx, New York passed away in early September at the age of 93. Frank’s Sport Shop celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and Moe

was still working at the store until a couple of weeks before his death. An Instagram post paid tribute to Moe Stein: “Moe was truly a Bronx legend, born and raised in Frank’s Sport Shop. Moe inherited the business from his father Frank and continued to work there with his children until he was 93 years old. He was the character and face of the business. If you know Frank’s, you know Moe. We will miss him greatly.”

Frank’s Sport Shop opened in Manhattan’s Bowery in 1922 and moved a few years later to its current location. Moe Stein kept Frank’s Sport Shop going strong during the struggles of The Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s.

STAHLS’ Releases PVC Patches

STAHLS’ released PVC Patches, another quality custom transfer option in the Emblems & Patches product line. PVC Patches are high-end, dimensional patches that appeal to a wide range of markets. Featuring a rubber-like look and bright, on-trend color options, these custom patches are available as heat-applied or pressure-sensitive transfers.

PVC Patches are soft and flexible but durable enough to withstand wear and tear. With a waterproof finish and raised thickness, these new transfers are ideal for heavy apparel, outerwear and hard goods such as hats, jackets, bags, water bottles, tumblers and more.

STAHLS’ is a long-time NSGA member and supporter of the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit.

Gatorade Introduces Its First Caffeinated Beverage

Gatorade’s first caffeinated beverage will be called Fast Twitch. Each 12-ounce bottle has 200 milligrams of caffeine, electrolytes and B vitamins and was developed along with the NFL and sports performance experts. It is designed to be consumed before drinking a hydrating beverage.

Fast Twitch comes in some of the same flavors as Gatorade and will be on the sidelines of NFL games this season and in stores in February 2023.

“We’ve spent decades studying the best athletes in the world, and what we’ve learned is there hasn’t been an athletic energy solution they can trust that is designed for them to start fast and ignite their performance,” Anuj Bhasin, vice president of marketing and general manager for Gatorade Brands, said in a statement.

High School Participation Declines in 2021–22

After collection of sports participation data was interrupted the previous two years by the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) was able to compile its High School Athletics Participation Survey for the 2021–22 school year — its first official report since 2018–19.

Although the total of 7,618,054 participants in 2021–22 is down 4 percent from the 2018–19 figure of 7,937,491, high school sports are on the road back after schools in many states were unable to offer programs in normal fashion during portions of the 2019–20 and 2020–21 school years.

The 2021–22 total is composed of 4,376,582 boys and 3,241,472 girls, according to figures obtained from the 51 NFHS member state associations, which includes the District of Columbia.

“Given what has occurred in our country the past three years, we believe a decline of only 4 percent in participation totals from 2018-19 is pretty remarkable,” said Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “We know some states that were able to complete surveys in 2020-21 reported participation increases this past year. So, we are very optimistic that trend will continue in the years to come as schools fully recover from the effects of the 2020 shutdown.”

Among the top 10 boys sports in participants from 2018–19, golf was the only sport to register an increase – up just under 4 percent with 148,585 participants and surpassing tennis as the eighth-most popular sport. Golf was one of the few sports to increase on both sides of the ledger as girls participation was up one percent to 80,829 participants.

Perhaps the biggest storyline in boys participation totals, however, is the sport of football. While boys 11-player football was down 3 percent (1,006,013 to 973,792) — less than the overall survey average of four percent — participation in 6-, 8- and 9-player football registered a 12 percent increase — from 31,221 to 34,935. The slight movement from 11-player to other versions was seen in school sponsorship as well. While the number of schools with 11-player football dropped by 514 (14,247 to 13,733), the number of schools offering 6-, 8- or 9-player football increased by 227 (1,563 to 1,790). And gains by girls playing football were even greater. In all four versions of the game (11, 9, 8, 6), girls participation increased 39 percent from the 2018–19 survey — 2,604 to 3,633. Additionally, the increase in girls flag football was 40 percent – 11,209 to 15,716 participants.

Altogether, boys and girls participation in all versions of football decreased only 2.2 percent — from 1,051,047 to 1,028,976.

“Certainly, the football numbers are encouraging after the previous report from the 2018–19 season,” Niehoff said. “The movement from 11-player to other versions of the game continues to be attractive to schools in some states, and the growth of girls flag football continues to gain ground in more areas of the country.”

Beyond golf, baseball experienced the best showing among top 10 boys sports from the 2018–19 survey with a decrease of only 1,736 — 482,740 to 481,004 — and remained fourth in popularity behind football, outdoor track and field, and basketball.

The other change in the boys top 10 sports was wrestling, which nudged cross country for sixth place — 231,874 to 231,387.

Wrestling was down 6 percent from the previous survey while cross country had the biggest decline at 14 percent.

Other boys sports outside the top 10 that experienced significant gains from 2018–19 were volleyball (up 4.6 percent) and bass fishing (10,626 participants).

Volleyball continued its rise in popularity among girls sports and was the only top 10 sport to register an increase from three years ago. With 454,153 participants, volleyball is only 2,500 participants behind track and field for the No. 1 participatory sport for girls. In addition, the emerging sport of girls sand/beach volleyball increased from 2,237 to 6,489 participants.

Among other girls top 10 sports, soccer moved ahead of basketball to No. 3 behind track and field and volleyball, with softball remaining fifth. Cross country, swimming and diving, and competitive spirit registered the biggest declines the past three years among top 10 sports with 13-percent drops.

In addition to flag football, girls wrestling continued its recent surge in popularity with a 50 percent increase since 2018–19 — 21,124 to 31,654 participants. A total of 32 states now offer separate state wrestling championships for girls.

While most of the traditional sports experienced some level of decrease since 2018–19, the 2021–22 survey showed a dramatic rise in Unified sports participation. With only 5,541 combined participants from 10 states in 2018–19, this year’s survey indicated 47,909 combined participants in almost 20 states.

In addition to Unified sports participants, the survey indicated another 7,689 combined participants in Adapted sports. The 55,598 combined participants in Unified and Adapted sports represents a 163 percent increase from three years ago.

“It is great to see a growing interest in several emerging sports, as well as programs like Unified and Adapted programs,” Niehoff said.

This year’s survey indicated participation by high school students in 69 different sports, as well as 16 Adapted sports and 16 Unified sports. In addition to those previously noted, some of the more popular other sports (combined participation numbers) were bowling (57,219), field hockey (56,091), ice hockey (42,092), water polo (37,379) and weightlifting (25,257).

With an increase of about 20,000 participants, Texas topped the list of state participation with 846,161. Texas was one of 14 states that enjoyed a gain in participation since the 2018-19 survey. California retained the No. 2 position with 762,823 participants despite a drop of more than 60,000 from three years ago. Other changes in the top 10 involved Ohio moving to No. 3 with 378,354 participants, followed by Pennsylvania (315,097), Illinois (314,839), New York (313,404), Florida (291,504), Michigan (271,423), New Jersey (264,139) and Massachusetts (215,848).

The NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey was started in 1971 and was compiled in its current form through the 2018–19 school year and now resuming annually with the 2021–22 survey.

College, High School Disallow Use of Stinger Bat Company Baseball Bat

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced that the Stinger Bat Company 33inch model of the Missile II aluminum baseball bat, model number MISL2233, has been decertified.

The bat has been removed from the BBCOR Approved Bat List housed on the Washington State University Sports Science Laboratory website as well as the NCAA Approved Bat List and is not allowed for use in any NCAA baseball competition. The bat is also considered non-compliant pursuant to NFHS Baseball Rules 1-3-2d and 7-4-1a.

Team representatives were asked to check their team’s stock of bats and withhold the 33-inch length of the Missile II from use in competition, if the team is in possession of any. Other lengths of the Missile II remain certified and approved for play. NCAA conference administrators were asked to share this information with their umpires as well. If this bat is attempted to be used in competition, it should be considered an illegal bat and subject to NCAA Baseball Rules 1-12-b, (see the penalty section for procedures).

The decertification also applies to National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) competition.

NFHS Boys Lacrosse Rules Changes for 2023

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) boys lacrosse rules changes for the 2023 season include Rule 1-8 now stating that crosses “shall not have protrusions or sharp edges.” This counteracts recent stick design innovations that utilize “can opener” technology that could hook or catch on a player’s helmet or other equipment and may potentially cause injury. The NCAA also made a similar decision for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

A clause was added to Rule 1-7-1 that mandates the pocket/net of a player’s crosse will have “no holes or gaps larger than 1.68 inches in diameter,” or roughly the size of the American golf ball. The rationale for this new language is to prevent the increased use of a stringing technique in the crosse pocket/net that allows players to trap the ball in the loosened mesh.

Modern developments in lacrosse shoe manufacturing allowed for a significant simplification within Rule 1-9-1g. Previously, the rule laid out a detailed list of criteria for appropriate lacrosse shoes, ranging from acceptable sole materials to removable and nonremovable cleat measurements. The simplified version now reads: “shoes shall be worn which are designed for the sport of lacrosse,” while continuing to disallow metal spikes.

The first of two alterations affecting field markings is found in Rule 1-2-1 PENALTY, which now states that the home team will be assessed a delay-of-game penalty if the field does not have continuous sidelines and end lines, in addition to the center line. The change is intended to maintain the integrity of the playing field and discourage schools from allowing other logos on the field — particularly large football field end zone logos — to create breakages in the lacrosse lines.

Revised dimensions for the table area and coaches’ area constitute the other update to the playing field for the upcoming year. In Rule 1-2-7, the two perpendicular lines that connect the sideline and the scorer’s table to form the table area boundaries will now be drawn 5 yards from the center line on each side rather than 10 yards. The coaches’ area, defined in Rule 1-2-8, will now extend 20 yards down the field parallel to the sideline instead of 15 yards. These new measurements standardize the high school boys lacrosse table area and coaches’ area with other rules codes including NFHS girls lacrosse and NCAA men’s lacrosse and assist officials in managing substitutions.

“Our goal continues to be to involve as many students as possible in high school sports and other activity programs.”

GIVE ME 5 WITH Tom Gonsiewski

Secretary-Treasurer, Kampus Klothes, Ivyland, Pennsylvania

Grade A Decision

I was a high school teacher who ran the school store and coached football. One of the jacket suppliers for the school store asked if I wanted to make some extra money for Christmas and sell his jackets as presents to people in my neighborhood. After doing that, people asked me if I could get imprinted clothing done. The jacket supplier also printed shirts but was very slow. I ended up buying a very small dryer, a light table and screen-printing supplies. My wife Mary and I started to print shirts in our basement. We then rented some warehouse area and set up a little bigger operation about eight months later. About four years later, I left teaching to work on the business with Mary (Kampus Klothes president) on a full-time basis.

Recipe For Nearly 40 Years of Success

We have focused on putting out a quality product on time. Many of our customers started with us because they needed a “rush” order completed. When we met that deadline, we won over a loyal customer. We have also been very fortunate to have great employees who are willing to go the extra mile to get things done to meet deadlines. Another big boost was getting into a buying group. Joining Sports, Inc., was one of the best decisions we made.

So Many Big Changes

There have been several huge changes. The advent of capital venture companies buying up multiple manufacturers/distributors greatly reduced the number of companies we are dealing with. Another change has been online (internet) shopping. In the past, booster clubs would guess what they wanted to buy for a fundraiser. After the event, we were told they could have sold more of one size and had leftovers in other sizes. Online stores eliminated those issues.

The Challenges Ahead

Benefits of NSGA Membership

The information we get on a regular basis about our industry from NSGA is extremely valuable. Current trends, what is happening with suppliers, and just general news about business in our industry keeps our company informed and helps us make decisions. We have participated in the Conference for years and have enjoyed the camaraderie and sharing of ideas.

The supply chain has been very challenging the last few years with not only products and supplies but also the purchase of equipment. I’m expecting that to improve, but I still fear there will be some issues moving forward. I also believe the economy is going to impact every industry. Team sports have been very fortunate in that parents will sacrifice to get their kids to participate. Unfortunately, a bad economy may make those choices a bit more difficult. Finally, “The Amazon Effect,” where people expect their orders the next day is becoming more and more prevalent. Those who figure out how to handle this will be successful in the future.