First up:

At The Game, national sales manager Chad Kennedy, says, “We have only seen increases in headwear sales. Headwear is the universal team item that is in demand no matter the sport. The big focus is on baseball, but almost all sports have an in-game need. Even if they don’t have that on-field need, it is one of the main items for fans and team stores, as well.”

According to Kennedy, headwear is mostly a team sale, but the growth of online team stores allows for more individual sales of some items. “Dealers that take advantage of that opportunity allow for incremental sales that can help grow the headwear category for them,” he says.

Regarding style trends, Kennedy says that “we are seeing more creativity within uniforms spilling over to headwear in design and color. We initially introduced the first caps that we are sublimating, so we can color-match any PMS.”

For Fall ’24 and Spring ’25 The Game began sublimating special patterns or designs on those styles.

Looking ahead, Kennedy sees opportunities in fanwear and booster clubs. “Team dealers do a great job with coaches and getting their team needs met, but all teams have some opportunities to make money for their programs by selling to parents and fans. There are early buy incentives that could be taken advantage of at the time you are getting that team order. This is a big growth opportunity,” he says. “

Next at bat:

Cap America, which is also experiencing growth. “The demand for our team headwear assortment continues to increase and many customers are just beginning to recognize Cap America as a leader in on-field team headwear,” says national sales manager Carter Newman. “Our partnership with Flexfit has allowed us to promote a top-of-the-line product assortment, suitable for any level of player from recreational leagues to high schools and colleges. We expect to reach record growth levels in 2025 and are building inventory to support it.”

In Newman’s experience, headwear is both a team and an individual sale. “Typically, on-field headwear is a team purchase ordered and shipped together. Caps in general, not specific to a uniform purchase, will be sold individually by dealers and retailers at events, fundraisers, or via web stores,” he explains. “In many cases, teams will now purchase multiple hats for each season. Home and away caps are extremely popular, as well as options for military appreciation or causes benefitting those in need.”

For 2025, Cap America’s focus includes a mixture of performance Stretch Fit and snapback options, as well as an expanded color selection in its top-selling perforated back i8503 on-field style. Brown, cream, natural and camo colorways are all trending, according to Newman.

Cap America doesn’t foresee any major supply chain issues in the near future. “For us, the key is to continue delivering custom decorated headwear in one to two weeks, every time guaranteed and our domestic operation is built for speed with over 550 embroidery heads running 24 hours a day, six days a week,” says Newman, who adds that the biggest opportunities lie in its ability to prove this time and time again.

ON DECK:

“We saw increased demand in 2024 and are already seeing that trend continue in 2025,” says Richardson sales director/team Todd Bradney. “The college and high school markets remain stable. The demand in the travel ball space is strong given their appetite for regular on-field, alternate and special event caps.”

Bradney notes that teams are typically buying one to two caps per player, plus caps for coaches and parents. Moreover, caps remain primarily a team purchase and the company’s sales in the team space “are driven by preferences for authentic on-field headwear.” Bradney also calls attention to the fanwear space with on-trend features such as ropes and perforation.

Bradney reports that there have been minimal disruptions in the supply chain as the company has ramped up for Spring. “Our inventory position in our top-selling on-field models remains strong. We’ve also increased our inventory commitment in key models and colors across product lines,” he says, adding that “the biggest challenges lie in managing labor costs and scaling production to keep pace with growing demand.”

Team Dealers Like It Hot

For team dealers, the news is also positive for team headwear.

“Inventory is available and there are no issues,” reports Michael Bodart, owner of Hoosier Sporting Goods in Columbus, IN. “We sell more to businesses, but on the team side it’s more of an organization sale [rather than selling to individuals].

“We’re growing because we’ve picked up more organizations,” he adds. “The coming year will hold steady with high school and travel teams buying mainly on-field baseball hats. Some teams are buying three hats for every kid, but two is pretty much the rule.”

Popular now is trucker mesh, decorated with embroidery, cloth patches and leather patches.

At Jack Pearl’s Sports Center in Battle Creek, MI, owner Keith Manning has been successfully managing demand. “We use three to four vendors, which allows for faster turnaround with custom caps. The turnaround now is about four weeks, which helps us sell more,” he says.

“Lots of companies have deals such as ‘buy two dozen, get one dozen free,’ which prompts coaches to get orders in earlier to take advantage of deals and promos.” He has found that headwear is primarily a team sale via athletic directors, coaches and travel teams rather than through online team stores.

“For our schools, budgets are holding steady and this will continue in the coming year,” says Manning. “We may sell a few extra hats if dads want one.” He adds, “We sell an average of two hats per player – home and away – and we’ve been getting away from actual sizes for the past three to four years. Fitted caps are not part of the equation these days — for travel baseball, teams want Stretch Fit and Flexfit, and school and team colors.”

At Fort Worth, TX-based Carey’s Sporting Goods, headwear sales are limited to school teams, with school colors and meshes being the most popular styles. “We sell almost no sublimated hats — it’s mostly embroidery for high schools,” says owner Dan Carey.

He points out that in the Lone Star State uniforms, hats and equipment are all provided by the schools. “For us, online team stores don’t account for a lot of business. It’s a unique situation in Texas.”

Carey also notes that while small schools may buy one hat per player, larger schools with bigger baseball programs will buy two hats minimum per player – or even four or five per player – and some coaches will sell hats to booster club parents and other team supporters.

On the East Coast, Scott Treiber, owner of Sports Paradise in Medford, NJ, is pleased that most cap suppliers are “delivering in a timely manner.” For his business, headwear is more of a team sale and not much is sold through online team stores because “hats typically do not sell in volume [in online stores], so it’s tough to hit minimums,” he says.

From a trend standpoint, “Rope hats are popular again, as well as trucker hats,” Treiber reports. “Overall, I would say that the team headwear market is holding steady and as manufacturers lower minimums and shorten delivery times, that will help, too.”

One Last Thought

Looking ahead, The Game’s Kennedy offers these words of advice: “Making sure that dealers, and especially teams, are aware of all buying opportunities to take advantage of programs that tie back to pricing or promo goods is very important. That education will help spur incremental sales in the fanwear/booster club category that will help grow your headwear business.”