Latest Print Issue

Getting With The Tech Program

Kobie Brown
September 2020

The team market, better known for its reliance on tradition and old-school ways of doing business than for its early adoption of technology, is now eagerly seeking out innovation. For the past few years, the shift toward tech had been gradual, but 2020 ushered in a new...

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Ramping Up

Kobie Brown
September 2020

While team dealers have always excelled at connecting with customers and providing personalized service, the coronavirus pandemic has drastically quickened their pace in adopting new technology platforms that will enable stability and enhance growth. Such advances are designed to help...

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Face It

Mike Jacobsen
September 2020

Just as health experts are urging universal mask-wearing in public places when social distancing is not possible, more athletes are making masks part of their uniform and workout gear as schools and other organizations struggle to return to play in the fall of 2020.

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A Special Core 4

Mike May
September 2020

Four of the more interesting and niche specialty sports – girls’ wrestling, rugby, track and field/cross-country and pickleball – are a microcosm of the challenges and opportunities team dealers face in selling specialty sports.

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Fundraising Tech

J.P. Hunt
September 2020

Looking for a money-making service every one of your clients will line up for? You don’t have to look far. It’s fundraising – and through the technology that is available to every team the process is simple and straightforward … and profitable.Yes, this certainly isn’t a new sales and...

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Otherwise

Mike May
September 2020

There’s no denying that the vast majority of team dealers and local sporting goods retailers spend a large percentage of their time stocking, selling and delivering product connected with the “major” sports of football, basketball, baseball, softball and – to some – soccer.

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Answering The Call for Back-To-School

Mike Jacobsen
September 2020

As schools prepared to open this fall and hoped to play a semblance of a fall sports season, team dealers turned to their key vendors for assistance in getting the right product to the right places at the right time during this school year unlike any other.

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Magazine Archives

Muddle in the Huddle

By 
Kobie Brown
June 2020

The cancellation of the spring sports season was a catastrophe for team dealers, but they dealt with it and have moved on. Summer camps remain a question in many parts of the country as well, but most dealers are positioned to react as needed to what happens in their territories.

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Best Foot Forward

By 
Nancy Baeder
June 2020

After a tough couple of months – to say the least – the team business wants to get back to normal — or something close to it. The best we can do right now is take it one day at a time, to put our best foot forward as it were.

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Setting Goals

By 
Mike Jacobsen
June 2020

The importance of having goals has taken on a whole new meaning in the time of COVID-19. Stay-at-home has meant an uptick in sales of backyard goals and nets, but with distribution turned upside down and entire seasons cancelled, vendors and dealers are looking ahead to a time when...

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10 Success Strategies for Managing Meetings in the Virtual World

By 
Kate Zabriskie
June 2020

As the team sports world finds itself rapidly adopting virtual meetings, many people struggle while attempting to translate the in-person experience to an online format. That can be particularly difficult and challenging in a ”people” business such as team sports.

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Dealers React To COVID-19 Crisis

By 
Mike May
June 2020

Optimism mixed with apprehension dominate as dealers await the fall season. Bizarre, unprecedented and unexpected. Those are three words that may best describe the state of affairs in team sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ramifications are citywide, countywide, statewide, nationwide, global.

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Build That Unform (And Cap and Socks)

By 
Mike Jacobsen
June 2020

The proliferation of online Uniform Builders being offered by almost all of the major apparel, sock and headwear vendors is perhaps the most effective use of technology for team dealers. When combined with online team stores, dealers can offer their customers services unheard of even a few...

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Youth Sports Are Back As Organizations Prepare for A Challenging Winter Season

Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

There is some optimism among youth sports organizers as fall sports seasons have taken shape, but there is real concern as cooler weather and indoor sports approach in the age of COVID-19. But at least there has been some progress in late summer and early fall.

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Team Insight

EXTRA Archives

Youth Sports Are Back As Organizations Prepare for A Challenging Winter Season

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

There is some optimism among youth sports organizers as fall sports seasons have taken shape, but there is real concern as cooler weather and indoor sports approach in the age of COVID-19. But at least there has been some progress in late summer and early fall.

Nike Cuts Off Frank’s Sport Shop As Part of Retail Refocus

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

It is happening to small retailers all over the country, but a recent terse letter from Nike to an iconic local sporting goods store in the Bronx is causing quite a stir in the New York metropolitan area.As an article in the New York Daily News this week put it, “Nike, with its...

Soccer in the Streets Among Five Recipients of 2020 RWJF Sports Award

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

Soccer in the Streets, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta that promotes the sport for inner-city youth, has been selected as one of the 2020 winners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Sports Award. The winners receive a $25,000 cash award and were honored at...

Under Armour and UCLA Partnership Drags On Despite Lawsuit

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

It may get a little uncomfortable when the uniforms get delivered, but apparently UCLA will continue to wear Under Armour this season despite filing a lawsuit over Under Armour’s move to terminate its contract. It comes down to the fact that there probably isn’t time to find another...

MLB Players Licenses 2nd Skull For Protective Gear

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

Major League Baseball Players, Inc. has entered into a partnership with 2nd Skull Inc., a protective headgear company, that makes the 2nd Skull brand officially licensed by MLB Players. As part of the arrangement, MLB Players also takes an ownership interest in 2nd Skull.

Source For Sports Readies for A Hockey Season in a Pandemic

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

With the weather turning cooler and its key hockey season right around the corner, Canadian sporting goods chain and team dealer Source for Sports, with more 150 stores in Canada and the U.S., has put in place a number of protocols to direct its business during the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

NFHS, NFL Partner To Promote High School Football

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 1, 2020

With the sport under pressure from many outside factors – ranging from COVID-19 restrictions to cancelled seasons to ongoing safety concerns – the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Football League (NFL) have entered into a unique partnership...

Team Sports Shows All Going Virtual This Fall

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 1, 2020

In a not-unexpected series of decisions in light of COVID-19 mandated restrictions on travel and large gatherings, the two major team sports buying groups, along with BSN Sports, are all going virtual with their late-2020 meetings.Sports Inc. made the decision over the summer to go virtual again...

Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Nominations Now Being Accepted

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 1, 2020

The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) is currently accepting nominations for the Class of 2022 of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame. The nomination period lasts through February 19, 2021. Nominees must have been involved in the industry for at least 20 years and made...

Easton Launches Trade In and Trade Up Bat Program

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 1, 2020

With the costs of purchasing a new baseball bat every season beyond the reach of many players, used bats now carry more weight. That’s because as part of the new Trade In and Trade Up Program, Easton will give players credit toward the purchase of a new Easton USSSA or...

Nike Cuts Off Frank’s Sport Shop As Part of Retail Refocus

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

It is happening to small retailers all over the country, but a recent terse letter from Nike to an iconic local sporting goods store in the Bronx is causing quite a stir in the New York metropolitan area.As an article in the New York Daily News this week put it, “Nike, with its...

Read More

Soccer in the Streets Among Five Recipients of 2020 RWJF Sports Award

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

Soccer in the Streets, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta that promotes the sport for inner-city youth, has been selected as one of the 2020 winners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Sports Award. The winners receive a $25,000 cash award and were honored at...

Read More

Under Armour and UCLA Partnership Drags On Despite Lawsuit

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

It may get a little uncomfortable when the uniforms get delivered, but apparently UCLA will continue to wear Under Armour this season despite filing a lawsuit over Under Armour’s move to terminate its contract. It comes down to the fact that there probably isn’t time to find another...

Read More

MLB Players Licenses 2nd Skull For Protective Gear

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

Major League Baseball Players, Inc. has entered into a partnership with 2nd Skull Inc., a protective headgear company, that makes the 2nd Skull brand officially licensed by MLB Players. As part of the arrangement, MLB Players also takes an ownership interest in 2nd Skull.

Read More

Source For Sports Readies for A Hockey Season in a Pandemic

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

With the weather turning cooler and its key hockey season right around the corner, Canadian sporting goods chain and team dealer Source for Sports, with more 150 stores in Canada and the U.S., has put in place a number of protocols to direct its business during the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More

NFHS, NFL Partner To Promote High School Football

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 1, 2020

With the sport under pressure from many outside factors – ranging from COVID-19 restrictions to cancelled seasons to ongoing safety concerns – the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Football League (NFL) have entered into a unique partnership...

Read More

Team Insight

EXTRA Archives

Shock Doctor to Donate Profits From Black Lives Matter Lip Guards

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 17, 2020

Shock Doctor has unveiled three football lip guard designs that feature “Black Lives Matter,” with 100 percent of profits from sales of the special product being donated to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). The UNCF has a history of supporting students with scholarships to...

BSN Sports and Varsity Brands Update Video Series To Support Social And Emotional Learning

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 17, 2020

BSN Sports and its parent company, Varsity Brands, along with fellow brands Varsity Spirit and Herff Jones, have released three episodes of season three of their “Believe in You” video series. Each episode includes a free downloadable lesson plan and activity guide for teachers and...

Burghardt Sporting Goods Partners With City to Build Recreation Center

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 17, 2020

In a novel public/private partnership, team dealer and sporting goods retailer Burghardt Sporting Goods has partnered with the city of New Berlin in Wisconsin to acquire and re-use a former Walmart building for the construction of the New Berlin Recreation Center.The recreation center will...

Augusta Sportswear Partners With Perfect Game

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 17, 2020

Augusta Sportswear has partnered with Perfect Game, one of the largest elite youth baseball and softball platforms and scouting services, in a multi-year apparel and uniform relationship.“We are thrilled to be partnering with Perfect Game on so many levels, we quickly realized...

Under Armour Expands Restructuring

By 
Bob McGee
September 17, 2020

Approximately 600 Under Armour corporate employees, some 11.8 percent of its 5100 strong corporate workforce as of Dec. 31, 2019, are losing their jobs at the Baltimore-based company. The job cuts, expected to cost Under Armour $30 million in employee severance and benefit costs, are...

The Green Easton Returns in High-Tech Upgrade

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 3, 2020

The Green Easton, which debuted in 1978 and gained legendary status with high school and college players, is back in a new version called the B5 Pro Big Barrel. The revamped bat debuts at a time when baseball in America is struggling due to the coronavirus, but Easton president Dan Jelinek tells...

Under Armour Sued By UCLA After Ending Sponsorship Deal

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 3, 2020

Once ballyhooed as a major collegiate sponsorship that brought it into the big time against rivals Nike and Adidas, the $280 million Under Armour deal with UCLA has fallen apart and the brand is now being sued for more than $200 million in compensation by the university.

Canadian Retailer Eric Bezanson Elected to 2021 Sporting Goods Hall of Fame

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 3, 2020

Building an impressive retail footprint in Canada cemented Eric Bezanson’s selection to the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2021.Bezanson, the owner of Cleve’s Source for Sports stores in Canada’s Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, will join more than...

Hibbett Sports Unveils School Sales Initiative

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 3, 2020

Regional sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports has launched a unique school-related initiative that may have a significant impact on team dealers and this segment of the industry. Buried in a recent quarterly report was notice of something called the Sole School initiative involving more than...

NSGA and NAERA Collaborate on Reconditioning Video

By 
Mike Jacobsen
September 3, 2020

As part of its ongoing efforts to support the team business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has teamed up with the National Athletic Equipment Reconditioners Association (NAERA) on...

Nike Cuts Off Frank’s Sport Shop As Part of Retail Refocus

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

It is happening to small retailers all over the country, but a recent terse letter from Nike to an iconic local sporting goods store in the Bronx is causing quite a stir in the New York metropolitan area.As an article in the New York Daily News this week put it, “Nike, with its...

Read More

Soccer in the Streets Among Five Recipients of 2020 RWJF Sports Award

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

Soccer in the Streets, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta that promotes the sport for inner-city youth, has been selected as one of the 2020 winners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Sports Award. The winners receive a $25,000 cash award and were honored at...

Read More

Under Armour and UCLA Partnership Drags On Despite Lawsuit

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

It may get a little uncomfortable when the uniforms get delivered, but apparently UCLA will continue to wear Under Armour this season despite filing a lawsuit over Under Armour’s move to terminate its contract. It comes down to the fact that there probably isn’t time to find another...

Read More

MLB Players Licenses 2nd Skull For Protective Gear

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

Major League Baseball Players, Inc. has entered into a partnership with 2nd Skull Inc., a protective headgear company, that makes the 2nd Skull brand officially licensed by MLB Players. As part of the arrangement, MLB Players also takes an ownership interest in 2nd Skull.

Read More

Source For Sports Readies for A Hockey Season in a Pandemic

By 
Mike Jacobsen
October 15, 2020

With the weather turning cooler and its key hockey season right around the corner, Canadian sporting goods chain and team dealer Source for Sports, with more 150 stores in Canada and the U.S., has put in place a number of protocols to direct its business during the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More

Team Insight

EXTRA Archives

Youth Sports Are Back As Organizations Prepare for A Challenging Winter Season

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 15, 2020

There is some optimism among youth sports organizers as fall sports seasons have taken shape, but there is real concern as cooler weather and indoor sports approach in the age of COVID-19. But at least there has been some progress in late summer and early fall.

Read More

Nike Cuts Off Frank’s Sport Shop As Part of Retail Refocus

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 15, 2020

It is happening to small retailers all over the country, but a recent terse letter from Nike to an iconic local sporting goods store in the Bronx is causing quite a stir in the New York metropolitan area.As an article in the New York Daily News this week put it, “Nike, with its...

Read More

Soccer in the Streets Among Five Recipients of 2020 RWJF Sports Award

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 15, 2020

Soccer in the Streets, a non-profit organization based in Atlanta that promotes the sport for inner-city youth, has been selected as one of the 2020 winners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Sports Award. The winners receive a $25,000 cash award and were honored at...

Read More

Under Armour and UCLA Partnership Drags On Despite Lawsuit

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 15, 2020

It may get a little uncomfortable when the uniforms get delivered, but apparently UCLA will continue to wear Under Armour this season despite filing a lawsuit over Under Armour’s move to terminate its contract. It comes down to the fact that there probably isn’t time to find another...

Read More

MLB Players Licenses 2nd Skull For Protective Gear

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 15, 2020

Major League Baseball Players, Inc. has entered into a partnership with 2nd Skull Inc., a protective headgear company, that makes the 2nd Skull brand officially licensed by MLB Players. As part of the arrangement, MLB Players also takes an ownership interest in 2nd Skull.

Read More

Source For Sports Readies for A Hockey Season in a Pandemic

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 15, 2020

With the weather turning cooler and its key hockey season right around the corner, Canadian sporting goods chain and team dealer Source for Sports, with more 150 stores in Canada and the U.S., has put in place a number of protocols to direct its business during the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More

NFHS, NFL Partner To Promote High School Football

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 1, 2020

With the sport under pressure from many outside factors – ranging from COVID-19 restrictions to cancelled seasons to ongoing safety concerns – the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Football League (NFL) have entered into a unique partnership...

Read More

Team Sports Shows All Going Virtual This Fall

By 
Mike Jacobsen
Oct 1, 2020

In a not-unexpected series of decisions in light of COVID-19 mandated restrictions on travel and large gatherings, the two major team sports buying groups, along with BSN Sports, are all going virtual with their late-2020 meetings.Sports Inc. made the decision over the summer to go virtual again...

Read More
Next

FOOTWEAR INSIGHT INDEX

With the second quarter closing next week, ominous signs remain for the U.S. economy in this persistent pandemic environment as the number of active U.S. cases rose for a 10th straight day on June 22 to 1.26 million and 23 states reported increases in the number of cases. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the U.S. economy will generate $8 trillion less in economic activity over the next decade than it predicted months ago. And a report in The Atlantic suggests four factors — a great business die-off, the household fiscal cliff, state and local budget shortfalls and the persistent pandemic crisis — put the U.S. risk for a depression. Amid this backdrop, the Dow generated nearly 59 percent of its weekly 261.80-point gain for the week on the period’s final day, June 22. The action helped the Dow post a 1.02 percent increase for the period, about even with the Segment’s 1.06 percent increase as 12 stocks rose and eight declined. Aside from Mizuno, which benefited from currency effects, Nike and Deckers were the period’s biggest gainers. The Swoosh received four stock price target hikes from investment banks ahead of its scheduled fourth-quarter earnings report on June 25. Meanwhile, Nike and Puma are merging running technology and style into styles for the golf course, including The Cat’s RS-G and The Swoosh’s Air Max 270. Shoe Carnival reported that its 389 re-opened U.S. and Puerto Rico stores experienced a 28.1 percent rise in second quarter comparable store sales through  June 22, with brick-and-mortar up 4.0 percent and e-commerce gaining nearly 470 percent year-over-year. Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank has sold his Washington, D.C. mansion for $17.3 million after a reported two years on the market at a 41 percent discount from his 2018 asking price of $29.5 million. — Bob McGee 
The Footwear Insight Index tracks 20 of the most important publicly traded companies that have a substantial footwear business (6 retailers, 14 brands).
Index base of 100 is key to the closing prices of 12/29/17

INDEX: 123

1.06%

Weekly Review

Company name
(Ticker Symbol)

% Change over week
Price 06/15/20 • Price 06/22/20

ASICS Corp.
7936.T

0.35%

$11.38 • $11.34

Boot Barn
BOOT

1.09%

$22.84 • $22.59

Crocs
CROX

2.46%

$31.71 • $32.49

Designer Brands
DBI

4.49%

$7.13 • $6.81

Genesco
GCO

6.41%

$22.51 • $20.73

Mizuno
8022.T

14.12%

$18.41 • $21.01

Puma
PMMAF

1.65%

$72.90 • $74.10

Shoe Carnival
SKVL

0.26%

$27.02 • $27.09

Steve Madden
SHOO

0.13%

$23.30 • $23.33

VF Corp.
VFC

0.82%

$63.12 • $62.60

Company name
(Ticker Symbol)

% Change over week
Price 06/15/20 • Price 06/22/20

Adidas
addyy

0.72%

$132.53 • $133.49

Caleres
CAL

5.71%

$8.58 • $8.09

Deckers
DECK

3.71%

$193.55 • $200.73

Foot Locker
FL

0.99%

$29.23 • $29.52

GEOX
‍GEO.MI

4.49%

$0.89 • $0.85

Nike
NKE

1.72%

$97.83 • $99.51

Rocky Brands
RCKY

2.74%

$20.78 • $20.21

Skechers
SKX

5.66%

$33.20 • $31.32

Under Armour
UAA

3.55%

$9.86 • $9.51

Wolverine
WWW

0.26%

$23.08 • $23.14

TOTAL
‍Week over week

1.06%

$849.49 • $858.46

Formula4 Media, LLC. ©2020 All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Formula4 Media is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing in publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher.

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