Team Insight - March, 2010
Fast Pitch
Who needs the Olympics? Women’s softball in America continues to thr
While the nation has been mired in an economic slump, the women’s softball market has continued to drive in sales for dealers and suppliers. Granted, many moms and dads are taking a second look at the cost of bats and gloves and teams may decide to m...
Driving the Lane
Girls’ basketball is now the top high school sport for female athletes in America
It may be hard to recall, but 40 years ago there were more than four times as many boys’ as girls’ basketball programs in high schools — 19,467 to 4856, respectively. Fast forward to 2010 and my how times have changed. Today, with nearly an equal ...
New Routine
Enthusiasm for cheerleading is contagious, even among conservative team dealers
Even better for the team sports business, current economic conditions can actually favor the local dealer when it comes to selling cheer product to these female athletes. Cheerleaders today are talented athletes who routinely flip back and forth ...
Sticking With It
There’s no disputing the viability of women’s lacrosse as a revenue source for dealers
What a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago, women’s lacrosse was a fledgling sport, but today team dealers can’t help but sing its praises. “Women's lacrosse is growing everywhere at a phenomenal rate right now, almost like youth socce...
Fertile Ground
A renewed national commitment at the elite level has field hockey poised to score
To those who know field hockey,statistics reveal opportunities available to smart dealers. There isn’t fierce competition, participants are loyal and margins can be excellent. At first glance, field hockey may appear to be a sport that team deale...
Set for Big Things
Is women’s volleyball a kill or a fault for dealers? There are differing schools of thought
When it comes to women’s volleyball, dealers seem to fall into one of two categories — either they see the glass half-full or half-empty. Dusty Crane, assistant manager and road salesman for Best Sports in Arkansas, is an optimist. Best Sports ha...
Eyes on the Prize
The domestic soccer business – women’s and men’s – readies for a big 2010
No conversation about the state of soccer this year would be complete without touching on the potential impact of this summer's World Cup, to be held in South Africa. Toby Rappolt, owner of Sunset Soccer Supply, a shop that has two locations i...
Intelligent Design
Apparel for the team sports girl is all in the details and suppliers and designers know it
Brands such as Under Armour and Nike, to name two, have put the “team girl” apparel market in the spotlight. It’s clear: female athletes want style and performance in their on-field uniforms and the market is evolving to meet these needs. A focu...
WHAT GIRLS WANT!
The Top 35 New Products for 2010
Female athletes don’t have to look too far for innovation in their team sports products, as this collection of our editors’ picks for the 35 most interesting new products for 2010 illustrates. Fit2Win Lights It Up Neons are hot at Fit2Win, with...
How-To Run A Better Team Business in 2010
Selling to Girls ... Buying Insurance ... Not Choke
As a challenging 2010 takes shape, Team Insight once again turns to the experts for advice for not only running a small team dealer, but for operating a successful small business. Their advice is timely, so read on, learn a little bit, and feel...
A Matter of Time
The history of sports and sporting goods in America mirrors the history of 117-year-old Hopkins Sporting Goods
Not many businesses have roots planted in three centuries, but Hopkins Sporting Goods does. Hopkins first opened its doors in the waning years of 19th century. Perched on all that history, it’s literally a microcosm of an industry that transformed al...
Girls, Girls and More Girls
Spring is in the air and that means a young girl’s fancy turns to … team sports. That also means team dealers and vendors should be thinking about how to do a better job selling girls’ and women’s sports. Obviously you can’t forget about the boys....
The End Zone
Rock Creek Sold To Visant Visant Corporation has acquired Rock Creek Athletics, a manufacturer and distributor of wool letter jackets with operations in Grinnell, IA. Rock Creek’s primary business and production operations will remain in Grinnell an...
dealer focus I ON THE ROAD WITH ...
LIsa Saward MonkeySports, Corona, CA Position: Team Sales Representative, San Diego County Years as a Road Rep: One (actively doing team sales for 14 years, 13 of them at Chick’s Sporting Goods and the last year for MonkeySports) Favorite Hobby ...
TAG, Philip Rosati’s Now It
New ownership at Team Athletic Goods means some changes in the team buying group arena as new TAG owner Philip Rosati promises to take the St. Louis-based group to the next level.
In mid-January the team buying group business was shaken up when Team Athletic Goods was purchased by Philip Rosati, the owner of Lansing Sport Shop and son of one of the TAG’s founders, Anthony Rosati. Team Insight caught up with Philip Rosat...
From Here to Nfinity — One Girl At A Time
Girls have unlimited ability and power — you might even say that power is infinite. And that’s exactly why female-specific footwear vendor Nfinity is making some significant inroads in the team sports business. Starting in 2004 with a girls’ ch...
WPS and Puma Debut New Uniforms, Ball for 2010
Puma and Women’s Professional Soccer have a new look for 2010, including the official kit of the newest franchises — the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. Fusing fashion with sport, Puma launched the uniforms from its Power collection, kee...
Eeeek, A Skunkies!
What would you do if you had seven kids, each one of them plays sports and each has stinky feet and a closet full of gross gear? If you are Jill Levin and Annemarie McCartney, two self-described soccer moms from Voorhees, NJ, you do something about i...
Letter to the Editor Nike Is Not A Team Dealer’s Friend
In the January 2010 issue of Team Insight an article headlined “Dealt Out ... Nike’s New Deal Revisisted” took the company to task for its treatment of smaller team dealers and its seemingly arbitrary closing out of Nike uniforms to many in the indus...
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