SFIA hosts 21st annual National Health Through Fitness Day in Washington, DC
SILVER SPRING, MD (Feb. 17, 2020) – On March 11, 2020, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) will be hosting the annual National Health Through Fitness Day to promote the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. The PHIT Act, which allows Americans to use pre-tax dollars to pay for physical activity-related expenses, will help to reduce the financial barrier that stands between many Americans and an active, healthy lifestyle. This year, SFIA will be joined by celebrity athletes, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), sports and fitness industry executives, and other physical activity advocates, to discuss the importance of focusing on means of preventive care, not just treatment. Physical activity has been proven to decrease risk of chronic disease, obesity and other costly ailments that are causing astronomical healthcare expenses for our country.
In 2020, National Health Through Fitness Day takes on added significance due to the success it has seen over the past few years. Cosponsors signed on at a record pace in 2019 after the House passed PHIT in 2018 and the Senate took steps to streamline movement of PHIT at the end of the year. Just last week, PHIT advocates met with the Chairman of the Lead Congressional Tax Writing Committee to promote PHIT, and it was raised directly to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin at a Senate hearing. There is great momentum behind PHIT and on National Health Through Fitness Day, we will push for PHIT’s inclusion in a bipartisan healthcare package scheduled for a vote in May.
SFIA plans to build on this momentum to garner as much support for PHIT as possible to ensure passage during this congressional term. With the help of professional athletes, including Herschel Walker (Heisman Trophy Winner), Steve Garvey (World Series Champ), Santana Moss (NFL Pro Bowl Player), Kylie Ohlmiller (1stOverall WPLL & UWLX Draft Pick), Paul Rabil (2x MLL MVP), Eric Byrnes (Former MLB Player and ESPN Analyst), Brenda Martinez (2x Olympian), Andrew Ference (Stanley Cup Winner), Kyle Harrison (Tewaaraton Trophy Winner), Ken Harvey (4x NFL Pro Bowl Player) and John Booty (Former NFL Player), SFIA PHIT supporters will speak to the far-reaching, lifelong benefits of an active lifestyle. PHIT is a popular, bipartisan healthcare improvement bill, and we are eager to spread the message.
To learn more about the PHIT Act and SFIA’s National Health Through Fitness Day, click here.
SILVER SPRING, MD (Dec. 13, 2019) – President Trump has agreed to a limited trade deal with China, putting a stop to the additional tariffs on $156 billion of Chinese-made goods, including footwear and apparel, that were set to go into effect on Sunday. Also in this agreement, existing tariffs on about $360 billion of Chinese-made goods will be cut in half.
In exchange, China has agreed to purchase $50 billion worth of agricultural goods in 2020; however, if China does not follow through on their end, all original tariff rates will be reimposed.
“While, so far, nothing official has been published, these reports indicate very good news,” said SFIA President and CEO, Tom Cove. “If List 4B China tariffs do not go into effect on Sunday, American consumers, young athletes and active individuals across the country will greatly benefit. These tariffs have negatively impacted the sport and health industry, and we are hopeful that this trade agreement comes to fruition.”
SFIA continues to monitor these deliberations closely and will inform its members immediately as new developments take place.
The U.S. and China negotiated this deal within the last week, and is currently pending a final agreement from China.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
100th member of Congress signs on to bipartisan bill incentivizing active lifestyles
SILVER SPRING, MD (Dec. 12, 2019) – On Dec. 5, Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA) became the 100th cosponsor of the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. The bill, which allows Americans to use HSAs and FSAs to pay for activity-related expenses, has garnered strong bipartisan support in the House (44D-43R) and Senate (5D-8R) since it was introduced in March 2019. Congressmen Ron Kind (D-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) serve as the lead sponsors of the PHIT Act in the House and Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) are leading the effort in the Senate.
Rep. Cedric Richmond is an advocate for healthy, active lifestyles, always leading by example. As a father and star pitcher of the Congressional Baseball team, the MVP is intent on making activity more affordable for individuals and families across the nation.
“It is very fitting to have Rep. Cedric Richmond as the 100th congressional cosponsor of the PHIT act,” said Bill Sells, Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at the SFIA. “His leadership both on the field and in congress speak to the positive impact sports have had on his life. His support of the PHIT act will create increased opportunities for future generations to enjoy the benefits of active lifestyles.”
Promoting active lifestyles is increasingly important as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new study last week, “Prevalence of Prediabetes Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States, 2005-2016,” warning Americans that prediabetes is on the rise. The report stated that 18 percent of teenagers and 24 percent of young adults had prediabetes, putting them at risk for developing Type II diabetes and other chronic conditions.
“The prevalence of prediabetes in adolescents and young adults reinforces the critical need for effective public health strategies that promote healthy eating habits, physical activity, and stress management,” said CDC Director, Robert Redfield. With over a quarter of the population reportedly inactive, it is increasingly important that the government passes legislation that assists our nation in taking a big step forward in improving physical health and overall healthcare spending.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
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President Trump announces verbal agreement to suspend additional tariffs
SILVER SPRING, MD (October 14, 2019) – On Friday, October 11, President Trump announced that he had reached a trade pact with China. While there is no official agreement, the president has retreated from his plan to increase List 3 tariffs from 25 to 30 percent on October 15. List 3 tariffs will remain at 25 percent until further notice.
In his announcement, President Trump reported that China has agreed to purchase $40 billion to $50 billion more in agricultural products from the U.S. The Chinese asked the U.S. to pull back on List 4B tariffs of 15 percent, scheduled to go into effect on December 15, but the U.S. has not made any comment on that.
“SFIA looks forward to seeing the final agreement in writing to glean a greater understanding of the current trade situation,” stated Tom Cove, SFIA President and CEO. “In the interim, we are hopeful that both sides will continue to communicate and work in good faith toward a resolution to this tariff war.”
SFIA filed List 3 exclusion petitions on September 30 seeking relief on specific products and will be doing the same for List 4 products once the process is announced.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
Tariffs will be imposed on an additional $300 billion in products
SILVER SPRING, MD (Aug. 1, 2019) – After a brief tariff truce with China, President Trump announced a new 10 percent tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports, taking effect on Sept. 1, 2019. These tariffs will target “List 4” products – products that have not previously been subject to tariff increases. However, the U.S. Trade Representative has not yet released the final list by product category. There is a possibility that certain products will be removed from this list, following the public comments and hearing process in June, in which SFIA advocated for its members’ petitions.
“We are disappointed with the President’s action to escalate this trade war,” stated SFIA President and CEO, Tom Cove. “The announcement of the tariff truce between President Trump and President Xi gave us hope that the two nations would continue negotiations in a positive way that would not harm American consumers and corporations. While we see protecting intellectual property as critically important to global commerce, tariffs are not the solution to the problem, and the American economy will suffer.”
SFIA will continue to discourage the President from increasing import duties on Chinese products, as China serves a crucial manufacturing role for many American companies. As more information is provided regarding the final list to face the 10 percent tariff, SFIA will inform all interested and affected parties. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Bill Sells ([email protected]) or Chandler Hoffman ([email protected]) with any questions.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
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The PHIT Act continues to build bipartisan support for a more active America
SILVER SPRING, MD (July 9, 2019) – Congressmen Ron Kind (D-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA), lead sponsors of the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act, sent a letter to all members of the House yesterday seeking additional support of their bill to make activity more affordable. The U.S. is facing an inactivity crisis, with more than a quarter of the population abstaining from any physical activity, and the PHIT Act (H.R. 1679) would allow individuals to pay for activity-related expenses using pre-tax dollars.
This bipartisan bill has garnered the support of 33 republicans and 36 democrats in the House, showing that the widespread need for a healthier nation extends across party lines. The “Dear Colleague” letter, sent by Kind and Kelly, outlines expenditures that would qualify as a form of disease prevention, allowing individuals and families to save money on gym memberships, youth camps, sports leagues, equipment and fitness classes, among other things.
“Earlier this year the CDC reported 90 percent of health expenditures are used to treat chronic disease and mental illness, the incidence of both conditions is lower in the active population,” stated Congressman Ron Kind. “Engaging in regular physical activity can improve people’s health and quality of life to reduce the incidence of preventable and costly chronic diseases. The PHIT Act lowers the financial barrier to activity to encourage healthier lifestyles, which in turn, will reduce overall health care spending.”
The income disparity among active Americans continues to grow. Lower-income households are becoming more inactive each year, and the opportunity to participate in activity and lead healthy lifestyles is becoming a privilege only available to the wealthy. More than 66 percent of the population in households making less than $75,000 are inactive. In contrast, only 16 percent of individuals in households with an income of more than $100,000 are inactive. Since the PHIT Act benefits would operate through individual’s Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and the average household income of HSA holders is $57,000, PHIT would give lower-income consumers the ability to reduce their activity expenses via the use of pre-tax dollars. Physical activity leads to prevention of chronic disease, and that is worth the investment.
To read the full letter, click here.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
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President Trump and Chinese President Xi agree to temporarily hold off on new tariffs
SILVER SPRING, MD (July 1, 2019) – President Trump announced this weekend that no additional tariffs will be imposed on imports from China at this time. This is positive news for the sports and fitness industry. American and Chinese officials will return to negotiations and suspend any immediate action on new tariffs, as a result of President Trump and Chinese President Xi’s meeting at the G-20 Summit in Japan.
“We are relieved with the President’s decision,” stated SFIA President and CEO, Tom Cove. “While the decision to avoid new tariffs is temporary, negotiations in this direction are a good step. We see this as a positive sign for the industry, but not conclusive. The industry is struggling to overcome China tariffs that are already in place, so we hope this tariff truce leads to tariff reductions, as well. SFIA supports President Trump’s efforts to bring China into compliance with international intellectual property laws, but we do not view excessive tariffs to be a successful solution.”
The 25 percent tariff on all products included on List 3, announced earlier this year, still stands, and the exclusion process for List 3 began on Sunday, June 30, 2019. SFIA will organize industry petitions requesting exclusions from the proposed tariffs to assist the industry in navigating these difficult challenges. If you’re interested in learning more about the petition process, please contact Chandler Hoffman, at [email protected].
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
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SFIA to assist companies in applying for exemptions
SILVER SPRING, MD (May 14, 2019) – President Trump announced plan to impose up to 25 percent tariffs on an additional $300 billion of Chinese-made goods (“List 4”). This action will impact nearly all athletic footwear, apparel, and sports and fitness equipment imported into the U.S. from China.
“This is something we have feared,” said SFIA President & CEO, Tom Cove. “While there have been threats around these tariffs for many years, this action is the farthest-reaching and most damaging trade policy our industry and our customers have ever faced. We still hope the Chinese and American governments can come to an agreement before the tariffs go into effect, as these new tariffs will be potentially-destructive to many industry companies who cannot move manufacturing processes out of China in such a short period of time.”
SFIA will work with companies to navigate the process to exempt products from these new tariffs. Comments will be accepted up until June 10 and public hearings on the tariffs will be held on June 17, with tariffs potentially going into effect as early as June 24. SFIA will be sharing additional information on the exemption process as it becomes available. For information on SFIA’s exemption effort, please contact Chandler Hoffman, at [email protected].
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visitwww.sfia.org.
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President announces Friday deadline to impose tariffs
SILVER SPRING, MD (May 8, 2019) – In response to the slow pace of trade negotiations with China, President Trump announced that tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese-made products will increase to 25 percent at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 10. This action follows the Administration’s previous tariff hikes in 2018, which resulted in a 10 percent tariff on select Chinese goods.
The increase will impact all previously targeted products including hats, gloves, bags and football helmet components, among other things. At this time, no tariffs on new categories have been announced, though President Trump has publicly threatened to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports. Should the President expand the tariffs to the remaining $325 billion in Chinese imports, virtually all athletic footwear, apparel and equipment markets are expected to be impacted.
“We want to be clear: Negotiating with China to ensure a fair trading regime is very important, especially in regard to China’s policies related to intellectual property protection and forced technology transfer,” said SFIA President and CEO, Tom Cove. “However, increasing tariffs like this is the wrong approach. These taxes will fundamentally harm the American sports and fitness products industry; there’s no way around it. But as difficult as it will be for our companies, it will be doubly worse for American consumers who will face serious price increases and reduced selection.”
SFIA has communicated with the Trump Administration, along with other member companies, for months and has been clear that if these tariffs are imposed, companies will be forced to raise prices, reduce production, divert resources from planned research and development, and potentially lay off employees. China currently represents one of the most important production source countries for the industry, with companies from every sector producing goods to be sold in the American market. Companies have been attempting to develop and implement contingency plans, but only so much can be done to mitigate such massive impact in such a short time.
“Our industry has aggressively taken steps to diversify its sourcing outside of China, but it is simply not possible for the majority of companies to quickly re-locate the bulk of its production. As a result, there is no way to avoid the onerous impact of these tariffs if they remain in place,” said Cove. “We fear a particular threat to small and medium-size companies who have less capacity and market power to make dramatic shifts in real time.”
SFIA has urged the Administration to explore alternative negotiating strategies and tools to achieve its trade objectives with China.
SFIA will organize industry petitions requesting exclusions from the proposed tariffs to assist the industry in navigating these difficult challenges. If you’re interested in learning more about the petition process, please contact Chandler Hoffman, at [email protected].
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
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SILVER SPRING, MD (March 28, 2019) – Momentum behind the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act continues, as 24 members of the House and Senate have signed on as cosponsors in the two weeks since it was introduced. PHIT remains very bipartisan, with 13 Republicans and 11 Democrats joining the lead sponsors, Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Congressmen Ron Kind (D-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA), in supporting this pro-activity, pro-health bill. The PHIT Act passed the House in July 2018, but failed to receive a vote in the Senate before they adjourned for the year.
SFIA launched the cosponsor drive the day after PHIT was introduced in House, during National Health Through Fitness Day. On March 13, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) hosted celebrity athletes, sports and fitness executives, medical professionals and active lifestyle advocates on Capitol Hill to address the need to help families with youth activity expenses. Attendees spent the day in meetings with members of Congress, promoting the PHIT Act and providing information on the far-reaching benefits of an active lifestyle, and how it serves as a disease prevention health measure.
“Earlier this year, the CDC reported that 90 percent of healthcare spending goes toward treating chronic disease and mental health issues,” stated SFIA’s Senior Vice President of Government & Public Affairs, Bill Sells. “The bottom line is: PHIT will increase activity! It’s time to pass this bill to reduce healthcare spending. We have great leadership in Congress and look forward to passing PHIT in 2019.”
As healthcare costs continue to rise and chronic disease continues to affect more Americans, SFIA is leading the effort to be proactive on the inactivity issue and promote a solution to reverse the sedentary lifestyle trend. Allowing Americans to pay for activity-related expenses through Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) will create more opportunities for children to participate in youth leagues and activities, building the foundation for a future of healthy, active individuals.
ABOUT SFIA: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products and fitness industry. SFIA seeks to promote sports and fitness participation, as well as industry vitality through research, thought leadership, public affairs, industry affairs and member services. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.
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