SFIA Elects New Board of Directors Chairman

Three New Board Members Elected, Four Re-elected to Three-Year Terms

SILVER SPRING, MD (January 7, 2022) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is pleased to announce the election of Jonathan Ram, Group President, Global Activewear, HanesBrands Inc., as Chairman of the SFIA Board of Directors from 2022-2023. In addition, three new members were elected, and four members were re-elected to three-year terms. They join 13 remaining Board members serving staggered terms. The election took place at SFIA’s Annual Meeting on December 17, 2021.

Mr. Ram has served in his current role with HanesBrands since 2018, and previously spent 16 years with New Balance Athletics Inc., most recently as Executive Vice President.

“Jonathan Ram has had an exemplary career as a top executive in our industry. This experience, combined with his invaluable service as a member of SFIA’s Board of Directors since 2016, including several years on the Executive Committee, make him the perfect choice to lead the organization forward,” said Tom Cove, President & CEO, SFIA. “We are fortunate and excited to have Jon’s vision and energy leading SFIA.”

New Additions to the Board of Directors Include:

Board Members Being Re-Elected Include:

Mr. Ram replaces former Chairman of the Board Dan Arment, CEO and President of Riddell, who served two, one-year terms as Chairman. 

“The entire SFIA Board, staff and membership will be forever indebted to Dan Arment for his steadfast leadership during the most tumultuous time our industry faced in generations,” said Cove. “We are so thankful and appreciative for the commitment he made to SFIA when we needed him most.”

The new Chairman of the Board and Board of Directors began their terms on January 1, 2022.

Basketball, Indoor and Outdoor Soccer, Flag Football and Ultimate Frisbee Bucked Trend and Grew

SILVER SPRING, MD (December 21, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released its 2021 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report, which examines participation and market trends in team sports and features in-depth data analysis of age group participation and specific takeaways. This year’s report breaks out the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the team sports landscape across multiple demographic cross-sections.

SFIA data shows the total number of Americans participating in a team sport dropped by 3.8 million players. In contrast to previous years, team sports participation in 2020 skewed heavily toward casual or recreational participation, which saw an increase versus core participation, with over 80% of touch football, grass volleyball, basketball, ultimate frisbee, and beach/sand volleyball players participating in casual games.

Basketball, which lends itself to solo practice, small-sided games, and social formats, as well as competitive play, was the most played team sport in America in 2020, and its 11.4% growth was by far the largest of any team sport. Even amid the pandemic, four other team sports grew in 2020, including indoor soccer, outdoor soccer – now the number two team sport among 18–24-year-olds – ultimate frisbee, and flag football.

“As much as any sports and fitness category, team sports participation was negatively affected by the unique environment forced upon our country by the pandemic,” said Tom Cove, President and CEO of SFIA. “As was to be expected, team sports that were able to be played outdoors and in a less organized fashion did better in 2020. At the same time, there is encouraging news that the average number of team sports played increased, suggesting more experimentation and perhaps, more overall growth over a long period of time.”

Despite a decline in team sports participation, the SFIA report indicates the number of sports played per participant increased from 1.84 to 1.88, overturning a three-year declining trend. A common theme for sports that had more participants during 2020 was that those sports could be played recreationally, outside, or socially distanced. In many instances, the pandemic forced kids to try new sports that were socially distant.

Another positive trend SFIA found was an increase in coaching training, and trained coaches help provide better experiences for players, which can lead to a higher retention rate.

Cove states, “In an unprecedented year, team sports grinded it out and survived. The best news is initial indicators suggest a robust return to team sports participation as pandemic restrictions are lifted and schools and recreation spaces open back up. We are encouraged by the underlying data and feel strongly that team sports have a good foundation for moving into 2021 and beyond.”

The 2021 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report is free to SFIA Members and is available to the public for purchase by clicking here for $649. The report is provided free-of-charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of this report, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

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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. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

As Congress works to wrap up business for the year, the heat is on to pass lapsed tariff relief programs – the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). These popular programs provide manufacturers tariff relief on products no longer made in the U.S. GSP allows for duty free import of eligible products from 120 countries with developing economies. Both programs expired at the end of 2020. 

The Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness Act to renew the programs in July, but the House has failed to act. There is reason for optimism on action as Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Chairman of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade, raised renewal of the programs during a December 2 hearing on China Trade. Chairman Blumenauer said the programs need to be renewed with changes while Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL), the Subcommittee’s top republican, made renewal of the tariff programs an “urgent priority” in the effort to compete with China. Combined, MTB and GSP offer 100s of millions in potential tariff relief for SFIA member products. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce followed up a letter sent to Congressional leaders pushing for renewal of the MTB and reauthorization of the GSP in year-end legislation. The Chamber noted that failure to act on these tariff relief programs will lead toa loss of sales and jobs for Americans as we struggle to recover from the pandemic. 

The Chamber pointed out that companies pay an additional $1.3 million per day due to the out-of-date and anticompetitive import tariffs on products and inputs no longer made in the U.S. They also highlighted that the MTB is not controversial, it was unanimously renewed in 2018. The U.S. International Trade Commission recommended 88 SFIA petitions for approval and the Senate included all of them in in the Senate-passed legislation to renew the MTB.  SFIA members could receive up to $44 million in tariff relief annually via the MTB program.

The GSP offers duty free access to the U.S. market for more than 5,000 products produced in qualified countries with developing economies to spur economic growth and job creation. GSP products typically do not compete with domestic manufacturers. U.S. companies are paying an additional $1.3 million per day due to the out-of-date and anticompetitive import tariffs on products and inputs no longer made in the U.S.

The National Association of Manufacturers added that many GSP beneficiaries are small businesses, employing fewer than 20 employees, and GSP offers them significant savings to help their competitiveness. A majority of GSP imports are raw materials, parts. and components relied upon by U.S. companies to produce goods domestically, and increased costs harm their competitiveness. It is estimated that the lapsed GSP program is costing U.S. companies more than a $1 billion annually.

The easiest solution is for the House to approve Senate-passed legislation, which provides for limited retroactive relief. The current discussion is related to changes in the GSP eligibility, which could complicate issues and require a House-Senate Conference to reconcile any differences in the bills.  Regardless of the process to get these programs renewed, there is general agreement on the need to act on these popular tariff relief programs.

Congress has a full agenda before adjourning for the year, but there will be multiple opportunities to renew MTB and reauthorize the GSP before Congress leaves town. If they fail to act, MTB and GSP will be a top priority early in 2022.

For more information on MTB and GSP please contact Bill Sells, SFIA SVP of Government & Public Affairs [email protected].

***

US Chamber of Commerce

Letter (note it is from Dec 2020) but last industry letter on subject)  https://www.uschamber.com/international/trade-agreements/u-s-chamber-letter-on-trade-legislation

Virtual Three-Day Event to Feature Sports & Fitness Industry Experts; Open to Press

SILVER SPRING, MD (November 8, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) will kick off it’s three-day virtual 2021 Trends & Insights Event, tomorrow, Tuesday, November 9 at 11 a.m. EST, ending on Thursday, November 11. The three-day virtual event is open to the media, and will feature top sports and fitness industry executives during live sessions, discussing trends impacting the industry.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

Topics will include: 

Click here to see our full speaker lineup and session topics.

In addition to hearing from sports and fitness industry experts, attendees have the ability to connect with other industry professionals, including scheduling one-on-one virtual meetings, roundtable discussions, and networking.

Trends & Insights is FREE for SFIA members and $299 per registration for non-members.

Event Sponsors and Corporate Partners: Globalization Partners, FlipGive, The NPD Group, Exponent, OpSec Security, Baird

Members of the media are invited to attend Trends & Insights at no cost. Please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected] to register.

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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. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

While Overall Participation Rates Remained High, Industry Sees Change in Activity Trends

SILVER SPRING, MD (November 3, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released its 2021 Tracking the Fitness Movement Report, which features an in-depth analysis of specific trends, participation habits, and purchasing behaviors in the fitness industry. The COVID-19 pandemic impact reverberated throughout the sports and recreation world, but nowhere was the simultaneous positive and negative impact felt more dramatically than in the fitness business.

While participation levels in fitness remained strong in 2020, staying flat from 2019 with over 200 million fitness participants, the pandemic altered the sorts of activities that individuals could participate in. Activities that could be done at home, outdoors, or through digital connection thrived, while fitness activities taking place in health clubs or other enclosed fitness spaces struggled due to forced health club shutdowns. 

2020 showed us that Americans really came to understand the value of being active during the pandemic, not just for physical health, but for mental health. This led to changes in the types of fitness activities that active Americans were participating in, dramatically affecting the fitness business that even led to a reduced supply of fitness products on shelves and online. Walking for Fitness, Bodyweight Exercise, Yoga, Running/Jogging, and Free Weights were the top fitness activities that Americans participated in during the pandemic.

“Despite the challenges we faced with COVID-19, more Americans longed to be active,” said Tom Cove, President & CEO of the SFIA. “We saw individuals adapting the nature and venue of their fitness activities. While the connected fitness trend was already on the rise prior to the pandemic, it allowed active Americans to digitally connect. We saw more capabilities to be physically active from our own homes, and the use of digital tools to connect, partnered with the ability to participate in socially-distanced outdoor activities.” 

One unique characteristic of fitness in 2020 was that Americans focused more on a single activity rather than a wide variety, which had been the previous trend. With many health clubs being closed for extended periods of time, Americans had less options to stay active in a communal facility, and in turn, we saw a 40.5% increase in at-home equipment sales. Some of the top sellers included free weights, with over a 104% increase in home-use sales, with other items seeing massive increases since 2019, such as home gyms (74%), exercise cycles (67.1%), rowing machines (47.1%), and treadmills (44%).

“Looking forward, we do believe the health club consumer will return to clubs, although it may take time,” Cove states. “The multitude of fitness activities to choose from, along with access to innovative new equipment, group classes, and in-person personalized training, will attract and inspire returning and new fitness enthusiasts.” 

The 2021 Tracking the Fitness Movement Report is free to SFIA Members and is available to the public for purchase by clicking here. The report is provided free-of-charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of this report, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

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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.

Industry Speakers Announced for Three-Day Event

SILVER SPRING, MD (November 2, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has announced the speaker line-up for the 2021 Trends & Insights Event, taking place in one week, next Tuesday, November 9 through Thursday, November 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. 

The three-day virtual event will feature top sports and fitness industry executives during live sessions, discussing trends impacting the industry.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

Topics will include: 

Click here to see our full speaker lineup and session topics.

In addition to hearing from sports and fitness industry experts, attendees will have the ability to connect with other industry professionals, including scheduling one-on-one virtual meetings, roundtable discussions, and networking.

Trends & Insights is FREE for SFIA members and $299 per registration for non-members.

Event Sponsors and Corporate Partners: Globalization Partners, FlipGive, The NPD Group, Exponent, OpSec Security, Baird, SBRnet

Members of the media are invited to attend Trends & Insights at no cost. Please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected] to register.

### 

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. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

SILVER SPRING, MD (October 19, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Stan Jurga Jr. to fill the open sporting goods industry seat on the Board of Directors of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE). Mr. Jurga is Vice President of Product Development for All-Star Sporting Goods, a brand specializing in baseball and softball protective hardgoods.

NOCSAE is responsible for setting standards for equipment in football, baseball, softball, equestrian (polo), lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, and ice hockey. SFIA was instrumental in the organization’s formation in 1970, and with that, fills two seats on the Board of Directors, currently at 19 members. Mr. Jurga joins Gregg Hartley, SFIA’s lead consultant on standards, who currently serves as NOCSAE Vice President. 

Mr. Jurga’s roll in the sports industry is ideal for this position. With one foot in the test lab and one foot on the field, he splits time between developing new products with his design and engineering team, while also being the main point of contact with the professional athletes who choose to wear All-Star products. Mr. Jurga is often found in All-Star’s in-house NOCSAE impact test lab by morning, and later that afternoon, seen at Fenway Park showing pro players the latest prototype and listening to their insight.  

He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Sciences and was a staff researcher at the Harvard Robotics Lab. He then completed a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. After managing a biotech startup, Mr. Jurga officially joined Allstar in 2005.

“Our responsibility as Board members with NOCSAE is to represent the licensee’s interest in the development, revision or implementation of standards to ensure they meet the highest thresholds of technical expertise and are equitable to licensees, said Tom Cove, President & CEO, SFIA.

“Stan’s experience and expertise as an unparalleled engineer is key to ensuring standards are on target and appropriate, and he has a great rapport with the trendsetters in the industry; bringing innovative, real-play tested experience to the table.”

Mr. Jurga replaces former Board member Shaun Gilday, previously the Senior Manager of Innovation for Wilson Sporting Goods, who served on the Board for four years. SFIA greatly appreciates Shaun’s commitment to the industry and the insights he brought to the NOCSAE Board.
You can learn more about NOCSAE and the Board of Directors at NOCSAE.org.

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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.

Washington, DC, September 24, 2021 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) today sent a letter to President Biden requesting additional COVID vaccines, tests, and PPE resources be directed to Vietnam and other partners in the region. Vietnam is the second largest foreign source of sports and fitness products to the United States. This letter was released one day after the Biden administration announced this week that 500 million additional vaccines doses are being sent to developing countries worldwide.

“Our industry is facing unprecedented supply chain challenges and getting vaccines to key global partners will help our industry, our consumers, and the US economy, as well as making progress on the global effort to fight the pandemic,” says Tom Cove, President & CEO, SFIA.

Recognizing the United States as the world leader in vaccine production, SFIA urges the United States Government to take care of domestic needs and also make more vaccines available in an effort to eradicate this horrible disease around the world, including in key Asian countries where they are desperately needed.

“The COVID pandemic has illuminated the importance of Americans staying physically active, getting outdoors and having fun with sports and other activities,” states Cove. “As one of America’s primary industries responsible for supporting these aspects of physical and mental health, we respectfully make our request to drive pandemic resources to key partners while emphasizing this connection between supply chains and American health benefits.” 

You can find a copy of the letter that was sent to the President here.

For further information please contact Bill Sells, SFIA SVP of Government and Public Affairs, at [email protected].

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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.

Washington, DC, September 20, 2021 – To the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) disappointment, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has officially reported that 16 states now have obesity rates of 35% or more. This staggering and discouraging figure went up from only 12% in 2019, and is a huge increase over the last decade from just zero states reporting rates at the 35% level back in 2012.

The CDC noted that adults with obesity are at an increased risk for serious health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and poorer mental health, as a result. Obesity has also been found to increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

The CDC recommends improved nutrition and increased physical activity to help prevent obesity and support weight maintenance to help reduce substantial health care costs and early loss of life. 

The SFIA applauds the CDC for promoting action at the policy and systems level to ensure obesity prevention and weight management starts in one’s early years, and that everyone has access to quality food and space to be healthy and physically active.

“The obesity problem in the U.S. continues to get worse and will have a negative impact on America’s physical and economic health for generations if we do not enact policies to reverse this trend,” says Tom Cove, President and CEO of SFIA. “Chronic disease is what drives our healthcare spending. The good news is we can reduce both sickness and health care costs by promoting healthy lifestyles.” 

The CDC announcement follows a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study on the cognitive benefits of activity. Researchers found that the exercise induced hormone, irisin, improves cognitive performance in mice and could be used to treat disorders such as Alzheimer’s.   

The SFIA supports efforts to provide more activity spaces through Land & Water Conservation Grants and CDC’s High Obesity Program. Congress and the Federal Government need to do more to prevent this disease through increased activity, or the U.S. will continue on its current path and healthcare will, in turn, eat up more of our GDP and harm our economy. Lower healthcare spending per person will stretch our healthcare dollars to provide greater coverage for all Americans.

Cove states, “We know the problem, but we also know some solutions. Policies and programs to get Americans to be more active and to make good dietary choices will make a difference, and should be a national priority.”

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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.

For Second Time in Decade, Industry Trends Up As Overall Economy Sees Hit

SILVER SPRING, MD (September 8, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has released its 2021 State of the Industry Report, an in-depth analysis of the trends and issues affecting the sports and fitness industry, including participation, economy, and industry environment for 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unique changes to the sports and fitness world. Even in the worst of recessions, the industry has never experienced anything like the unprecedented, immediate global shutdown of retail, operations, workplaces, travel, and sports and fitness facilities. Following the initial shock, the industry pivoted, and in turn, persevered, adapting to focus on ecommerce and responding to the demand for new products, such as home fitness and cycling products.

Since the start of the pandemic, the sports and fitness industry outperformed other sectors of the U.S. economy. Despite COVID-restrictions, sporting goods sales overall were able to recover to post a small, but positive, growth rate of 0.6%. While the sporting goods industry and GDP almost always trend in the same direction, in 2020, the industry grew while the overall economy saw a 3.5% hit. This hit to the GDP was greater than the impact of the stock market crash in 2009, when the sporting goods industry contracted by more than 4%. 2018 was the only year in the last decade besides 2020 where GDP grew faster than sporting goods.

Additionally, almost two-thirds of businesses expect sales to recover to at least pre-COVID predictions by the end of 2021, and 73% of businesses predict a strong future for the sports industry, substantially higher than in 2018 and 2019. While the top industry concerns are product sourcing and material cost/availability, businesses will continue to rely heavily on online sales in 2021, with websites being the fasted growing point of sale in 2020.

“Even during such a unique time, the sports and fitness industry was able to adapt and perserve, with more capabilities to be physically active from our own homes and the use of digital tools to connect, partnered with the ability to participate in socially-distanced outdoor activities,” said Tom Cove, President & CEO, SFIA. “The increase we saw in participation has led to more industry optimism for the rest of 2021 and into 2022 – and the industry is primed to respond.”

Despite the challenges COVID-19 presented, the overall number of sports and fitness participants in the United States still saw an increase, with a participation rate of 75.6% – the highest seen over the last six years, with inactivity dropping by 2.4%, with the trend leaning towards activities that were more favorable to participate in during the pandemic.

Cove states, “The pandemic changed the way of life for so many Americans, and especially the way that we stay mentally and physically healthy – leading a lot of Americans to take up being physically active as a way to cope, adapting to the the pandemic by participating in ‘COVID-acceptable’ activities.” 

The 2021 State of the Industry Report report is free to SFIA Members and is available to the public for purchase by clicking here. The report is provided free-of-charge to members of the media. If you are interested in a copy of this report, please contact Lisa Futterman at [email protected].

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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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