Washington, DC, August 25, 2021 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) supports Congress in recent legislation proposed to ease the challenges that U.S. companies are facing with regards to shipping during the pandemic.
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021, introduced by Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) earlier this month would help ease some of the ongoing challenges that importers, exporters and other supply chain stakeholders are facing. The bill includes many recommendations from the U.S. retail and transport industries to address: Service Contracts, Shipping Exchange Registry, Prohibition on Retaliation, Public Disclosure, Additional Common Carrier requirements, Increased Penalties and a Modified Complaint process.
“The disruption to shipping due to the global pandemic has put intense pressure on supply chains and led to a significant increase in shipping costs.” stated Tom Cove, President & CEO, SFIA. “It is our hope that Congressional legislation combined with Administration policies will expedite a return to normal and avoid a spike in costs of getting products to market.”
SFIA signed onto a letter sent to Congress in support of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 to help improve shipping and avoid similar problems in the future. SFIA is requesting that companies who are interested in supporting the legislation sign the letter by completing this form no later than Wednesday, September 8.
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, August 23, 2021 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Tai and Treasury Secretary Yellen urging the Administration to relaunch trade talks with China and drop some of the Section 301 Tariffs implemented under the previous Administration. SFIA joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Business Roundtable, The National Retail Federation and almost three dozen other leading business groups on the letter.
“The Tariffs on Chinese imports were restricting commerce prior to COVID-19 and the impact has worsened during the pandemic.” said Tom Cove, President & CEO of SFIA. “The Tariffs have not had the desired effect as China continues to dominate the manufacturing marketplace. Dropping or reducing these tariffs now, will help the industry and the U.S. economy recover faster.”
The business community is concerned that China is not living up to the terms of the “Phase One” trade deal, and many of the remaining trade issues still need to be addressed. The letter identifies the continued imposition of tariffs by both countries as inconsistent with the Biden Administration’s worker-centric philosophy. Additionally, these tariffs are contributing to inflation and price increases. Removal or reduction of the tariffs would ease the inflationary pressure on the U.S. economy and limit price increases.
You can view the letter sent to the administration here: https://www.uschina.org/advocacy/regulatory-comments-on-china/industry-letter-next-steps-after-phase-one
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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.
SILVER SPRING, MD (August 17, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has appointed Lisa Futterman to serve as Marketing and Communications Manager, effective immediately.
Ms. Futterman, formerly the Senior Regional Communications Manager for the American Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region, will be overseeing SFIA’s marketing and communications strategies including branding, media relations, social media, advocacy communications and digital marketing.
Ms. Futterman spent the last six years with the Red Cross, serving as Events Manager, Marketing Manager and as Interim Director of Communications, prior to her last role. She was tasked with performing communications and marketing functions to drive regional business objectives, helping to publicize the mission of the Red Cross, support revenue generations, and educate the public about Red Cross services.
“Lisa comes into the organization at a pivotal time when Americans are looking to return to sports and fitness,” said Tom Cove, SFIA President and CEO. “Given her professional marketing background, coupled with her personal interest in sports and fitness, Lisa will be a great contributor to our association and its world-class members.”
Prior to working for the American Red Cross, Ms. Futterman spent nearly three years at a marketing, public relations, advertising, and events agency, supporting clients in the IT space.
Ms. Futterman received her Bachelor of Science Degree from James Madison University, majoring in Communications Studies with a minor in Sports Communications. She is also a certified Les Mills BODYCOMBAT Instructor and a competitive volleyball player.
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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Washington, DC, July 23, 2021 – The United Stated Trade Representative (USTR) announced Friday that the U.S. will not initiate Section 301 Tariffs of up to 25 percent on Vietnamese imports in response to currency manipulation. A USTR investigation launched in October 2020 found Vietnam intervened in foreign exchange markets using excessive and one-sided policies, and practices that placed an unreasonable burden on U.S. commerce. A subsequent U.S. Department of Treasury investigation did not collaborate the USTR findings and recommended against Section 301 tariffs on Vietnamese imports. SFIA joined other business interests on a July 14 letter to the USTR opposing the use of tariffs in response to Vietnam’s currency issues.
“This is a huge relief for our industry.” Said Tom Cove, President and CEO of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, “ At a time when almost every one of our member companies is scrambling to address multiple supply chain challenges, it is good news to take cost increases from potential new tariffs off the table. We are grateful to the Administration for listening to our concerns.”
The USTR will now rely on an agreement between the U.S. Department of Treasury and the State Bank of Vietnam to resolve the currency issues. The USTR and Treasury will monitor Vietnam implementation of its commitments under the agreement to ensure compliance and fair valuation. Should Vietnam fail to comply with the agreement, tariffs could be applied to its imports. The Federal Register notice with background on the investigations and plan going forward can be found 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.
All 88 Single Sport Reports are Now Available for Download from SFIA.org
SILVER SPRING, MD (June 15, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) released the complete library of Single Sport & Fitness Reports providing an in-depth analysis and breakdown of participation by various demographics, and by specific sport or fitness activity. The research collection includes 88 individual sports ranging from basketball to barre, wrestling to walking for fitness, racquetball to RV camping. The complete list of available reports can be found HERE.
“The information these reports provide will be invaluable as we enter a post-pandemic world,” said Tom Cove, CEO and President of SFIA. “They offer a data-heavy deep dive into individual sports participation numbers and trends, which allow our members unique insights as to what’s really happening on the courts, fields, clubs and trails.”
Among the highlights the reports provide:
· In 2020, 6.2 million 6-12-year old’s played basketball, an 11.4% increase over 2019.
· In the South Atlantic region, 6.7 million people participated in yoga in 2020, a 10.4% increase over 2019.
· In 2020, 26.7 million treadmill participants were female versus 23.1 million men.
The individual activity reports provide detailed analysis, showing year-over-year trends and a breakdown of participation by a multitude of demographic variables.
Individual reports are available to SFIA members for $99 each or non-members for $295 and can be purchased by clicking 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.
Agreement will create new consumer Fan Influencer Index and bolster academic market with SFIA Data Sharing Agreement
SILVER SPRING, MD (June 1, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) has partnered with SBRnet, the academic community’s leading provider of data for sports business and sports marketing students. Under the terms of the agreement, SFIA will provide SBRnet’s Sports Market Analytics platform with sports and activity participation data for more than 88 key sports categories, including team sports, fitness, outdoor and individual sports and activities.
The two groups will also collaborate on creating The Fan Influencer Index, a new measurement which will track fan behavior and its effect on participation and product/brand sales in the post-Pandemic world.
“We’re excited to work with SBRnet and its new owners Mark Sullivan and Neil Schwartz,” said SFIA CEO Tom Cove. “They are two solid industry veterans who know the space and will be great partners for us.”
“SFIA’s comprehensive participation data is the gold standard and we are thrilled to be able to offer it to our clients in the academic world,” said SBRnet president Neil Schwartz.
SBRnet is a one-stop source for all forms of business data related to the sports business including sales of active lifestyle gear, clothing and footwear, fan behavior and college and professional sports attendance. The SBRnet data platform is available at more than 225 colleges and public library systems nationwide, including 75% of the top 150 Business Schools including Stanford, Penn, Northwestern, U of Chicago, Columbia, NYU, University of Michigan, Emory, Ohio University and Cal Berkeley. Students at these and other top schools rely on data from SBRnet and Sports Market Analytics platform to help their students better understand what’s happening across every aspect of the sports business.
Bill Patterson, SFIA’s new Chief Business Officer, commented “we feel that our relationship with SBRnet will make data accessible to every college and university in the nation and will put the SFIA at the forefront to training and developing new talent for our industry.”
The data on the SBRnet platform includes its proprietary Sports Market Analytics Survey of Fan Behavior, which is conducted twice a year. The survey will form the basis of the newly created Fan Influencer Index which will offer new insights into fan behavior in the Post Pandemic world. “Fans are engaging with their teams in dramatically different ways since the Covid-19 virus hit and The Fan Influencer Index, (FII?) will provide new insights on that behavior as it relates to attendance, media consumption and sports betting,” Cove added.
The SFIA Fan Influencer Index powered by SBRnet will be available to all SFIA members as well as SBRnet subscribers.
Under the terms of this new agreement, SFIA and SBRnet will also collaborate in the academic marketplace, promoting SFIA memberships to top schools and professors and building programs to educate students on professional opportunities in the sports business.
ABOUT SBRnet: SBrnet was founded in 1998 to provide a one stop hub for all forms of data for the sports business including sales of active lifestyle gear, clothing and footwear, fan behavior and college and professional sports attendance
The business was purchased in December 2020 by Neil Schwartz and Mark Sullivan. Schwartz has more than two decades of marketing & consumer research experience in the sports, fitness and active lifestyle categories. Sullivan is a former editor and publisher in sports business and one of the founders of The Running Event, the largest B2B conference and trade show in the world. He sold The Running Event in 2018.
Representatives re-introduce PHIT Act with strong bipartisan support in support of a healthier America
SILVER SPRING, MD (May 13, 2021) – Yesterday, the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act was re-introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 3109. The PHIT Act aims to help Americans save money on activity-related expenses (i.e. gym membership, sports league fees, equipment, fitness classes, etc.) to lower the financial barrier that stands between many Americans and a healthy, active lifestyle. SFIA commends Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) for his leadership on PHIT and applauds fellow Ways & Means members, Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Darrin LaHood (R-IL) for joining Congressman Kind as original cosponsors.
“Staying active is the best preventative medicine, and it’s especially important for kids and teens as they build healthy habits,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “Unfortunately, for many families, cost can be a barrier to participating in physical activities and youth sports. The PHIT Act is a commonsense way to invest in a healthy future for our children by making it more affordable for families to ensure physical activity is a regular part of their lives.”
COVID has had a major impact on activity as many youth sports were cancelled and health clubs have largely been shuttered during the pandemic. Ironically, the less active you are, the likelihood of experiencing more severe COVID outcome is greater, should you contract the disease. This is not surprising, as sedentary people have a higher incidence of the underlying conditions that contributed to hospitalizations, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
It’s clear that active people are healthier, and the pandemic highlighted the threat posed by the inactive population. In order to lower healthcare spending, we must get more people active in the U.S. and the PHIT Act will provide an incentive to get kids back on the field, court or rink and adults into gyms and fitness classes. The financial burden of participation is rests heavy on many families across the country. The PHIT Act is the right approach to help America recover physically and mentally, not only as we emerge from the pandemic, but for better health for generations to come.
“Activity in America has suffered during COVID and we have seen an increase in both physical and mental health issues because of it,” said SFIA CEO & President, Tom Cove. “Poor health in the sedentary population is not news but the pandemic has emphasized the importance of activity in a healthy lifestyle as inactive people had far worse outcomes and put more strain on our healthcare system. We commend Congressmen Kind, Sewell, Kelly and LaHood for their leadership on the PHIT Act, to promote health by lowering the cost of activity.”
For more information on the PHIT Act, please visit www.PassPHIT.org.
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.
SFIA hosts 5th annual Start-Up Challenge on a virtual stage, highlighting the latest innovations
in sports and fitness technology, products & services
SILVER SPRING, MD (May 4, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is proud to announce its 2021 Start-Up Challenge winner: Bisu. Co-founder and CEO, Daniel Maggs, presented the revolutionary home health lab that provides personalized nutrition and lifestyle advice through urine and saliva tests. Bisu is starting with a nutrient test that tracks markers such as minerals, vitamins, pH and hydration.
“We’re delighted to have been chosen as the winner, and to stand with so many other great finalists,” said Bisu CEO & Co-Founder, Daniel Maggs. “Bisu is excited to engage with the sport and fitness industry through the SFIA. We want to use Bisu Body Coach not only to connect people with their own bodies, but to connect health and fitness service providers with their customers through data.”
Ten finalists were chosen to compete in the 2021 SFIA Start-Up Challenge. In preparation for today’s event, finalists submitted pitch videos, developed in conjunction with Spark Inc, to be evaluated by the judges. The finalists each received 15 minutes of live Q&A, allowing the judges to better understand each company and make their final evaluations. More than 140 judges participated, including representatives from leading sports and fitness leaders such as Brooks, NFL and PUMA; renowned industry investors, such as Next Ventures Sports & Wellness VC, Baird, North Castle Partners and KB Partners; and innovators such as lululemon Whitespace, Under Armour Innovation and Hydrow. Throughout the competition, judges actively solicit follow-up meetings with contestants to directly explore potential future partnerships.
For being named the grand prize winner, Bisu will receive a multifaceted prize package, which will include a virtual meeting with the Under Armour innovation team to discuss business strategy and a first-hand experience with Under Armour’s UX approach; a one-year online intellectual property protection subscription and a seed prize of $5,000, both provided by OpSec Security; and an exclusive media marketing package provided by Spark Inc. To see the grand prize details, click here.
“The Start-Up Challenge is an event designed to highlight the newest innovations in sports and fitness,” said SFIA Chief Business Officer, Bill Patterson. “All of our applicants, and especially these 10 finalists, exemplify the exciting developments within our industry and the SFIA is proud to provide them with a stage to shine.”
Tom Waller, Chief Science Officer of lululemon, said, “It has been a pleasure to see the wide range of creative and strategic solutions pointing to the future of our industry. This year has been both a challenge and a catalyst to innovation and this competition is a fantastic platform to gain insight to diverse talent and ideas that promote confidence in sport going forward.”
Matt Tingler, Managing Director of Baird, added, “SFIA’s Start-Up Challenge has consistently identified the industry leaders of tomorrow, with several past participants having raised meaningful amounts of capital and successfully commercializing their products and technologies. This year’s participants represented a cross-section of companies driving innovation in multiple areas of the sports and fitness industry that will benefit consumers for years to come. The Start-Up Challenge is a great event, providing a platform for entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to the industry’s leaders. It is an event I am always excited about and look forward to.”
In 2022, the Start-Up Challenge will return to its traditional format, held in-person, in conjunction with SFIA’s Industry Leaders Summit. Entrepreneurs and start-ups interested in participating may contact [email protected], or check www.SFIA.org this Fall, for more information.
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.
SILVER SPRING, MD (April 29, 2021) – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) will hold its annual major industry event in a virtual format November 9-11, 2021. Entitled “SFIA Trends & Insights 2021,” the virtual event will feature top sports & fitness executives and high-profile subject matter experts addressing strategic issues and opportunities in a post-pandemic marketplace.
“We know our executives are intensely interested in learning insights and innovative strategies around taking advantage of a national economic recovery and increased physical activity,” said Tom Cove. President and CEO of SFIA. “After much consultation with our Board of Directors and member companies, we concluded that a virtual format is the most productive way to deliver valuable content this year. While we recognize many people are looking forward to in-person events, we heard clearly that restrictive travel policies and budget constraints in 2021 would likely limit attendance from many who would want to participate. Therefore, a virtual format was best for most members this year and we will return to an in-person SFIA Industry Leaders Summit next fall.”
SFIA Trends and Insights 2021 will be held from November 9-11, 2021 and will be free to all SFIA members. Sessions will include speakers, moderated panels and interactive industry discussions that touch upon today’s crucial concerns to the sports and fitness industry, including: changing consumer preferences; sports and fitness market analysis; return to youth sports trends; regaining momentum within the fitness club industry; organizational resiliency; supply chain developments; trade and tariffs in a Biden Administration; sustainability policy and practice; equity & inclusion; and more.
Non-SFIA members are invited to participate in all of the programs and interactive discussions for a fee. Registration is expected to open in May 2021.
In response to members’ desire for safe in-person gatherings, SFIA is planning to launch a series of regional events throughout the United States. Designed for groups of 50 attendees in a single afternoon, these regional events will provide attendees key educational content and networking, in a minimal-cost, highly accessible manner. SFIA envisions this opportunity to welcome younger industry colleagues as well as seasoned executives, further building on the goal to foster community and professional development.
“Our industry is stronger when our members can interact and feed off the energy of each other,” continued Cove. “Rather than ask our companies to come to us, we’re turning the model around and going to them.”
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.
Finalists pitch their business to 130+ sports & fitness executives and investors
SILVER SPRING, MD (April 8, 2021) – Ten finalists have been selected by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) selection committee to present their start-up at the 2021 SFIA Start-Up Challenge. The application pool included entrepreneurs in various aspects of the industry, ranging from sports tech to fitness equipment to health and wellness products. Over the years, this event has showcased the most competitive, innovative businesses in sports and fitness. To date, previous finalists have raised over $150 million in funding.
All finalists will present a five-minute pitch video, created in partnership with Spark Inc., to an elite cohort of judges that will be evaluating each company in terms of relevancy, creativity and potential. The contestants are competing for an extensive grand prize package that includes a cash prize, online brand protection security, both provided by OpSec Security, as well as a consultation day with the Under Armour Innovation Team, an exclusive media package provided by Spark Inc, and more. The Start-Up Challenge winner will be announced following the live virtual event on May 4th.
The finalists include:
· Bisu: A home health lab that provides personalized nutrition and lifestyle advice, using microfluidic technology to take urine and saliva testing from the stone age of conventional test strips, to an easy, accurate part of your self-care routine.
· HitCheck: A quick cognitive traumatic brain injury (TBI) assessment using a mobile smartphone app for early detection through technology that compares your personal baseline to post-injury to provide unique data for medical experts to make critical brain health decisions.
· Kayezen: Resistance bands and tubes that can deliver a wide variety of exercises, either indoors or outside.
· Metric Mate: Cost-effective way to autonomously track, store, analyze and share your strength training workout data any time, from any place, allowing you to directly share with a professional trainer, strength coach or physical therapist.
· Readout: A digital biomarker start-up providing a breath technology platform that allows development and commercialization of handheld diagnostic devices for consumers and clinical use cases. This non-invasive, unlimited and highly accurate measurements provide insights into human metabolism, specifically fat burn in our “repair” state after a metabolic switch.
· Realplay: Delivers video of every swing, pitch and catch that any player makes on a baseball or softball field to help players improve, share their highlights with anybody and hold on to memories.
· Reflexion: A cognitive sports training company specialized in training visual and mental abilities in athletes, including reaction time, decision making speed under pressure, focus, moving object tracking, spacial awareness, peripheral vision, and more using a touchscreen connected fitness platform and cloud-based data analytics.
· RooSense: Nonwoven fabric materials that collect and analyze data from sweat to provide insights to athletes that allows them to improve training and avoid injury. RooSense is developing integrated sensing materials using functionalized carbon nanotubes which are selective to sweat sodium, to provide real-time feedback about health and performance.
· VAY: Software built to analyze human posture and motion in real-time to provide feedback on how exercises are performed, count correct/incorrect repetitions and provide progress tracking.
· Workforce Athletics: Providing turnkey solutions for intercompany sports, operating corporate sports leagues and tournaments that promote employee retention, inclusion, teamwork and wellness.
“We have seen time and time again, sports bring people together,” said Tom Cove, SFIA President and CEO. “Now, more than ever, our country is focused on coming together again, as well as maintaining good physical health. Many of the innovative companies presenting this year highlight that message in their purpose, and we are proud to highlight next generation innovation that grows and enhances sports and fitness as we know it. The SFIA Start-Up Challenge has served as a major steppingstone to several new business in our industry. The level of competition is unmatched, and we are excited to see what’s in store this year.”
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.