Abstract
The U.S. team sporting goods market experienced slow growth between 2003 and 2007, outpaced by inflation. Sales in certain segments, however, have experienced growth driven by technological advances, product development, and the ever-shifting relative popularity of sports. This report discusses how and why some segments are succeeding, as well as how brands in general can exploit current market trends in consumer attitudes toward individual team sports and sporting goods in general.
Analysis includes:
- Consumer perception of individual brands, and how this perception has changed in recent years
- The link between professional sports and athletes and amateur/school team sports
- The role of parents, teens, and kids in shaping the market, and how to use these relationships to increase sales
- How attitudes towards sports and the ways in which they are played affect the market
- How race/ethnicity and age affect purchase decisions and attitudes
- The role of product innovation and performance gear
- This report also offers tactics for the expansion of players of team sports, which will translate to later market growth
Table of Contents
- Scope and Themes
- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Terms
- Executive Summary
- Inflation beating sales growth
- Team sales carry the market
- Baseball sales increasing despite declining interest in MLB
- Differences in retail purchasing substantial by gender, income
- Demographic outlook less than favorable
- Brand recognition more important than performance
- Market awaits expanded role from specialty players
- 18-24s, parents central buyers to focus upon in upcoming years
- Stereotypes holding up in regard to gender
- Small group of athletes at the heart of the market
- Internet campaigns warranted
- Taking marketing outside the box
- Market Size and Forecast
- Key points
- Baby boomers are aging, exiting the team sports arena
- Rise in popularity of extreme sports
- Figure 1: Total U.S. sales and forecast of Sporting goods at current prices, 2003-09
- Figure 2: Total U.S. sales and forecast of sporting goods at inflation-adjusted prices, 2003-09
- Competitive Context
- Video games
- Figure 3: Adults and teens who own or play video games, key demographics, January-November 2007
- Figure 4: Teens who play video games, key demographics, May 2006 - June 2007
- Figure 5: Average hours spent playing video games per week, teens by gender, April 2007
- A home fitness fad for geeks
- More time demands on today' s teens and children
- Exercise in health clubs (and at home)
- Figure 6: Physical fitness venues, by household income, May 2006-June 2007
- Segment Performance
- Key points
- Athletic team goods make up the lion' s share of the market
- Figure 7: U.S. sales and forecast of sporitng goods at current prices, by segment, 2003-07
- Figure 8: U.S. sales of sporting goods, by segment, 2005 and 2007
- Segment Performance--Athletic Team Goods
- Key points
- Decline in participation, spending for school sports programs
- Players focus on one sport
- Figure 9: U.S. sales and forecast of athletic team goods, 2003-09
- Segment Performance--Individual Sales
- Overview
- Figure 10: U.S. sales and forecast of athletics to individuals, 2003-09
- Baseball and Softball
- Key points
- Baseball' s decreasing popularity
- Performance gear drives sales
- Figure 11: U.S. sales and forecast of baseball and softball equipment, 2003-07
- Basketball
- Key points
- Basketball spectatorship on the rise
- Participation on the decline
- Figure 12: U.S. sales and forecast of basketballs, 2003-07
- Hockey and Ice Skates
- Key points
- Hockey' s popularity wanes as a spectator sport
- Figure 13: U.S. sales and forecast of hockey equipment and ice skates, 2003-07
- Football
- Key points
- Increase in football spectatorship is reflected in sales of footballs
- Figure 14: U.S. sales and forecast of football equipment, 2003-07
- Soccer
- Key points
- Soccer popularity on the rise
- Figure 15: U.S. sales and forecast of soccer equipment, 2003-07
- Volleyball and Badminton
- Key points
- Volleyball sales weakest link in market
- Figure 16: U.S. sales and forecast of volleyball and badminton equipment, 2003-07
- Retail Channels
- Purchase habits between men and women differ
- Figure 17: Mass merchandisers and department stores where sporting good purchases were made in the last three months, by gender, January-November 2007
- Figure 18: Sporting goods specialty stores where purchases were made in the last four weeks, by gender, January-November 2007
- Specialists have more draw with high-income groups
- Figure 19: Mass merchandisers and department stores where sporting good purchases were made in the last three months, by household income, January-November 2007
- Figure 20: Sporting goods specialty stores where purchases were made in the last four weeks, by household income, January-November 2007
- Married couples like specialists
- Figure 21: Mass merchandisers and department stores where sporting good purchases were made in the last three months, by presence of children in household, January-November 2007
- Figure 22: Sporting goods specialty stores where purchases were made in the last four weeks, by presence of children in household, January-November 2007
- Market Drivers
- Uniforms and protective gear
- Figure 23: Ownership and recent purchase of uniforms and protective gear, by sport, June 2008
- Sizing up the market for uniforms: demographic differences
- Women
- 25-34s
- High-income households
- Teen spending is important... but will decline
- Figure 24: Total U.S. teen spending at current prices, 2002-12
- An aging population
- Figure 25: U.S. population, by age, 2003-13
- Race and Hispanic origin
- Figure 26: U.S. population, by race and Hispanic origin, 2003-13
- Figure 27: U.S. buying power, by ethnicity, 1990-2011
- Obesity further threatens sales, yet presents new opportunities
- Figure 28: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Americans, 1988-2002
- Sports specificity
- Aluminum bat backlash
- Attitudes toward Brands
- Figure 29: Feelings about sporting goods brands, June 2008
- Figure 30: Sporting goods brands, by changes in feelings, June 2008
- Special attention deserved by 25-34s
- Figure 31: Positive changes in feelings towards sporting goods brands, by age, June 2008
- Brand Loyalty and Differentiation
- Figure 32: Attitudes related to brand choice, by gender, June 2008
- Figure 33: Attitudes related to brand choice, by age, June 2008
- Brand Qualities and Product Development
- Nike
- Wiffle
- Spalding
- Wilson
- Rawlings
- Mizuno
- Easton
- Adidas
- Innovation and Innovators
- Fastpitch softball grows up
- Branded balls
- Wood bat expanded options
- Wilson' s "Green" Basketball
- Spalding Never Flat
- Advertising and Promotion
- Figure 34: Advertising expenditures for selected sporting goods manufacturers, 2006-07
- Brand ambassadors
- Team and sport sponsorship
- Adidas all over the internet
- Nike looks beyond TV
- Reebok blurs lines between advertising and entertainment
- Mizuno changes tagline
- Spalding into mobile marketing, internet, and NoLa basketball
- Louisville Slugger do-goodery
- TV ad analysis
- Spalding
- Figure 35: Spalding Never Flat Arenas and Young ad, 2007
- Easton
- Figure 36: Easton baseball equipment
- Nike
- Figure 37: Nike Scott Branding
- Figure 38: Nike SPARQ Training
- Adidas
- Figure 39: Adidas Reggie Bush Spot
- Participation and Ownership
- Participation declines with age
- Figure 40: Sports played in past 12 months, by age, January-November 2007
- Ownership driven by presence of children
- Figure 41: Sporting goods ownership, by age, January-November 2007
- Currently, participation favors men
- Figure 42: Sports played in past 12 months, by gender, January-November 2007
- Figure 43: Sporting goods ownership, by gender, January-November 2007
- The market for high-end training gear
- Figure 44: Sports played in past 12 months, by household income, January-November 2007
- Building sales through socially-conscious marketing
- Figure 45: Sporting goods ownership, by household income, January-November 2007
- Frequency of Participation, Purchasing, and Spend
- Small group of athletes at the heart of the market
- Figure 46: Purchased team sports qeuipment in past 12 months, January-November 2007
- Figure 47: Mean times team sports were played in the last year, June 2008
- Age key determinant in frequency of play
- Figure 48: Mean times tean sports were played in the last year, by age, June 2008
- Sporting goods purchased in last 12 months, trended
- Figure 49: Sporting goods purchased within the past 12 months, 2000-07
- Average spend
- Figure 50: Sports equipment spending (mean), by demographic, June 2008
- It' s for the Kids
- Figure 51: Sports played/participated in, by presence of children, January-November 2007
- Figure 52: Sporting goods ownership, by presence of children, January-November 2007
- Buying sporting goods for kids
- Figure 53: Attitudes related to kids and sporting equipment, by gender, June 2008
- Figure 54: Attitudes related to kids and sporting equipment, by age, June 2008
- Figure 55: Attitudes related to kids and sporting equipment, by presence of children in the household, June 2008
- Trended ownership among teens
- Figure 56: Sporting goods owned among teens, 2003-07
- Figure 57: Sporting goods bought in the last 12 months among teens, 2003-07
- Ownership among teens by age and gender
- Figure 58: Sporting goods owned among teens, by age and gender, January-November 2007
- Figure 59: Sporting goods purchased in the last year among teens, by age and gender, January-November 2007
- Trended ownership among children
- Figure 60: Sporting goods owned among children, 2003-07
- Ownership among children by age and gender
- Figure 61: Sporting goods owned among children, by age and gender, January -- November 2007
- Attitudes and Motivations
- Motivations for playing
- Figure 62: Attitudes related to benefits of sports, by gender, June 2008
- Socializing and dating through team sports
- Figure 63: Attitudes related to benefits of sports, by age, June 2008
- Methods of participation
- Figure 64: Ways of playing sports, by currently play, would like to play, or not interested, June 2008
- Figure 65: Ways of playing sports, by gender, June 2008
- Figure 66: Ways of playing sports, by age, June 2008
- Figure 67: Ways of playing sports, by presence of children in household, June 2008
- Reasons for not playing sports
- Figure 68: Reasons for not playing sports, by age, June 2008
- Race/Ethnicity
- Figure 69: Sports played/participated in, by race/ethnicity, January-November 2007
- Figure 70: Sporting goods ownership, by race/ethnicity, January-November 2007
- Spend
- Figure 71: Sports equipment spending (mean), by race/ethnicity, June 2008
- Figure 72: Positive changes in feelings towards sporting goods brands, by race/ethnicity, June 2008
- Appendix
- Previous and current team sports involvement by gender
- Figure 90: Current and historical relationship to team sports, by gender, June 2008
- Figure 91: Current and historical relationship to team sports, by age, June 2008
- Current team sports participation, by income
- Figure 92: Ways of playing sports, by household income, June 2008
- Appendix: Trade Associations
