TOPPING IT OFF SOCCER BATTLE IN THE SHADE GETTING PROTECTIVE Headwear Trends Brands Vie for Dollars Sunglass Technology 12 Hot New Products SPORTSINSIGHTMAG.COM PERFORMANCE + URBAN + ATHLETIC = THE NEW OUTDOOR APPAREL EQUATION SEE PAGE 28 PERMIT # 191 # PERMIT ITHACA, NY ITHACA, PAID US POSTAGE US RR STD PRSRT A FORMULA4MEDIA PUBLICATION • JULY/AUGUST 2015 Executive Editor Mark Sullivan [email protected] 646-319-7878 Editor-in-Chief Cara Griffin [email protected] sportsinsightmag.com facebook.com/sportsinsight twitter.com/sports_insight 8 Senior Editor Bob McGee IN THE MARKET [email protected] Soccer biz battle; Art Director Affordable Care Act Francis Klaess JULY update; plus more Associate Art Director Mary McGann industry analysis. Contributors Jennifer Ernst Beaudry Suzanne Blecher 24 Michael Jacobsen AUGUST15 Nancy Ruhling FOOTWEAR Tim Sitek Athleisure and Publisher Jeff Gruenhut casual trends are [email protected] driving footwear 404-467-9980 sales at retail. Advertising Beth Gordon [email protected] 28 949-293-1378 Troy Leonard OUTDOOR IMPACT [email protected] 352-624-1561 How the new urban, athletic consumer is Jeff Nott [email protected] impacting outdoor 516-305-4711 apparel trends. Sam Selvaggio [email protected] 212-398-5021 34 Production Brandon Christie HYDRATION 516-305-4712 Five fast facts: The [email protected] “need to knows” of Subscriptions the hydration business. store.formula4media.com Business Manager Marianna Rukhvarger 516-305-4709 36 [email protected] HEADWEAR Promotion Director Christina Henderson Active outdoor cap 516-305-4710 styles focus on [email protected] lightweight protection. 40 SUNGLASSES PO Box 23-1318 Sport styles meet Great Neck, NY 11023 Phone: 516-305-4710 the street and lens Fax: 516-305-4712 tech goes to a www.formula4media.com whole new level. Formula4 Media Publications Sports Insight Outdoor Insight Footwear Insight 42 Team Insight Textile Insight PROTECTIVE GEAR Running Insight We offer up 12 of our Trend Insight favorite new protective Sports Insight® is a registered trademark products of 2015. of Formula4 Media, LLC. ©2015 All rights reserved. The opinions expressed by authors and contributors to Sports Insight are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers. Sports Insight is not 46 responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork. Articles appearing KEY PERFORMERS in Sports Insight may not be reproduced Tech-infused in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher. Sports Insight undergarments are is published bi-monthly: Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; the new must-haves. May/Jun; Jul/Aug; Sep/Oct; and Nov/Dec. Subscriptions: One year, $24.00 (U.S. Funds) in the United States. All other countries, $54.00 (U.S. Funds). On the cover: From The North Postmaster: Face’s Spring 2016 Mountain Send address changes to Sports Insight, Athletics line - TNF Ampere Wind P.O. Box 23-1318, Great Neck, NY 11023 Trainer, Reactor Hoodie and Ampere Dual Short. On this page, at left: PrAna Dreaming Top. www.sportsinsightmag.com TIME OUT | MARK SULLIVAN The Votes Are In s I sit and write this, Americans Petco, Whole Foods and Target are all pretty smart guys are tremendously concerned and they’ve all started to do this. Small stores allow these about voting in an important retailers to open stores in different locations and offer race that affects all readers consumers a different type of shopping experience. I will of this magazine. I am sure always opt to shop in a smaller store if given the option and many of you are thinking about these stores are smart to offer shoppers that choice. the presidential primaries Worst Kept Secret: Academy Going Public. Maybe they for next year, but the voting can help Wall Street understand sporting goods retailing that is stirring conversations (and maybe the Mets will play in the World Series this Fall). throughout the sports world Most Improved Player Award: Omni-Channel Experience. is the fact that the fans of the Kansas City Royals have After years of talking about it, stores are actually executing Overall, I’d Astuffed the ballot box and all their players will represent the on this. Special props to Dick’s and Finish Line. This also give retail a American League in the All-Star Game in Cincinnati. shows that good store managers, especially in stores like solid B for I love enthusiastic fans, and I like the Royals, too. The Finish Line, can really make a difference. the first half Sullivan family all jumped on the bandwagon last fall and Retail Question of the Year: Why are my vendor partners of 2015 and my kids developed a special affection for Eric Hosmer. But aggressively selling direct? This has been going on for a I’d like to see a little diversity in that American league line- while. The big difference is the brands are getting really that’s an ex- up. It would be nice to see an Angel, a Tiger, maybe even a good at it. The answer, of course, is M-O-N-E-Y. They can cellent grade Seattle Mariner. While Commissioner Rob Manfred figures get long margins and secure the sale. I understand that considering... out what to do, I thought I’d weigh in with my own retail All- completely. But is there a role for retailers in this equation? Star ballot at the mid-way point of 2015. If not, you’ll see more store closures at all levels. Now the retail season is a lot like the baseball season. Overall, I’d give retail a solid B for the first half of 2015 You want a good Spring and you want to battle through the and that’s an excellent grade considering store execs have dog days of August, but you really want to win in the Fall. had to battle balky consumer confidence and a crazy Here are my votes for retail all-stars and a few thoughts environment that includes extremely tough competition at about the fall. all levels, which includes brands selling direct. The Tough Medicine All-Star Award has got to go to The Mid-Season all-star voting is fun. But like baseball fans all Gap. Closing all those stores had to be a tough decision, over, I eagerly await the winners this fall. O but it was absolutely the right move. There are too many stores in the United States. The Gap just admitted it. If other major stores followed suit, we’d all be better off, except the landlords and mall owners and who really cares about them anyway. Trend of the Year: Smaller Stores. The guys who run Ten Years of Formula4 Media Ten years ago, we founded Formula4 Media. In that time, we’ve published more than 250 magazines, 200 newsletters and produced 20 trade shows. Thanks to all of our sponsors, advertisers and readers. We appreciate your support and we eagerly look forward to the next decade. O Left to right: Jeff Nott, Troy Leonard, Jeff Gruenhut, Mark Sullivan. 6 • Sports Insight ~ July/August 2015 sportsinsightmag.com IN THE MARKET Battle for the Bronze Nike HypervenomX. Adidas X15. New Balance Furon. Puma Arsenal jersey. ar from the courtrooms, In the U.S., NPD says soccer is according to Statista, in Arsenal be controlled.” The fragmented boardrooms and law outperforming a number of other and Liverpool. The Cat commenced and lightweight design of the boot offices where the alleged sports as it has made gains in the second year of its Arsenal part- includes a compression fit around FIFA scandal continues popularity across genders and nership with a live stadium show in the ankle from a Techfit collar and to play out, New Balance age groups. Team soccer footwear London last month. an X-Claw lightweight base. and Puma are working sales rose 15 percent in 2014 to New Balance isn’t entirely new Nike, citing small-sided football Fhard to establish stronger toeholds $345.9 million, according to new to soccer. The company’s Warrior (five-a side) as the form of in the global soccer market domi- research published by the Sports Sports subsidiary previously had soccer where young players are nated by Adidas and Nike. & Fitness Industry Association. a six-year contract with Liverpool, introduced to the game and where In the Cat’s case, the renewed Meanwhile, soccer shoe sales grew the Premier League club owned by soccer effort is about strengthen- 14 percent in March compared to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry. ing an estimated seven percent a two percent increase in March And in mid-May, New Balance share of the $8 billion global 2014. On the apparel side, the unveiled its first Liverpool FC kit, soccer equipment segment. For research firm contends fan wear, which incorporates a moisture- $ New Balance, establishing any particularly kits from well-estab- wicking fabric and mesh paneling 1.05B position in soccer can do more lished global football clubs, is driv- under the arms. Amount Adidas will pay for the 109-year-old brand than ing sales growth that spiked 57 per- From a product perspective, Man United to be its kit provider. merely land the “N” on pitches cent year-over-year in March. And soccer boots continue to get more from Liverpool to Los Angeles. in August, the most valuable soccer tech-savvy and fashion-forward. their respective style emerges, Acceptance in soccer, whether brand worldwide, Manchester Adidas, perhaps hearing has added the HypervenomX it’s in the U.S. or Costa Rica, could United, switches to Adidas as its kit footsteps, recently announced to its soccer boot family that expose scores of new consumers to the scrapping of its F50, Predator, also includes the Magista and the New Balance brand.