Lacrosse, which originated in Native American culture going back to the 12th century, has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. for over a decade, according to research from the National Sporting Goods Association, the NCAA, and other associations and researchers. The increase in interest extends to all levels of the sport: professional, […]
Archive | Sports
Designers Bring Diversity to Hockey
Professional hockey clubs, like pro teams in other sports, are increasingly collaborating with local designers on limited-edition lifestyle apparel collections, many with an eye toward diversity: The Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League introduced a new third jersey at the beginning of this year in collaboration with designer Rhuigi Villaseñor, founder of the luxury […]
A Winning Formula
Three of the leading suppliers of pro sports uniforms and associated merchandise have recently brought to life in the real world the looks worn by fictional sports teams, both new and classic, on the on-screen pitch, rink, or court: Earlier this month, Nike and Warner Bros. introduced a collection of kits for AFC Richmond, the […]
Up a Creek Without a Padel
Pickleball has been one of the fastest-rising sports—in participation and licensing interest—in the last couple of years. But another up-and-coming racket sport, padel, is emerging in mainstream popularity and seems to have similar potential to pickleball. Padel, played with four people per team, is described as a cross between tennis and squash. It takes place […]
Challenging Times for Esports
The e-sports business has been facing many and varied challenges in the past year: Key sponsors are leaving the business. This is the most important revenue stream for the industry, representing 60% of esports organizations’ total revenue, according to NewZoo. In addition to the failure of crypto company FTX, a big esports sponsor, companies such […]
Pickleballing in Style
When we last covered pickleball, in 2019, it was just emerging as a licensing opportunity, with a number of leagues, governing bodies, collegiate teams, and sponsors signing their first licensing and endorsement deals. With pickleball continuing as the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., with average annual increases of 11.5% in participants over the past five […]
Snacking While Streaming
Food and beverage-related brands have represented one of the key sectors involved in e-sports promotions over the past year and a half, partnering with e-sports teams and organizations for live events, streamed content, and sometimes merchandise sales or giveaways. Some examples: E-sports organization FaZe Clan paired with General Mills’ Totino’s brand to create special flavors […]
Soccer Vision Off the Pitch
At least three global soccer/football players have signed deals this year, two of them announced just this month, with makers of premium or luxury sunglasses, eyeglasses, and optical frames. This continues a tradition over the past decade or so where one or two current or past soccer stars, most commonly hailing from Europe and/or playing […]
Leagues Go Large on NFTs
Pro sports leagues from around the world, along with their players associations, have been among the most active property types to date in the world of NFTs. And many tend to think big, signing long-term deals for marketplaces rather than focusing on individual collections of NFTs, although they do that too. This year, and especially […]
Picking Up the Pace
The governing bodies that oversee professional racing across a variety of vehicles and types, along with other racing-related properties, have been active on the consumer products front since the beginning of 2022. Many have signed new licensing deals (especially in gaming, toys, and collectibles), extended existing agreements, launched new product lines, retained new agents, and/or […]