Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 1,600 sporting and athletic goods manufacturers in the US design, engineer, and manufacture a wide range of sporting, athletic and fitness related goods and equipment. Products include sports equipment (excluding sports apparel and footwear) used to play team sports, like baseball, basketball, football, and hockey; individual sports, including golf, tennis, bowling, and swimming; fitness equipment; and products used in outdoor recreational activities, such as fishing, camping, hiking and rock climbing.
International Sourcing And Sales Risks
An increasing percentage of finished sporting and athletic goods and raw materials are being sourced from foreign countries, particularly China and other developing countries in Asia.
Protecting Brands And Distribution Rights
The marketing success of many sports and athletic goods manufacturers often depends on maintaining strong brand names, trademarks, and proprietary technologies or product designs.
Industry size & Structure
The average sporting goods manufacturer employs 24 workers and generates $7-8 million in annual revenue.
- The US sporting and athletic goods manufacturing industry consists of about 1,600 companies that employ 38,700 workers and generate $12.4 billion in annual revenue.
- The industry is dominated by a small number of large manufacturers having several different products and brands, but is also characterized by a large number of very small manufacturers who market specialized products in niche markets.
- The 50 largest manufacturers generate 70% of the industry's revenue, yet 51% of manufacturers have less than 5 employees.
- In 2023, participation rates were 68% of the population for fitness sports, followed by 57% for outdoor sports, 42% for individual sports, 25% for team sports, 18% for racquet sports, 15% for water sports, and 10% for winter sports, according to the Physical Activity Council.
- Millions of Americans participate in team and individual sports including basketball (29.7 million), baseball (16.7 million), soccer (14.1 million), football (7.3 million), court volleyball (6.9 million), ice hockey (2.5 million), softball (2.3 million), lacrosse (2 million), and rugby (1.1 million).
Industry Forecast
Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Mar 24, 2025 - Manufacturers Expect Profitability Hit from Tariffs
- According to a report in Yahoo Finance, sporting equipment manufacturers will face challenges amid new and impending tariffs by the Trump administration. President Trump has imposed an additional 20% tariff on Chinese imports as well as a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports and some goods from Canada and Mexico. Yahoo Finance’s Sports Report host Joe Pompliano addressed the impact on golfing goods manufacturer Topgolf Callaway, which uses parts from China for some of its products. Topgolf Callaway is expecting a $5 million headwind on its EBITDA outlook this year. He also noted that Amer Sports, which owns Wilson Sporting Goods, generates 11% of its revenue from balls and rackets imported from China; tariffs on Chinese goods equate to $112 million of the company’s more than $5 billion in sales.
- Sports participation by Americans reached a new high in 2024, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) Topline Participation Report. The report found that 80% of Americans, or 247.1 million people, participated in at least one sport, fitness exercise, or outdoor research activity in 2024, the highest rate since SFIA has been tracking activity levels. The report tracks participation rates of Americans aged six and older across more than 120 different sports, fitness, and outdoor activities. Pickleball remains the fastest-growing sport, with participation up 311% from three years ago. The racquet sports category is performing well, with five out of seven racquet sports posting higher year-over-year participation totals. Many sports featured in the 2024 Paris Olympic games saw an uptick in participation in 2024 including wrestling, basketball, volleyball, and track and field.
- The global sports protective gear market is expected to grow from $4.2 billion in 2024 to $4.5 billion in 2025, a CAGR of 7.4%, according to The Business Research Company. The forecast for the global sports protective gear market through 2029 is expected to increase by a CAGR of 8.4%. Boosting growth in the sector involves a rise in organized sports leagues, extreme sports, the influence of professional athletes, rising youth sports participation, and helmet design innovations. An increase in the number of people participating in sports and recreational activities is forecast to spur growth in the protective gear market. Protective gear can lower the risk and increase safety during sports activities. The Asia-Pacific was the leading sports protective gear market in 2024, and North America is projected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period.
- According to a report in CFO Dive, consumer confidence levels, an indicator of discretionary spending, have fallen due to consumer anxiety about tariff effects and economic uncertainty. The consumer sentiment index from the University of Michigan dropped 11% in March 2025, marking the third straight month of declines and hitting the lowest level since November 2022. In addition, the Conference Board index of consumer confidence in February 2025 marked the biggest decline since August 2021 and the third straight month of declines. According to Stephanie Guichard, senior economist for global indicators at the Conference Board, “There was a sharp increase in the mentions of trade and tariffs, back to a level unseen since 2019. Most notably, comments on the current administration and its policies dominated the responses.”
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