Consumer insights from the sporting goods industry
We got you covered with market statistics and trends from the sports business
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ArticleAthletic footwear loses ground in US survey
A new US survey finds athletic spend down 5 percent and athleisure down 8 percent, as durability overtakes performance tech as the key purchase driver.
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ArticleBeyond the logo: what brands gain from mass participation sports
A 7.8% surge in event participation is reshaping where sporting goods brands can build durable equity – if they look past the finish-line banner.
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ArticleReport: Europe’s fitness market breaks records in 2025
The 2026 EuropeActive/Deloitte report shows the sector surging past €39bn in revenue, with consolidation accelerating and the US penetration gap still wide open.
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ArticleCultural athleisure: homage or exploitation?
When athleisure brands mine local cultures, the line between homage and exploitation blurs.
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News briefsPadel hits all-time high in global search interest
Global search data confirm padel’s 2025 performance set a new baseline, with Indonesia, the UK and India emerging as rising markets.
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ArticleRacquet Sports: The 2026 State of Play
106 million tennis players, 35 million padel converts, 24 million pickleball players in the US alone. What the 2026 data tells brands and investors.
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ArticleUS sporting goods wholesale hits $130bn
Five-year gains of nearly 35 percent reveal which categories are pulling ahead — and where demand is quietly shifting.
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ArticleRecord US sport participation masks deep gaps
A historic milestone for US sports participation — yet most Americans still don’t meet weekly activity guidelines, new SFIA data shows.
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ArticleSport participation: Triathlon finds a new consumer
Younger athletes and rising female participation are reshaping the multisport market – and redefining who sporting goods brands need to reach.
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ArticleEU consumer mood hits 2-year low
European households are cutting discretionary budgets at the fastest rate in over two years, pressing the sporting goods sector.
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ArticleUS sporting goods spending falls 9% – report
New US transaction data shows a 9% year-over-year decline in sporting goods spending, with middle-income consumers pulling back hardest.
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ArticleSportsShoes Running Report: one in six Brits run
Younger generations lead UK running participation as the sport maintains a stable base — with motivations, barriers and technology habits mapped across 5,000 Brits.
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ArticleSports moments reward brands across all screens
Nine-country study of 9,000 sports fans shows where attention concentrates and how consistent cross-screen presence drives purchase.
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ArticleNielsen: 46bn minutes of women’s sports in 2025
Nielsen data shows record audiences across the WNBA, tennis, soccer and college sport as US women’s sports consumption reaches a new high.
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ArticleUK study maps girls’ fading sports fandom
Four in ten young UK people cannot name a sportswoman, as new research maps how girls lose fan identity through secondary school.
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ArticleNike tops US YouGov’s 2026 fashion brand rankings
Nike leads US purchase consideration for apparel and footwear, but its value scores trail quality — a gap rivals are moving to close.
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ArticleSoqa’s founder on closing the female football product gap
German start-up Soqa is building female-first football products the big brands won’t. Founder Gertje Klack explains the gap, and the strategy to close it.
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ArticleChina moves – and the outdoor market follows
Record tourism and spending during the 2026 Spring Festival reveal a Chinese consumer spending more on movement – and on the gear that goes with it.
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ArticleUS survey maps the new brand heat race
L.E.K.’s 2026 Brand Heat Index maps where HOKA, On, Arc’teryx and Salomon are gaining on legacy leaders.
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ArticleHYROX becomes a brand battlefield
Puma’s CEO calls HYROX a “lighthouse” partnership while Adidas launches its own hybrid race shoe. The battle for fitness racing’s commercial core is on.
