US sporting goods spending down 9% as tariffs bite

US sporting goods spending declined 9 percent year-over-year in the three months ended January 2026, according to transaction data published by Consumer Edge in its Sporting Goods Outlook 2026, released March 19. The firm attributed the contraction to a combination of tariff pressure, persistent inflation and reduced discretionary spending among middle-income consumers.

Income split drives winners and losers apart

The report’s most commercially significant finding is a widening divergence between income segments. Higher-income shoppers continued to drive spend-per-customer growth, sustaining retailers and brands concentrated in premium categories such as skiing and golf. Backcountry, Evo and PGA TOUR Superstore were cited as outperformers. Middle-income consumers, by contrast, pulled back materially on non-essential sporting goods purchases – a trend that weighed on generalist and value-oriented formats.

Experiential retail and lifestyle brands find traction

Not all formats are deteriorating. DICK’S Sporting Goods’ House of Sport concept – featuring in-store climbing walls, turf fields and programming – sustained footfall in a softer environment by moving the retail proposition beyond transactions. Outdoor brands including Salomon, Rossignol and Evo recorded momentum by extending their positioning from performance gear into everyday apparel and footwear, with particular resonance among consumers in the Northeast and Midwest.

Gen Z channels spending toward niche communities

Shoppers aged 18 to 24 posted the strongest spend-per-shopper growth throughout most of 2025. The report identifies Epic Sports and Proof Lab as brands benefiting from this dynamic, each closely tied to specific sports communities rather than broad lifestyle positioning.

Tariffs extract a double-digit toll on hunting and fishing

Steel and aluminum tariffs introduced during 2025 contributed to double-digit spending declines at hunting and fishing retailers. Sportsman’s Warehouse, Brownells and Palmetto State Armory absorbed the sharpest impact, according to the data.

West leads regional decline; store openings reshape local markets

Regional performance varied substantially across the US, with the West recording the steepest quarterly declines in early 2025. Big 5 Sporting Goods was among the retailers under the most pressure in that period. The report also illustrates how rapidly new store openings can destabilize local competitive dynamics: a SCHEELS opening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, took the retailer from no local presence to category share leader within three months, at the direct expense of Academy Sports + Outdoors and DICK’S Sporting Goods.