With Trump tariffs and rising sports product prices, both organizations have made a joint statement to try to prevent price increases in sports equipment.
The World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) and the US-based Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), representing global brands, retailers, and manufacturers call on governments across the globe for dialogue to find trade policy solutions that prioritize access to sport and physical activity helping make citizens healthier, increasing productivity, and enhancing the prospects of the next generation, the organizations said.
In a joint statement, both organizations highlighted the urgent need to prevent the price increase of sports products.
“We encourage governments to ensure sporting goods remain affordable for working-class families and consumers. Healthy lifestyles require children, youth, and adults to move their bodies, but barriers jeopardize their access to activities they want to engage in, particularly if they become unaffordable. Physical activity should be a vital part of daily life that empowers people everywhere to lead healthier, longer lives,” the organizations communicates in the statement and at the same time points to its recently presented study The WFSGI Physical Activity Impact Report: Moving the World Towards an Active Future that highlight the pressing need to tackle inactivity. With inactivity levels among adults projected to rise, the global economic toll is expected to surpass $300 billion, the study concluded.
“This is clearly a health and well-being issue – but also an economic, social cohesion, and competitiveness imperative,” said Emma Zwiebler, CEO of WFSGI. “As businesses with global reach and cultural influence, we are ready to work with governments to activate win-win solutions that stabilize supply chains and make sporting goods accessible to all.”
Addressing future challenges, like healthier societies and more productive workforces, requires citizens to have sportswear and equipment. This includes running shoes, soccer cleats, basketballs, football kits, and volleyball nets. Unfortunately, rising costs for basic goods – which in the US have increased by nearly 50 percent over the last five years – lead to drastic participation gaps in sports activity rates for America’s youth. In 2023, only 24 percent of children from households earning under $25,000 a year regularly participated in sports. This figure is in stark contrast to 41 percent of children from households earning $100,000+ regularly participating in sports.
“At SFIA, our mission is clear: reduce inactivity rates and inspire more people to participate in sports and fitness activities, fostering healthier and stronger communities,” said Todd Smith, President and CEO of SFIA. “The reality remains that cost continues to be a leading barrier prohibiting participation in sports and fitness; rising sportswear and equipment prices due to evolving trade policies will only further enhance this barrier and undoubtedly have a negative impact on the ability for Americans to be active.”
Trade disruptions disproportionately impact people who need our help the most to be physically active and practice sports, particularly those for whom affordability is a dealbreaker. Essential sportswear and equipment must not become more expensive due to trade barriers, which risk pushing working-class families to the sidelines.
Continued unpredictability will have detrimental effects on people’s well-being and economic competitiveness across the globe. Governments have a responsibility to empower communities to achieve healthy and productive lifestyles and negotiate policies that ensure sporting goods remain available and affordable.
* The statement can be read in full here.
