An operator’s perspective on the industry’s most pressing strategic questions. Sebastien Willefert distills two decades of brand, commercial and marketing leadership across sporting goods, outdoor and lifestyle into digestible, actionable insights. From growth strategy to community leverage, The Playbook translates experience into answers.
The Playbook is an independent column.
The views expressed are the author’s own.
A surfwear distribution agency, marketing hype and an open-hole shirt test whether ACG’s story and execution are aligned.
FESI represents 1,800 European manufacturers on EU rules, but most reach it only through national federations, not directly.
France shields Decathlon and Intersport while fining Shein, leaving the recycling system it was meant to fix no closer to solved.
The Satisfy x adidas Circle Pit wasn’t just a product launch. It was an argument that brands, not federations, now set the rules for how sport grows.
Nike reversed its DTC strategy. Gresvig and XXL collapsed. Lululemon, Vuori and Arc’teryx built their own channels. The wholesale model is being rewritten from both ends.
The confirmed three-year deal, effective 2027, gives adidas three top-tier F1 teams and sharpens the question of Nike’s continued paddock absence.
Castore and Macron have no shirt at the 2026 World Cup. That is not a gap in their strategy. It is the strategy.
The outdoor trade show’s Riva comeback generated real energy, and real questions about whether the industry has truly moved on.