Knocking It Out of the Park!

The sporting goods market in the United States is a billion-dollar industry, according to Statista.com, citing sporting goods sales in the United States alone as totaling more than 47 billion U.S. dollars annually. With professional and college football season rapidly approaching—as well as the continuation of the sport of golf in the corporate world—it is the perfect time for distributors to add items such as sports balls, bottle openers, sports towels, hand fans, and golf products. 

According to Adam Andrus of Ball Pro, golf balls (specifically the Titleist Pro V1) are hot commodities. They currently account for nearly half the company’s sales in this category, which Andrus attributes to brand recognition, company stores, and golf tournaments.

Maria LaFichi at MAC Specialties reports that customers are in a panic regarding the uncertainty surrounding tariffs. “We get asked almost daily if our products will be affected, and will our prices fluctuate,” she comments. “Fortunately for us, we manufacture everything we sell—and our products are not made in China!”

Ball Pro recently introduced pillow packs combos, which Andrus says have proven very popular. Pillow Tee Packs feature tees with a variety of items packed in a plastic pillow pack. Packaging options include poker chips, golf balls, and divot tools. Additionally, Ball Pro’s best-selling item in 2019 has been its Hockey Puck bottle opener. This item is a game-quality, official-size hockey puck with a built-in, stainless steel bottle opener.

GLOVELAST™ also has an innovative golf item. The company’s gloves feature a patented pronated thumb design—replicating the contour of a human hand—which preserves the shape of the glove and helps it dry faster. This glove is made from semi-flexible polypropylene and has a smooth finish that allows gloves to slide on and off with ease. Plus, the glove can be ordered left or right hand.

Over at Innovation Line, a plethora of sports-related products are available, including an array of golf kits; sports towels such as rally and fitness sports towels, microfiber golf towels with metal grommet and clip, and cooling towels; and plastic hand fans.

LaFichi at MAC Specialties notes that the company’s large selection of various sports balls sells very well all year long. “Of course, during each specific ‘season’ (football, basketball, etc.) sales increase accordingly,” she says. “Two new and unique products are our Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers. I like to say they are, ‘Not your Grandpa's games!!’ We can customize the shape of the playing pieces for both games. No more boring Xs and Os or plain round checkers!”

As far as selling sports products, Ball Pro’s Andrus reports that the company’s primary focus is within the golf category. “We offer a wide variety of golf accessories that can be branded with multiple sponsors,” he explains. “Unique items like the scramble pic and Glove Branders golf gloves. For more of the traditional golf tournament giveaways, we recommend the full-color golf towel. The golf towel offers the most space for multiple sponsorships.”

It is vital not to drop the ball and make sports product sales a slam dunk! These items will be prove to be popular well into Fall.

CASE STUDIES
Lindsey Farm, Beacon Promotions: Tired of the same old T-shirt as a participant gift, the Park & Rec Association chose the LED Slap Safety Band as the giveaway item to those who pre-registered for their annual 5K Run. The light up slap band promotes safety with the high visibility colors and light options. It can be worn on the arm or leg, bike, bag, stroller, or dog collar—giving it many future repeat uses. 

Josette Bosse, Americanna: Football-themed vinyl jar openers are an inexpensive and fun way for booster clubs to raise money for the school’s football team or cheer squad. Decorate with the school’s name, mascot, or season schedule as a handy reminder of team pride. 

These openers are made of vinyl and available in four colors; with an imprint method of screen printing or digital 4-CP.