sportstyle

July 2021 • 59 sportstylemag.com • sportstyle and others such as California are feeling a glimmer of hope that their next sports season is just around the corner, many still can't seem to find the light at the end of the dugout. As a result, dealers in those still-heavily restricted areas haven't felt the need to stock new equipment or apparel in over a year since most of their schools are holding onto unused gear from the previous spring. Patiently waiting to wear their practically untouched uniforms, teams have little incentive to place new sock orders. The Shutdown Challenge "Ninety-five percent of our stock for spring sports was shipped out before lockdown," says Jeffrey Reynolds, owner of Reynolds and Sons Sporting Goods, Grand Rapids, MI. "The spring season here only lasted four days before COVID began." Since last March, Michigan tried to have a Fall season in 2020, but has reverted back into a stricter lockdown, says Reynolds. "Fall sports came back, but it was totally bleak. We only did one-third of our usual Fall business." With no idea what to expect next, ordering for Fall 2021 poses a real challenge for Reynolds and other dealers in Michigan. "I'm not going to buy stuff and sit on it," he says. Because schools have little reason to buy custom socks, Reynolds reports that most athletic programs are sticking to solid socks in hopes of having an upcoming season. Ordering custom socks feels unnecessary to teams when there's no guarantee of anything. "What this year is going to entail, I just don't know," he says. Custom socks may have been put on the back burner by teams across the country, but that doesn't mean demand for simple-colored socks made for simple order processing times. Amidst the ups and downs of the past year, some dealers are still con- stantly turning over inventory but are suffering from supplier delays — causing orders to be long overdue. The Delivery Challenge "Suppliers can't fill orders. I still have backorders from six months ago," reports Jeff Covington, owner of Sports Spectrum in Chattanooga, TN, a state that was fortunate to be able to hold a Fall 2020 and Winter and Spring 2021 seasons, which means demand for team apparel remained strong. "Socks did not escape COVID," says Covington, who couldn't keep black and white socks on the shelves as teams purchased the most basic socks they could get their feet on. Maintaining a consis- tent stock during basketball season was hard for Covington since those were the only colors teams were reaching for. With the much-needed support from parents, booster clubs and fundraisers, sports programs have been able to get the necessary funding to buy uniforms and play ball. "Tennessee's re-opening for sports was full-throttle and parents were ready to spend money on sports gear where schools couldn't," says Covington. The only thing that slowed them down were back orders, which Covington says is going to make it dif- ficult to forecast the demand for upcoming seasons. "We were fortunate to have a good season," he says. "I do have concerns for Fall 2021 that supply chains can't keep up with the demand." Chattanooga isn't the only area waiting on suppliers to get teams their socks. Although a busy season has upped the need for uniforms, those in areas experiencing more severe restrictions are struggling to receive small-scale shipments as well. "Reliability's been a problem and inventory's been a problem," reports Dan McNamara, owner of McNamara Sports Center, Merced, CA. Unlike Dunaway in a different part of the state that began alleviating COVID restrictions, McNamara's ter- ritory still shows no signs of getting teams back on the field. However, slow demand doesn't mean sluggish shipments are a non-issue from suppliers. McNamara says he often spends more time dealing with delays than he would like to even when the orders aren't pouring in. The same goes for Reynolds, even though teams aren't playing in Michigan. He, too says delivery has been unsatisfactory for all product categories. "There are a lot of holes in a lot of areas on getting shipments and there's not one manufacturer I know not dealing with that," he says. Handling supply issues has definitely made an already tough year even more stressful on team dealers, but on the bright side online sales – a particularly strong area for socks – are helping to carry them through. In Chattanooga, Covington says recreation programs have been buying socks in bulk from the web to outfit their teams. Williams also reports that even though teams in his territory didn't play any sports for more than a few weeks before calling the season a year ago, the demand for socks from his online stores remains even. With custom socks out of the pic- ture for the foreseeable future, ordering online provides an easy solution for players to get their solid-colored socks on time. Socks Do Save Whereas custom design trends are usually the focus of suppliers in planning for future seasons, this year it's all about whether or not there will be a season. Talk of color, fonts and logos has gone out the window — simply getting a uniform together has taken precedence and design trends are less of a topic of discussion for dealers and teams who are settling for ordinary in a time that's anything but that. In 2021, keeping it solid means keeping it safe as teams hold onto hope that sports will return to normal by next year. The only certainty is that players will need uniforms no matter what — and the socks that go with them. Whether they need solid or custom, team dealers and their vendors will still be there to supply the demand. After all, players can't gear up without a good pair of socks, which is a sentiment that still rings true for athletes everywhere. "Socks are essential to the uniform," sums up Covington. n It's all about the basics and availability for team socks in 2021. The Pearsox ATS Series (left) offers ready- to-wear out-of-package performance team socks. Among the features are a Y-Knit Heel for fit, a seamless toe, arch support, breathable mesh, half-terry footbed and a pre-shrunk fit. Fan Favorites from Socks Quick include the Havoc (in right photo), Stellaris and Goal-Line, all of which offer a blend of striping patterns and color options, with a primary color and two accent options to match any uniform.

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