Team Insight

END ZONE 34 • Team Insight ~ July/August 2022 teaminsightmag.com Scipio, Freeman Join NSGA Board of Directors The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) made two recent changes to its Board of Directors with the appointments of John Scipio (SV Sports) and Troy Freeman (Winmark Corporation/Play It Again Sports). Their three- year terms took effect June 1. • Scipio is the CEO of SV Sports (formerly known as Schuylkill Valley Sports), a regional full-line sporting goods and team dealer based in Pennsylvania. When Scipio and his part- ners acquired SV Sports in August 2021 it made the company the largest African American owned and led sporting goods retailer and team dealer in North America. Scipio served in various leadership roles during his 25-year career in the sporting goods industry. He led the sales and marketing functions for Nike and the basketball brand AND1. • Freeman has been direc- tor of operations with Play It Again Sports since 2018 and held operations manager and senior operations manager positions since he joined the company in 2004. He has played a major role in supporting Winmark and its focus on sustainability, value and providing Resale for Everyone, by supporting fran- chisees in providing quality used and new sporting goods and equipment in their local communities. Play It Again Sports Adds 11 Locations Adding to its existing base of 272 stores across North America, Winmark has signed franchise agreements to add an additional 11 Play It Again Sports locations. The stores, located in the Twin Cities region as well as in St. Cloud and Duluth, MN; Superior, WI; and Grand Forks, ND, had been previously subject to an agreement allowing for their operation separate from Winmark's franchise system. MacGregor Signs With Selkirk Cammy MacGregor, a former Top 75 professional tennis player on the WTA Tour, has re-signed a pickleball en- dorsement deal with Selkirk Sport. MacGregor, one of the most decorated pickleball players, will continue to com- pete on the pickleball circuit equipped with one of Selkirk's high-performance paddles. MacGregor will also be outfit- ted in Selkirk Sport apparel. BSN Adds Two Dealers Two significant acquisitions highlighted mid-2022 for BSN Sports as it continues to expand its national footprint. • Most recently, BSN Sports entered into an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of the Eastbay Team Sales business from Foot Locker Retail, Inc., a subsidiary of Foot Locker. Founded in 1980 and origi- nally established to meet the performance needs of local high school and college ath- letes in Central Wisconsin, Eastbay Team Sales is now a major supplier of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment to high school and college athletes. Foot Locker acquired Eastbay Team Sales through its acquisition of Eastbay in 1997 to integrate an additional channel of dis- tribution for athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment. The Team Sales business has historically accounted for less than one percent of Foot Locker's annual sales. • Earlier this summer BSN acquired I.D. Clothing Company, which does busi- ness as Team Gear, based in Whippany, NJ, supported by its in-house decoration and customization facilities. The Team Gear leadership and its sales and support teams are joining BSN Sports. The Team Gear office will transition into a regional sales office and Team Gear's decoration operations will remain under current owner- ship while joining BSN Sports' third-party decoration system. "The addition of Team Gear to the BSN Sports family is an exciting milestone in what has proven to be an incredible year for our team with the re- surgence of team sports, " says Terry Babilla, BSN Sports' president. "We look forward to this opportunity to expand upon Team Gear's trusted reputation for customized product." n Pro Leagues Supporting Passage of PHIT Act In an unprecedented move to support exercise and healthy kids, the commissioners of the four major U.S. sports leagues – NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA – recently sent a joint letter to Congressional leaders asking them to help families with youth activity costs by passing the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act. PHIT would lower the cost of family activity by 25-37 percent by allowing consumers to use pre-tax funds to pay for them. According to a statement, as COVID-19 shut down youth sports the mental health of kids has suffered: "Sports are returning, but families are now faced with high inflation — creating financial challenges. Youth sports are not free and PHIT will lower the cost barrier to healthy kids' activities." The letter reads, in part: As community leaders and stewards of the game, we come together collectively concerned about the pandemic's effects on our youth's physical and mental health. Across the country, pediatric specialists are sounding the alarm about the rise in adolescent depression, anxiety, and suicide. Obesity rates among children between the ages of 2 to 17 also have increased, prompting long-term physiological con- cerns. In working with parents, educators, and coaches, we know firsthand the vital role that sports play in brain, social, and physical development. It is for these reasons that we ask S. 844 and H.R. 3109, the bipartisan Personal Health Investment Today ("PHIT") Act, be included in any moving legislative vehicle. The PHIT Act lessens the cost for families who want their children involved with youth sports and other physical activities. Equally important, the PHIT Act encourages exercise and healthy lifestyles for generations to come. Currently, over 96 million Americans have access to health benefit accounts. Yet, the accounts do not recognize exer- cise as a form of preventative health care. Medical experts agree that financial barriers such as school "pay-to-play" costs, fitness center dues, outdoor recreation fees and other expenses serve as a hinderance to physical activity. As the undersigned sports organizations, we have a responsibility to lead in new con- texts and this is one of those moments. We look forward to working with you as it relates to our children's wellbeing, especially as it relates to the PHIT Act and recognizing phys- ical fitness as a form of preventative care. n Alli Sports Group Expands in Louisiana Following its Spring '23 Sales Summit in late May hosted by Founder Sport, Alli Sports Group announced the newest member to the group — Red Stick Sports out of Baton Rouge, LA. The recently formed group of team dealers also expanded into Delaware as Johnson-Lambe added a sales team located in Wilmington, DE.

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