Team Insight

TEAM: FOOTBALL FOURQUARTERS teaminsightmag.com November/December 2022 ~ Team Insight • 16 A LOOK AT FOUR CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOOTBALL IN AMERICA IN 2023. BY MIKE MAY T h ere's a natural ebb and flow to the game of football that is familiar to everyone. Aer all of the pre-game pageantry, pep talks and refresh- ments, there are four quarters of action punctuated by some time- outs, two-minute warnings and injuries. So to take a look at the State of Football in America in 2023 we analyze the sport and present it in a way the complements that schedule — in the form of four quarters. e only things missing are a halime show and officials' reviews. 1ST QUARTER CHALLENGE Supply Chain Issues Impacting Delivery of Product ere are pockets of the country where supply chain delays remain a daily concern for some team dealers and there are others where dealers have been able to somehow avoid the delays caused by the inconsistent delivery of product. Bottom line: While there are still product challenges, it's fair to say selling football is more possible and profitable in 2021 than it was in 2021. For Larry Brooks, the co-owner of Final Touch Riverside Sports in Cumberland, MD, it's been a daily struggle getting deliveries of protective gear in football. "Here in late October, I'm just getting deliv- eries of product that I ordered last November," says Brooks. "Anything with hard plastic in it – specifically helmets and shoulder pads – is not arriving on time. Fortunately, coaches and schools understand the delays and are accepting the product." e issues of the supply chain also impacted the reconditioning of helmets. "Reconditioning was a nightmare," Brooks says. "Many helmets could not be reconditioned so they were sent back to the schools without being reconditioned." Because of the delayed arrival of product, some of which is still on back order, Brooks estimates that he lost between $75,000 and $100,000 in football sales in 2022. Amazingly, another supply chain issue was getting deliveries in a timely manner of simple T-shirts. "Many T-shirts that were delivered here were all the same size and color," says Brooks. "Coaches took them anyway." Supply chain issues also reared their ugly heads for Baker's Sporting Goods in Jacksonville, FL. "We had major problems in hard goods, specifically getting deliveries of helmets, shoul- der pads and footballs," reports salesman Joel Dunn. "Getting foam, which is specially treated, was also an issue, specifically foam used around goal posts and on fencing." Dunn and his associates at Baker's Sporting Goods had fewer problems with getting uni- forms produced and shipped on time this year. "In apparel, the supply chain delays were less of an issue this year than they were last year, but we still have a long way to get back to where we were prior to COVID," he says. "Many people are saying this is the new normal. I hope not." In Iowa, high school and middle school football are back to where they were prior to the recent COVID pandemic — which brings its own set of successes and challenges. "Here in Iowa, COVID is a forgotten thought," says Jake Koch, president of Iowa Sports Supply in Cedar Falls, IA. "Players are excited about playing football and fans are enjoying the games. It's a big sport in Iowa." While supply chain issues were an issue this fall in Iowa, especially with helmets and shoulder pads, Koch was able to deliver most products for his middle and high school foot- ball teams. "We did our best to get football teams what they ordered," says Koch, who points out they also sell football items such as tape, water bottles, goal post pads, blocking sleds, tackle dummies and sideline accessories. But no cleated footwear. "Football cleats are hard to stock and very tough to predict," Koch explains. One particular bright spot for Iowa Sports Supply is the growing number of teams playing in 7-on-7 tournaments, a new niche revenue source within football. "For schools that have 7-on-7 squads, teams are buying mesh jerseys and so shell helmets," Koch adds. Meanwhile, in Terre Haute, IN, football

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