Team Insight

A look inside a game of football — from pre-game through four quarters and overtime. By Mike May TEAM FOOTBALL KEEPING SCORE I f the late Amos Alonzo Stagg and Glenn "Pop" Warner, two of the trailblazers who led the movement to take rugby union football and evolve it into the game of American gridiron football, were alive to today they would be more than impressed with the state of the game they helped shape. It's also fair to say the two visionaries might be shocked to see how helmets have improved from leather to high-performing plastic, how playing surfaces have evolved from natural grass to artificial turf, how high-tech uniforms and cleats have become colorful and comfortable and how the sport of flag football is now being played and enjoyed by both boys AND GIRLS and people of all ages. In that spirit of the sport, let's explore the state of the game in a format everyone can understand. Pre-Game 'Chalk Talk' Trending in the right direction. at's one way to paraphrase the football business at the youth level now in the U.S. Football on-the- field is as entertaining and attractive as it has ever been, but the business of selling football is still somewhat of an option play, for the lack of a better term — the process of selling football is alive, well and thriving for many team dealers, while it's a struggle at times for others, according to feedback from the team dealer community in the U.S. In Terre Haute, IN, the football business is rock-solid for Pacesetter Sports, which de- livers football product to teams ranging from local youth football programs to a team in the National Football League. "Our biggest football customers are youth football programs and high school football programs in the area," reports owner Brent Compton, who says his football customers also include NCAA Division III programs and the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. "We sell everything that football teams need, starting with helmets and shoulder pads. We also sell cleats, mouthguards, gloves for linemen and receivers, sublimated jerseys, footballs and field equipment such as blocking sleds and tackling dummies," adds Compton. Pacesetter also has a retail store to capture the individual customer. To help cater to the needs of its football clients, Pacesetter Sports hosts a one-day football exhibit in early December that is attended by roughly 50 football coaches from youth programs to high school. "is December 7, we will host the 23rd Annual Pacesetter Football Show," Compton says. Exhibitors will include Fisher, Champro, Light Helmets, Augusta/Holloway, Pennant, Under Armour, Shock Doctor and Founder Sport Group. As for any supply chain issues, Compton and his crew at Pacesetter Sports are not as concerned about supply chain issues as they used to be. "I hope that supply chain issues are a thing of the past." In Kentucky where basketball is always king, the football business has picked up and has rebounded so quickly that it appears to be as brisk for H & W/Duke's Sports as the basketball business has always been. "It's been a good year selling football," reports owner Shawn Hord, who sells to high schools and middle schools and does some business with a few college football programs, including Campbellsville University. "We sell all the hard goods, such as helmets, shoulder pads and blocking sleds as well as uniforms, cleats, footballs and customized wind screens." According to Hord, the football business has 15 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2023 teaminsightmag.com Photo: FatCamera/istock

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