Team Insight

TEAM SPORTS FOOTBALL that, "Overall, football is a viable category for us, even regarding spiritwear." Supply Chain Glitches Fade "Supply problems aren't nearly as bad as before," says Grogan Marciano's Bruno. "e supply isn't at pre-COVID levels, but it's close. It really about the supply chain and forecasting now. As of today, we have no concerns about uniforms or protective gear." Interestingly, Bruno opines that collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is somewhat worrisome, particularly since the port is used heavily by major manufacturers such as Baltimore-based Under Armour. e general fear is that the flow of ships in and out of Baltimore could hurt the local economy, strain supply chains and scramble deliveries along the U.S. East Coast. "e supply chain is doing better — it's not like it used to be," echoes Manning, of Jack Pearl's Sports Center. "Helmets are still an issue when it comes to getting them in a timely manner, but there are no problems with footballs or shoulder pads — we can still get fill-ins." Likewise, Bodart, of Hoosier Sporting Goods, believes supply snags are mostly resolved. "ere are no supply chain issues anymore. We only deal with so goods, no hardgoods, so that helps. We're doing a lot of uniforms, so there are no problems for us." As Fawley, at Capitol Varsity Sports, points out, "For the past two years there was no inventory. Now we're seeing late helmet close- outs from manufacturers as the supply chain gets filled. It just depends on the products. Helmets and shoulder pads are all available, but we have to chase smaller products such as inflatables and girls' products where there are gaps in sizes." Although product shortages are far less prevalent than they were over the past couple of seasons, tight budgets are a cause of concern for many dealers headed into the 2024 season. "As always, schools here don't have the bud- gets as in other parts of the country," explains Bruno. "For us it's about having core product in stock in August when football practice starts. Schools don't have a lot on the shelves — they want to be lean and mean. We'll fill in products when the August rush starts and we'll try to stay ahead of it." And Fawley has noticed that things have slowed a little bit since last year, when schools still had some pandemic money. "Now schools are slowing down on spending due to inflation and the fact that COVID money is drying up," he says. In his opinion, the uniform business has changed due to sublimation, particularly because of the cost savings. "But sublimated football uniforms don't wear as well or last as long as traditional uniforms," he notes. Reconditioning Issues Persist ere seems to be more than enough recon- ditioning business to go around, but there are still some significant issues such as ongoing labor shortages and rising costs. "Football across the board is starting earlier and this has moved up timelines, especially for us as a reconditioner," says Fawley. "e business is still good and most challenges revolve around the cost of parts and the cost of insurance." Labor is still an issue for reconditioners, he says, because it's still very hard to get labor and they have had to turn down some business due to labor shortages. "It's prevalent across the spectrum of reconditioners, but the severity varies by region." Fawley adds, "We were doing between 1.7 million and 1.8 million helmets during the pre-COVID peak and between 1.3 million and 1.4 million during COVID. is year, we'll be reconditioning 1.5 million to 1.6 million helmets, so the business is bouncing back." For some dealers, offering reconditioning services is about as appealing as chewing on tinfoil. "It's a necessary evil," remarks Bruno. "Reconditioners have had their challenges. It's more of a service that we offer, but it's a giant headache. We don't do a lot. Our numbers are down 15 to 20 percent in reconditioning, sort of on purpose because we've passed on some of it." On the other side of the country, Karsh is not a big enthusiast either. "We don't do the reconditioning ourselves, but we facilitate it for customers. It's a big can of worms," he says. "It's a constant evolution. It's a necessity, but it gets complicated — refreshing and re- furbishing is not the same as reconditioning and recertifying for play." At Jack Pearl's Sports Center, the recondition- ing business is busier due to Spring football. "We send helmets out for reconditioning, but costs have risen 25 to 30 percent over the past couple of years," says Manning. "People are almost better off buying new helmets." n 22 • Team Insight ~ May/June 2024 teaminsightmag.com w w w . P r o N i n e . c o m • 440-349-3500 A Better Way to Play ®

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