Team Insight

END ZONE 34 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2024 teaminsightmag.com Nike Renews With NBA/ WNBA In a move certain to have some impact on the demand for basketball uniforms at the youth and high school levels, Nike has signed on to remain as the exclusive uni- form and apparel provider for the National Basketball Association, the WNBA and the G League for another 12 years. Nike will be the leagues' outfitting, merchandising, marketing and content partner until 2037. Nike will also design and manufacture NBA and WNBA jerseys, as well the All-Star Game jerseys for both leagues. In addition, Nike will also make on-court and fan ap- parel for the leagues while also extending its group license agreement with the National Basketball Players Association. Nike has been the NBA's global merchandise partner since the start of the 2017-18 season, replacing Adidas. Nike has been the WNBA's marketing partner since its launch in 1997. BSN Acquires Nebraska Sports Nebraska Sports Industries has sold its school and team division to BSN Sports. e team sales division of Nebraska Sports operated as Lou's Sporting Goods since 1972 and served high school and college athletic programs throughout Nebraska and Kansas. Lou's had 14 school salesmen and BSN Sports has added 24 em- ployees of Lou's team. e BSN Sports purchase does not include the Nebraska Sports retail stores in Lincoln, Columbus and Fremont. ose stores are being liquidated by Nebraska Sports. e downtown Fremont Lou's store will continue to op- erate under the name Nebraska Sports. It also operates a dec- oration operation which will continue to serve business cus- tomers and decorate uniforms for BSN Sports and Nebraska Sports customers. e decora- tion company will continue to employ its current staff of 10. Nebraska Sports Industries is also a licensed printer for the University of Nebraska, Creighton University, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Nebraska at Kearney and other schools and colleges. It operates a wholesale division provid- ing products to retailers and bookstores. e company was founded in 1967 by Louis Wewel. Officials said the decision to sell to BSN was a difficult one due to the more than 50 years of successful operations. Joe and Sue Wewel, Roger and Dee Brackhan and Tom and Mary Coday are the remaining em- ployee stockholders. Riddell Revamps Leadership Team With president and CEO Dan Arment (Le) retiring at the end of 2024, Riddell's longstanding CFO and COO, Allison Boersma, has been appointed president and CEO of Riddell and BRG Sports at the start of 2025. Current VP-finance John Fitch is also promoted to the role of CFO for both companies. Arment, who is also retir- ing as president and CEO of Riddell's parent company, BRG Sports, will remain actively engaged with the company as a board member and Senior Advisor. Pro Sports Adds Pepper Pro Sports Group has added Brian Pepper, formerly of Game One and Universal Athletic, as key account manager in its Western U.S. territory. He will also oversee Pro Sport's dealer network. Pepper brings more than 25 years of experience and re- lationships to the Pro Sports team. Pro Sports, located in Jacksonville, FL, is an in- dependent shoulder pad manufacturer/vendor owned 50/50 by Josh Baker and Rhett Johnson. Adidas Unveils UEFA Balls With the popularity and viewership in the U.S. of European soccer, team deal- ers are going to want to stock up on the recently unveiled Adidas official match balls for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Women's Champions League. Both balls feature tip-to-tip stars again rather than the offset pattern that the brand has used on UCL and UWCL Official Match Balls since 2019. e stars, synonymous with the tournament, are presented in black against white hexagons with "turbo" red and "solar" yellow detailing. In addition,m the new UWCL official match ball features the exact align- ment of stars and hexagons as the men's ball but with its own graphics update. In another design element, three bands flow along the sur- face in "turbo" red and "aurora" black, representing the shape of the trophy's arms. e Adidas logo in "solar" yellow completes the new look. A CTR-Core within the ball is "tuned for accuracy and consistency, supporting fast, precise play with maximum shape and air retention." n Rawlings' Mike Zlaket Elected SFIA Chairman Mike Zlaket, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors for Rawlings Sporting Goods, has been elected chairman of the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA)Board of Directors, for a one-year term. Zlaket has a 30-plus-year history in the sporting goods industry, the last 10 of which have been as the CEO of Rawlings Sporting Goods. Zlaket replaces former Board chair Jon Ram, who served three one-year terms in the Chair role and will now serve as the im- mediate past chairman. In addition, Joe Dudy, president and CEO of Wilson Sporting Goods, has been elected to the Board, along with four Board members who were re-elected, all for three-year terms. They join 13 additional Board members serving staggered terms. The election took place at SFIA's Annual Meeting on October 17. The Board will sup- port the newly installed SFIA president and CEO, Todd Smith. Board Members Re-Elected Include: Jennifer Bendall: VP-North America, Government & Public Affairs, Nike Dave Elliott: Vice Chair, Momentec Brands Michael Schroeder: Sr. VP Sales, North America, Gildan Dan Sheridan: CEO, Brooks Running They will be joining currently serving Board members: Terry Babilla: President & CEO, BSN Sports Isabel Coscia: Senior Vice President, Marketing, Technogym Ryan Cruthirds: Chief Digital Commerce and Brand Development Officer, Implus LLC Kim Davis: Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiative & Legislative Affairs, National Hockey League Melissa Dawson: President, Molten USA Adam Franklin: President, Franklin Sports Rawleigh Grove: Vice President & General Counsel, PING Inc Ray Hilvert: Vice President, New Balance Sports Koichiro Kodama: President & CEO, Asics North America Scott McDonald: CEO, Body-Solid Inc. Roman Oben: Vice President, Football Development & Strategy, National Football League (NFL) Jon Ram: Immediate Past Chairman Kurt Tandan: Associate General Counsel and Vice President of Government Affairs, Adidas

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