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(for some reason they made the two sports as one, but who's counting?) set to feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. e IOC approved the inclusion of baseball-soball in LA28 last year, along with lacrosse sixes, flag football (see item No. 3 below), T20 cricket and squash. 6. NSGA Renames Event to Leadership Conference e National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) held its first event under a new name, the NSGA Leadership Conference (formerly known as the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit). e new name reflects the event's evolution into an education and networking vehicle for the sporting goods industry aer forming its first networking meeting held in 1965 in Bermuda to discuss industry issues and challenges. In recent years, speakers have included sports legends such as Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Cal Ripken, Jr., Billy Beane, Bill Walton and Sugar Ray Leonard, but each year also includes motivational speakers and business experts supporting education sessions exploring hot topics impacting the industry. is year's event held in Phoenix featured discussions on AI (artificial intelligence), inclusion and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) and motivational presentations from Basketball Hall of Fame member Ann Meyers Drysdale and baseball legend Steve Garvey. NSGA president and CEO Matt Carlson notes that the name change complements other event improvements like the speed networking component, where industry suppliers and distributors are matched together in a "speed dating" format. Next year's event is set for the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on May 18-20. Editorial comment: Our editors have attended every NSGA Conference for more than three decades and were instrumental in the formation of the Team Dealer Summit a number of years back. It is good to see the event rebounding post-COVID and serving as THE meeting place for the sporting goods industry these days. 5. A Call for Resilient Supply Chains On a decidedly less positive note, football helmets, baseball gloves, baseballs, hockey sticks, golf balls, tennis balls cleats, uniforms and a host of other sports gear all faced severe inventory shortages at points during the pandemic, particularly in 2022 as players returned to the field and courts aer two seasons being homebound. e shortages were attributed mostly to COVID-related issues, including China factory shutdowns, container bottlenecks outside ports as supply chains struggled to catch up to demand aer lockdowns eased, and a lack of workers. To many, however, the shortages demonstrated the need for more "resilient" supply chains that many were calling for prior to the pandemic. While inventories have rebalanced over the last two years (and even led to an overabundance in many cases), periodic shortages are expected to continue as unexpected events caused by climate change and geo-politics continue to threaten on-time deliveries. "Reliable supply chains have gone from an aerthought pre-pandemic to the forefront of trade today," Bill Sells, SVP, government and public affairs at SFIA, tells Team Insight. "SFIA engages on supply chain challenges posed by potential U.S. labor strikes at ports, railroads and UPS to keep commerce flowing. Diversification of sourcing and distribution is needed to limit exposure to supply chain disruptions, but the lapse of the GSP tariff relief program leaves companies with fewer viable sourcing options which is a challenge." Editorial comment: Who would have thought that Houti rebel attacks would impact the supply of team sports products in America, but that speaks to the global supply chain challenges faced in every business in this modern economy. 4. BSN Sports Finds Bigger PE Partner Illustrating the continued attractiveness of companies involved in the business of team sports, Varsity Sports, comprised of BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit, was sold to private-equity powerhouse KKR from Bain Capital reportedly for $4.75 billion earlier this year. Bain had purchased the business in 2018 for about $2.5 billion from Charlesbank Capital Partners and Partners Group with Charlesbank retaining a minority stake. e deal followed Varsity Sports' sale of October 2023 of the Herff Jones Graduation Business to Atlas Holdings. Adam Blumenfeld, CEO of Varsity Brands, tells Team Insight: "KKR, as our partner, is a game changer because they are the second largest private equity firm in the world, give us significant financial and strategic flexibility to aid truly transformational thinking, have an amazing domestic and global footprint for supply chain, logistics, technology, and digital/regular way growth, and offer us a broad- based ownership program that allows every one of our 6800 full-time employees (and new ones who join) – from the factory floor to the 16 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2024 teaminsightmag.com THE YEAR IN TEAM SPORTS The NSGA Leadership Conference in Arizona in May was the place to see and be seen in sporting goods this year.

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