Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1532210
coaches to get orders in ear- lier to take advantage of deals and promos." He has found that headwear is primarily a team sale via athletic directors, coaches and travel teams rather than through online team stores. "For our schools, budgets are holding steady and this will continue in the coming year," says Manning. "We may sell a few extra hats if dads want one." He adds, "We sell an average of two hats per player – home and away – and we've been getting away from actual sizes for the past three to four years. Fitted caps are not part of the equation these days — for travel baseball, teams want Stretch Fit and Flexfit, and school and team colors." At Fort Worth, TX-based Carey's Sporting Goods, head- wear sales are limited to school teams, with school colors and meshes being the most popu- lar styles. "We sell almost no sublimated hats — it's mostly embroidery for high schools," says owner Dan Carey. He points out that in the Lone Star State uniforms, hats and equipment are all provided by the schools. "For us, online team stores don't account for a lot of business. It's a unique situation in Texas." Carey also notes that while small schools may buy one hat per player, larger schools with bigger baseball programs will buy two hats minimum per player – or even four or five per player – and some coaches will sell hats to booster club parents and other team supporters. On the East Coast, Scott Treiber, owner of Sports Paradise in Medford, NJ, is pleased that most cap suppli- ers are "delivering in a timely manner." For his business, headwear is more of a team sale and not much is sold through online team stores because "hats typically do not sell in volume [in online stores], so it's tough to hit minimums," he says. From a trend standpoint, "Rope hats are popular again, as well as trucker hats," Treiber reports. "Overall, I would say that the team headwear market is holding steady and as man- ufacturers lower minimums and shorten delivery times, that will help, too." One Last Thought Looking ahead, The Game's Kennedy offers these words of advice: "Making sure that dealers, and espe- cially teams, are aware of all buying opportunities to take advantage of programs that tie back to pricing or promo goods is very im- portant. That education will help spur incremental sales in the fanwear/booster club category that will help grow your headwear business." n 24 • Team Insight ~ January/February 2025 teaminsightmag.com TEAM HEADWEAR TEAM HEADWEAR Custom built. Nike branded. Nike.Teamheadwear.com