Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1532210
T h is is that time of year when in-the-know magazine editors (like me) go out on a limb to make projections for the year ahead in their particular industry. It is always a fun exercise that provides food for thought and debate —and hopefully doesn't come back to bite us at the end of the year because everything we predicted was wrong. So to avoid that I am going to follow a slightly different path and predict a few things that are NOT going to happen in 2025. It's more fun that way. 1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is NOT going to have an impact on team dealers in 2025. Maybe not in 2026 or 2030, either. AI has amazing potential in so many areas and will greatly impact the sports business in myriad ways – marketing, product development, data analysis – but despite the findings of the report we excerpt on page 8, I cannot foresee it impacting the way dealers do business. ey have adapted tech- nology in their businesses through online team stores and real-time inventory management, among other areas, but to think the hands-on personal touch of team selling is going to be replaced – or even utilized a little – by a robot in the foreseeable future is off base. 2. Kids are NOT going to stop playing team sports. All of the numbers we see point in the opposite direction — in a post-pandemic world youth sports (and adult sports as well) matter more than ever. Yes, one-sport specialization at younger ages and safety concerns in some contact sports will impact participation, but that trend arrow is going to continue to point upwards. 3. Transgender issues in team sports will NOT go away. While we hesitate to touch this controversial topic, trans equality in team sports will remain a hot button topic impacting every level of the games and team dealers need to stay on top of the issue in their local markets. 4. NIL will NOT infiltrate youth sports. Okay, Adidas did recently sign a high schooler to a Name, Image and Likeness deal and some hotshot football and basketball players scored some cash in moves that garnered a lot of attention and head scratching. And NIL deals have certainly changed the college landscape — for better or worse, depending on your perspective. But other than the local sporting goods store or pizza joint giving a high school influencer a few bucks to promote their business, we don't see big money filtering down to the high school level any time soon. ankfully. 5. Team Insight will NOT take its eye off the ball on any of these issues. I have had the pleasure of writ- ing these Crystal Ball editorials for more than three decades and remain committed to reporting on and analyzing the issues that will and will NOT impact the day-to-day business lives of our readers. My track record probably gets a B+ grade — and that is NOT anything to complain about. Let's check in on these projections in a few months. n WHAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN 2025 My track record in these projections probably gets a B+ grade — and that is NOT anything to complain about. Let's check in on these projections in a few months. TEAM TALK / MICHAEL JACOBSEN STAHLS.COM | 800.4.STAHLS Get Yours Today stahls.com/team-hats ANY HAT. ANY STYLE. ANY LOCATION. HOTRONIX® 360 IQ® TI0125 • Prevents Scorching • Prints All Sides of Hats • Perfect for Emblems & Patches THE MVP FOR SPRING SPORTS 6 • Team Insight ~ January/February 2025 teaminsightmag.com