This research involved an analysis of the sporting goods industry. Following an historical review of the industry, economic and major competitors, competitive structure and marketing strategies, environmental threats and opportunities, and future strategies are addressed.
In its infancy, the national sporting goods industry involved the production and marketing of a few items of equipment and devices which could not be easily fashioned by either individual users or small local firms (Moskowitz, Katz, and Levering, 1986). In many instances, equipment used in the pursuit of sport was not considered to be sporting goods, but rather other types of goods which were temporarily converted to recreational uses, such as boats. As the American society evolved, however, so did the sporting goods industry.
One of the more significant changes in the American society which has occurred in the twentieth century is the increase in the amount of leisure time available to the ordinary person (Gwartney, Stroup, and Studenmund, 1990). This increase in leisure time spawned the contemporary leisure time industry, of which the present day sporting goods industry is a segment (Standard & Poor's, 1991). In the early 1990s, the sporting goods segment of the leisure time industry is divided into two sub segments. The first sub segment includes all equipment (other than transportation), devices (other than transportation), clothing, headgear, and footwear used in sporting and recreational activities (Standard & Poor's, 1991). Within the context of total sales, this sub segment accounts for 53.1 percent of the total sales of the sporting goods segment of the leisure time industry (calculated from data obtained from Standard & Poor's, 1991). The second sub segment included all recreational transportation equipment and devices bicycles, power boats, recreational vehicles (RVs), skateboards, and so forth (Standard & Poor's, 1991). This sub segment ...