Team Business Shifts With the Economy

As the landscape continues to change, here's a look at what's being worn and how it's being decorated.
April 1, 2009

The spiritwear Practice Line is brand new from Boxercraft. It features mix-and-match tops and bottoms made from 6.5-ounce 95% cotton/5% Lycra spandex. Items featured in the line include leggings, practice short, practice pant, sports bra, practice cami and practice jacket.

In these daunting economic times, even team sports are feeling the crunch. While it's true that participation remains healthy, the dollars-per-player spent on decorated apparel has dropped along with consumers' disposable income. "The numbers that people are spending [on team sports decorated apparel] are dropping," says Keith Ritschard, owner of RSB Activewear, Argyle, Wis. "[For example], screen printing nowadays is preferred more than it used to be [when it comes to] basketball designs. The economy has hit everybody and it gets more dramatic as you move down the line. Schools are not resistant to the changes."

"In my nine years of [decorating], I have seen a lot of changes, but this has been something else," says Ashaell Sirrine, team sports specialist for Pinnacle Sports in Scottsdale, Ariz. "We're still busy, but we're seeing a lot less expensive orders come in than before. We're still doing the volume, but the cost per player is down.

"We seem to have gone from an embroidered jacket as a reward for a player to a pen and pencil set," she adds. "Where there was a full warm-up suit, there's now a pair of sweat pants. There's a 'not too chic, not too shabby' approach to outfitting the participant."

Sirrine says some of her larger customers have changed their ordering approaches. For example, a team that may have previously used a Major League Baseball team name and logo on their T-shirts now use a generic nickname.

At Rainbow Sports and Printing in Bowling Green, Ky., less-expensive garments have replaced the more sophisticated styles and designs of the past. "Today, a screen printed T-shirt [may be the garment of choice] instead of a uniform jersey with tackle twill," says Phillip Carr, owner. "Some are moving away from the twill because it's too expensive." — Jennifer Morrell

To access Impressions' roundup of team apparel featured in the April 2009 digital edition, click here.

Off the Cuff: Selling to Religious Organizations: Part 1 of 2
In our industry we decorate a massive assortment of items by a broad variety of technologies. Then we distribute what we produce to virtually every economic sector in every nook and cranny of society.
September 14, 2009