SGB Executive Sports & Fitness
Study: Pickleball Growth Slows as Skiing, Flag Football, and Pilates Step Up
NSGA’s 2026 Sports Participation Report found alpine skiing, cheerleading, flag football, kayaking and Pilates saw the strongest participation gains among sports, fitness and outdoor activities in 2025. Golf, tennis and pickleball all saw solid gains, although pickleball moderated from its breakneck pace in recent years.
EXEC: Callaway Hikes Outlook on Resilient Demand for Golf Balls, Clubs
First-quarter results topped expectations on strength in both Callaway clubs and TravisMathew drove the company to sharply raise its full-year outlook. CEO Chip Brewer said Callaway’s bullish outlook in part reflects resilient demand from golfers despite macroeconomic uncertainty.
EXEC: Under Armour and Mizuno Brazil Partner Posts Net Income Slide on Higher Debt Load
Under Armour reinforced its presence in the training market and expanded its role in performance running in Brazil in the first quarter while Mizuno picked up steam after its return to road running.
EXEC: JD Sports Sees Resilient Europe, Weak UK and Improving North America in 2026
The parent of Hibbett, JD, Finish Line, DTLR and Shoe Palace in the U.S. and multiple other sports, outdoor and footwear banners across Europe and Asia Pacific, posted total sales of £12.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 31, an 11.7 percent year-over-year (y/y) increase at constant FX rates and 10.5 percent y/y growth at reported rates.
EXEC: Titleist Parent Talks Product Launches, Pricing Actions and Tariffs
Acushnet Holdings Corp. reported sales grew 4.1 percent in the first quarter on a currency-neutral basis, led by strength in Titleist golf balls and clubs and higher prices across many categories. On a quarterly analyst call, David Maher, Acushnet’s president and CEO, called out a promising launch to Titleist’s GTS drivers and indicated the overall golf season is off to a healthy start globally.
Castore Secures £90M Credit Facility to Support Growth
Castore, the Manchester-based sportswear brand, secured a £90 million ($122mm) facility to support the opening of more stores in the UK and continued international expansion into key Middle Eastern and Asian markets. The facility came from HSBC UK, BNP Paribas and Lloyds.
EXEC: Descente Sees Fourth Consecutive Year of Record Profits
Descente, owned by Japanese trading house Itochu Corp, achieved record profits for the fourth consecutive year, mainly due to robust growth in China.
EXEC: Varsity Brands CEO Adam Blumenfeld Eyes Growth Opps in Soccer and Lacrosse
Adam Blumenfeld, CEO of Varsity Brands, the parent company of BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit, spoke with SGB Executive about the potential synergies and opportunities arising from BSN Sports’ acquisition of Sports Endeavors, the operator of Soccer.com and lacrosse retailer Lax.com.
EXEC: GameStop Makes $56 Billion Bid to Acquire eBay
The original “meme stock” company has made an unsolicited, non-binding offer to acquire eBay for $125 per share in a cash-and-stock deal, valuing the e-commerce platform at roughly $55.5 billion. GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen told the Wall Street Journal that he saw a path to make the e-commerce company a much bigger competitor to Amazon.com.
EXEC: Adidas To Invest €100M Into German Football’s Bundesliga
Adidas agreed to invest €100 million ($116.8M) into the Bundesliga, which governs the top two divisions of German football. The partnership is designed to support the growth of the leagues and the development of its 36 member clubs.
EXEC: Escalade Inc. Ekes Out Q1 Sales Increase on Gold Tip Acquisition Upside
Escalade, Inc. reported earnings as lower fixed costs and a favorable sales mix lifted gross margins by 408 basis points. Sales inched up 0.6 percent, with the gain attributed to the acquisition of the Gold Tip archery brand.
EXEC: Sebago, Sundek and Woolrich Europe Owner Gets Q1 Lift from 2025 Acquisitions
Milan, Italy-based BasicNet S.p.A., the parent of Briko, K-Way, Kappa, Robe di Kappa, Sebago, Sundek, Superga, Woolrich Europe, reported that consolidated revenues, which includes Direct Sales and Royalties from the licensees, grew 35.1 percent year-over-year.
EXEC: Puma SE Sees FX Rates Cut Into Reported Performance in Q1
Reported sales, which were said to be supported by the clearance of elevated inventories – mainly through selected partners in the wholesale channel – took a significant hit from foreign currency exchange rates and falling 6.3 percent year-over-year.
EXEC: Puma SE Names Former Hugo Boss CEO as Chief Financial Officer
Mark Langer reportedly brings more than 25 years of international leadership experience in finance, strategy and general management, with a strong track record in driving performance and shaping global consumer brands in publicly listed environments.
EXEC: Adidas Forecasts High-Single Digit Growth Over Next Three Years
Wrapping up another quarter of growth well above industry averages and seeing one it’s the brand’s ambassadors break the sub-two-hour marathon this past weekend, Adidas’ CEO Bjørn Gulden told analysts he expects Adidas to deliver high-single growth in 2026, 2027 and 2027 with stronger gains in profitability.
