
U.S. Lacrosse Launches Nationwide Lacrosse Communities Project
U.S. Lacrosse, the sport’s national governing body, announced the launch of the Lacrosse Communities Project – a program developed to create a vertically-integrated series of opportunities for children to participate in lacrosse from grade school through adulthood.

Report: Nike In Discussions To Sell Directly On Amazon
Nike is close to reaching a deal to sell directly on Amazon.com, according to a report from Goldman Sachs. Nike products are already sold on the site through third-party and unlicensed dealers.

Speedo USA Sets Swim Roster For 2017
Anchored by returning veterans Nathan Adrian, Missy Franklin, Conor Dwyer, Cullen Jones and Elizabeth Beisel, Team Speedo USA welcomed Ryan Murphy, its most recent addition to the team, as well as newcomers Kevin Cordes, Katie Meili, Hali Flickinger and Becca Meyers.

SFIA To Launch Product Showcase At 2017 Industry Leaders Summit
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) announced the launch of the inaugural Innovative Product Showcase at the 2017 Industry Leaders Summit.

Hibbett Sports Pledges To Raise $100,000 To Fight Heart Disease
Hibbett Sports Inc. shared plans to raise $100,000 in donations by June 30, 2017 to benefit the American Heart Association.

Puma Releases Puma One Boot
The company consulted with Antoine Griezmann, youth academy players and football-obsessed teens to design a boot that caters to every type of player.

Adidas Unveils New NHL Uniforms
On Tuesday night in Las Vegas, Adidas and the NHL unveiled the new Adizero Authentic NHL jerseys. The new uniforms, which replace Reebok’s sponsorship deal, are designed to take the hockey jersey silhouette “to the next level by redefining fit, feel and lightweight construction.”

Fila Becomes Official Apparel And Footwear Provider Of The Western & Southern Open
Fila will outfit the more than 1,300 volunteers working the event, as well as on-court personnel such as linespersons, ball persons, chairpersons, and on-mic emcees. Fila also gains the right to use the tournament logo to embellish branded clothing.

J.C. Penney Secures Refinancing
The amended and restated $2.35 billion facility provides improved pricing terms and extends the maturity from 2019 to 2022.

Keds Appoints VP Of Sales
Most recently, Dave Grange was chief executive officer of Pentland Brands, focusing primarily on Lacoste footwear and Ted Baker.

Half-Marathon Finishers Dip For Second Straight Year
A total of 1.9 million runners finished a half marathon in the U.S. in 2016, down from the record high of just over two million finishers in 2014 and slightly down from the 1.986 million total in 2015, according to Running USA’s 2016 Annual Half Marathon Report. While participation dropped, there were a record 2,800 U.S. half marathon events in 2016, up from 2,700 in 2015.

Utah Ski Areas Set All-Time Skier Visit Record During 2016/17 Season
Ski Utah announced a historical skier visit number, with a total of 4.58 million skier days, up 2.85 percent from the previous record of 4,457,575 during the 2015/16 season. This year’s number represents an 8.35 percent increase vs. Utah’s five-year average of 4,23 million.

Revenues Keep Revving Up At Western Mountain Resorts This Summer
While aggregated occupancy at mountain resorts is up a scant 0.6 percent for the summer months of May through October based on bookings made through May 31, aggregated revenue for the same time period is up a robust 9.3 percent compared to the same time last year.

Brooks-Range Mountaineering Names South Central U.S. Sales Rep
The manufacturer of outdoor equipment hired John Swartz as regional sales rep in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas and Missouri.

SFIA’s Bill Sells Recalls Alexandria Baseball Practice Shooting
“It’s a little early for fireworks.” That’s what Bill Sells, VP for government relations at SFIA, literally said at 7:15 a.m. last Wednesday after hearing the first “pop” from a gunmen’s rifle at a baseball practice session of Republican lawmakers preparing for the next day’s Congressional Baseball Game.