SGB Update Sports & Fitness

Nike Board Member Plans to Retire from Board
Cathleen Benko, a former leader in Deloitte’s “Digital Giants” practice, plans to retire as a member of Nike’s Board of Directors, effective as of the company’s 2025 annual meeting of shareholders.

Fanatics Establishes Operations in the Middle East
The Middle East office in Doha, Qatar will serve as a hub for operations across the Fanatics enterprise and host members from various departments.

Fabletics Appoints President and Chief Marketing Officer
The operater over 100 stores, announced the expansion of Meera Bhatia’s role from chief operating officer to president and chief operating officer and the promotion of Carly Gomez to chief marketing officer.

Crunch Fitness Franchise Appoints Chief Fitness Strategy Officer
Fitness Ventures, which owns/operates over 70 Crunch Fitness locations across 28 U.S. states, has promoted Bryan Thomas to chief fitness strategy officer (CFSO).

S&S Activewear’s Debt Outlook Lowered to Negative on Promotional Industry Softness
S&P Global Rating reduced its outlook on S&S Activewear to negative as the imprintable apparel distributor has underperformed the rating agency’s EBITDA and free operating cash flow (FOCF) expectations since the acquisition of Alphabroder in the second half of 2024, due largely to continued softness in the promotional products industry.

Life Time’s Debt Upgraded on Improved Performance
S&P Global Ratings upgraded Life Time Inc., citing the fitness club operator’s strong performance with healthy underlying demand and membership trends driving EBITDA growth and leverage reduction

Fleet Feet Franchise Opens Third Store in Central Texas
The store located in Leander marks the third store in Central Texas operated by franchise owner Mark King. He also operates stores in Georgetown and Round Rock, TX, respectively.

Hibbett Launches Back-to-School App Tailored to Kids
Owned by parent company JD Sports, the retailer announced the launch of a new kids e-commerce site, kidshibbett.com, and an app dedicated to selling kids’ product carried by the retailer.

SportsVisio Secures $3.5M in Additional Funding via Multiple Sources
The developer of sports analytics software has raised its total capital to $9 million. The round includes continued support from existing investors Sapphire Sport, Hyperplane, and Sovereign’s Capital, as well as new additions from Mighty Capital, Sony Innovation Fund, Alumni Ventures, Waterstone Impact Fund, and strategic angels.

Report: Lululemon Laying Off 150 Support Center Jobs
The job cuts come as Lululemon on June 6 reported first-quarter earnings that topped guidance but trimmed its earnings guidance for the year as proposed tariffs threaten the company’s supply chain.

Survey: Golf Getaways and Digital Engagement Key Focus for the Average U.S. Golfer
Over half of U.S. players (approximately 23 million in total) take at least one golf trip per year, with 31 percent taking two or more trips. With an average length of 3.33 days, these trips are common to either Florida and California or to overseas destinations such as Scotland, Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula.

TruGolf Holdings to Execute a 1-for-50 Reverse Stock Split
As a result of the reverse stock split, the number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding will be reduced from approximately 40.5 million shares to approximately 0.8 million shares, and the number of authorized shares of Class A common stock will remain at 650 million shares.

Stretch Zone Franchise Opens In Raleigh
Owned by parent company Xponential Fitness, the franchise location in Raleigh’s Seaboard Station neighborhood marks the 398th nationwide location for Stretch Zone.

Under Armour Prices Senior Notes
The company has priced the $400 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.250 percent senior notes due 2030. It will will use the proceeds to pay down debt due in 2026.

The Pickle Pad to Open Three Nationwide Locations
The indoor pickleball brand, based in Tallahassee, FL, plans to open three new venues in the third quarter located in Myrtle Beach, SC; St. George, UT; and Newport News, VA.