SGB Update Sports & Fitness
Garmin Prevails In Navico Patent Dispute
Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., announced that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a December 2015 finding by the International Trade Commission (ITC) that Garmin had infringed Navico patents related to downscan sonar.

Saxx Underwear Appoints Braden Hoeppner As Chief Marketing Officer
Hoeppner most recently served as head of brand and online at Kit & Ace, spearheading the launch of their e-commerce and marketing technology platforms.

K2 Snowboarding Welcomes Thomas Johnson As New Marketing Manager
In his new role, Johnson will oversee all aspects of K2 Snowboarding’s marketing program alongside Global Brand Director Hunter Waldron, Digital and Social Marketing Specialist Nick Meilleur, and Marketing Coordinator Dan Mayers.

BSN Sports Acquires Salt Lake City-Based Academy Sports
Academy, serving team customers since 1991, is a leading distributor of team apparel and equipment in Utah.

Hydro Flask Welcomes New Ambassadors To Team Hydro
Hydro Flask added more than 20 action sports and active lifestyle ambassadors to its growing team.

Study: About 2.2 Billion People Are Overweight Or Obese Worldwide
About 2.2 billion children and adults suffer from health problems related to being overweight or obese, and an increasing percentage of people die from these health conditions, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Back-to-School Shopping To Grow 4.0 percent in 2017
U.S. retail sales during the back-to-school shopping season of July and August 2017 will grow 4.0 percent over 2016, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast. E-commerce for the back-to-school season are expected to grow 14.8 percent.

Adidas Partners With Arizona State To Reshape Sports
Adidas and Arizona State University announced the Adidas and Arizona State University Global Sport Alliance, a strategic partnership aimed at shaping the future of sport and amplifying sport’s positive impact on society.

Sports Direct Lifts Finish Line Stake
Sports Direct International, the U.K.’s largest sports goods retailer, lifted its stake in Finish Line to 18.9 percent from 17.4 percent previously.
Play It Again Sports Parent Launches Consulting Arm
Winmark Corp. announced the launch of Winmark Franchise Partners, a consultancy for entrepreneurs and management teams looking into franchising as a business growth strategy

Boa Expands Run Category
The creator of The Boa System formed a new brand partnership with Asics and debuted Boa-powered running shoes with New Balance and Under Armour.
Huub Sponsors Gordon Benson
Huub, the maker of wetsuits, clothing accessories and goggles, has added British triathlete Gordon Benson to its roster of ambassadors.
Blue Star Sports Acquires SportsTG
Blue Star Sports, the largest and fastest growing provider of sports technology, continues its rapid expansion with the acquisition of SportsTG, a leading provider of digital solutions and technologies to grassroots sport in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and other key international markets.

Retail Imports Could Hit Record Rate Despite Slower Growth
The rate of import growth at the nation’s major retail container ports has begun to slow after double-digit surges earlier this year, but volume should nonetheless hit an all-time high by the end of the summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Michael Jordan Still Leads Shoe Deals
According to Forbes, Michael Jordan, the endorser that put Nike on the map, again ranked far ahead of other players in royalties from shoe deals. Jordan earned $110 million last year, according to the business magazine.