SGB Update Sports & Fitness

Vibram Sponsors Cotopaxi Questival Boston

Vibram is sponsoring the Cotopaxi Questival Adventure Race in Boston to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of its iconic Vibram Five Finger articulated toe shoes.

Adidas Speedfactory to Begin Large-Scale Production in 2017

Adidas announced that it would resume production of shoes in Germany more than 20 years after it stopped making them in its home country. Its new “Speedfactory” will use robots, as opposed to the manual process the company employs in its manufacturing hubs in Asia.

Varsity Brands Honors High School Leaders

Varsity Brands, the parent of Herff Jones, BSN Sports and Varsity Spirit, hosted its inaugural Varsity Brands School Spirit Awards in Orlando, FL on April 30 to recognize standout educators, teaches, coaches and students.

Concourse Sports Acquires Team Express

Concourse Holdings LLC, which owns RedsGear.com, KnifeHog.com and SoftballFans.com, has completed its acquisition of San Antonio-based sports retailer Team Express Distributing, LLC, the owner of Baseball Express, Softball.com and Football America.

Under Armour Signs $280 Million Deal With UCLA

Under Armour has signed a 15-year, $280-million contract with UCLA in what’s believed to be the largest shoe and apparel deal in NCAA history. UCLA’s contract with Adidas expires next year.

Study: Fitness Trackers May Not Inspire Fitness

Motivating consumers to engage in fitness activities may have little to do with buying a wearable or tracker, as researchers at Clarkson University released a study on May 23, 2016 showing students did not take more steps after being told their fitness would be recorded, versus days in which they did not believe their steps were being tracked.

PHIT America Sees Sharp Declines in Frequent Participants

While the number of physically inactive Americans actually declined from 83 million people in 2014 down to 81.7 million in 2015, the underlying numbers on physical inactivity in the U.S. paint a grave picture according to research just released by the Physical Activity Council (PAC).