Must-read
TIME100 Sports marks shift to an influence economy
Athletes, owners and podcasters share equal billing in the magazine’s first ranking of who actually runs global sport.
When brands stop sponsoring sport and start building it
The Satisfy x adidas Circle Pit wasn’t just a product launch. It was an argument that brands, not federations, now set the rules for how sport grows.
Rugby State of Play 2026
Rugby’s recovery is led by pre-teens and women. Brands still targeting adult club rugby are on the wrong side of the demand curve.
When brands stop sponsoring sport and start building it
The Satisfy x adidas Circle Pit wasn’t just a product launch. It was an argument that brands, not federations, now set the rules for how sport grows.
Lululemon launches video podcast series in China
The brand’s first video podcast lands on Bilibili, not YouTube. The market choice says more than the format.
TIME100 Sports marks shift to an influence economy
Athletes, owners and podcasters share equal billing in the magazine’s first ranking of who actually runs global sport.
Real Madrid renews adidas and Emirates deals
The adidas kit deal runs to 2034 and the Emirates shirt sponsorship to 2031, with both covering women’s and basketball teams.
Macron adds a sound to go with its identity
The high-end teamwear specialist now has an audio identity to match its product quality
Shoptalk Europe 2026 wrap-up: AI and agentic commerce
The Barcelona event drew 4,500 leaders. Key takeaways on AI adoption, consumer trust and discovery-led commerce.
Agassi’s venture signs Jannik Sinner’s coach
The coach of Agassi, Sinner and Halep will support Agassi Intelligence, the AI coaching platform ASE is developing with IBM.
Ellesse casts British actor to play the Italian
Andrew Garfield’s turn as an “honorary Italian” anchors a three-chapter campaign rolling out through the summer.
World Cup kit in 20 minutes: Sports Direct partners with Zapp
Zapp says 78% of football orders arrive within 90 minutes of kick-off, outside store hours. Sports Direct wants that demand.
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BRAND SPOTLIGHT
Li-Ning signs Curry. The game changes. Our analysis.
A $400m+ deal with Stephen Curry caps a multi-year push by Li-Ning to break out of China. Here’s what the strategy actually looks like.
PARTNER CONTENT
ISPO launches Leaders Summit with €3 million investment programme
The ISPO Leaders Summit will open ISPO 2026 on 3 November in Amsterdam, convening a senior audience of C-suite executives, policymakers and industry leaders from across the global sport, outdoor and winter market.
When brands stop sponsoring sport and start building it
The Satisfy x adidas Circle Pit wasn’t just a product launch. It was an argument that brands, not federations, now set the rules for how sport grows.
Europe’s gyms are changing hands fund by fund
VivaGym’s Sparta deal is the latest move in a consolidation wave reshaping budget fitness across the continent.
One analyst, two verdicts: adidas up, Nike down
RBC’s Dadhania published both calls on the same day, using a consistent valuation framework, and on the eve of the World Cup.
Frasers bids for all of Hugo Boss
Six months after a boardroom clash, Sports Direct’s parent moves for full control of the German fashion house.
Shoptalk Europe 2026 wrap-up: AI and agentic commerce
The Barcelona event drew 4,500 leaders. Key takeaways on AI adoption, consumer trust and discovery-led commerce.
World Cup kit in 20 minutes: Sports Direct partners with Zapp
Zapp says 78% of football orders arrive within 90 minutes of kick-off, outside store hours. Sports Direct wants that demand.
A World Cup boost? German retailers expect little
Germany’s retail federation polled 400 companies: only sports and food retail expect a real impulse from the overseas event
German sports retail: three models, one outcome still open
What Decathlon, Intersport and Sport 2000 are each building isn’t just store networks. It’s three different theories of what sports retail is for.
Lululemon launches video podcast series in China
The brand’s first video podcast lands on Bilibili, not YouTube. The market choice says more than the format.
Real Madrid renews adidas and Emirates deals
The adidas kit deal runs to 2034 and the Emirates shirt sponsorship to 2031, with both covering women’s and basketball teams.
Macron adds a sound to go with its identity
The high-end teamwear specialist now has an audio identity to match its product quality
Ellesse casts British actor to play the Italian
Andrew Garfield’s turn as an “honorary Italian” anchors a three-chapter campaign rolling out through the summer.
Dressed to the Nine (iron)
South Korea buys nearly half the world’s golf fashion: a $4 billion market powered by women, status and lifestyle wear.
Rugby State of Play 2026
Rugby’s recovery is led by pre-teens and women. Brands still targeting adult club rugby are on the wrong side of the demand curve.
Swipe left, buy Local: the Douyin athleisure takeover
Grandparents with 34 million Douyin followers, a $910 billion silver economy, and a guochao generation rewriting who buys local activewear, and why.
Record numbers. New players. The soccer boom in the US is already here.
SFIA data shows U.S. soccer at peak participation, driven by Hispanic growth, female re-engagement, and millennials.
Footasylum CFO Nick Scott steps down
The UK sportswear retailer says Scott leaves “to pursue new ambitions”; the search for a permanent successor is underway
Intersport adds a fourth C-suite seat
Intersport creates Chief Strategic Brands Partnership Officer role as its executive team grows to four
Jens Aage Skare Nielsen confirmed as Rugby Europe CEO
Eight months in, the interim CEO gets the permanent job
Uneekor launches in UK and Europe with new sales team
The AI-powered golf simulator brand appoints EMEA Director of Sales, UK & Ireland Director, and EMEA Supply Chain Manager.
Decathlon adds cash refund to festival tent return scheme
The cash-back addition tests whether financial incentives can shift festival disposal behavior at scale.
Patagonia organic cotton: 30 years on
Patagonia went organic in 1996. The rest of the industry didn’t follow.
Shoes almost never get recycled. Here’s the data.
The first large-scale material analysis of European post-consumer footwear finds adhesives, black pigments, and missing pairs are the real obstacles to recycling.
FIFA launches female health and performance project
FIFA releases 30 peer-reviewed modules for its 211 member associations covering female physiology, nutrition, injury prevention and reproductive health.
Agassi’s venture signs Jannik Sinner’s coach
The coach of Agassi, Sinner and Halep will support Agassi Intelligence, the AI coaching platform ASE is developing with IBM.
What Taiwan’s fitness diplomacy tells the industry
Taiwan is using the health and fitness economy as a channel for economic diplomacy, and the sporting goods industry should take note.
Oura: small ring, large ambitions
Ring 5 launch: the biggest media push in Oura’s history is also its most strategic.
WTA names Accenture technology partner
Multi-year deal covers digital platform development, AI integration, audience growth and live event experience — starting with the WTA Player Zone.
Hainan duty-free partners with Lululemon
The Hainan duty-free retailer is expanding a sports portfolio that now includes Lululemon, Salomon, Under Armour, adidas and Nike.
Nike may pocket the tariff refund. Consumers want it back.
Footwear giant raised prices by up to $10 to offset $1bn in import costs. Now the tariffs are gone — and so is its commitment to refund shoppers.
Trump tariff refunds: are you in the queue?
$127 billion enters the queue — but not all at once
US Customs race to build IEEPA tariff refund system
Around 330,000 US importers await refunds on $166bn in IEEPA tariffs as CBP builds a new processing system under court supervision.
Spain to tighten borders to low-value foreign e-commerce
New measures target platforms like Shein and Temu, aligning with EU policy whilst introducing additional scrutiny.
Adidas probes partner data breach
Criminals claim 815,000 rows of data stolen from an Adidas extranet via a martial arts products licensee.
Nike probed in the US for bias against white employees
Federal regulators claim diversity programs discriminated against white employees, challenging past corporate DEI practices.
Nike pays Thai workers after five years
After nearly five years of advocacy, Nike agrees to compensate 3,300 Thai factory workers who were allegedly coerced into unpaid leave during the pandemic.
Intelligence, analysis and advice for the global sporting goods industry.
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