The sports equipment business has grown from very humble beginnings to a multi-billion dollar industry in the last 100 years. What is the main thing that spurred this growth?
In some ways, you might say there has been a sports gear industry for thousands of years. Man has always engaged in sport and recreational activities whenever his quest for survival allowed him any leisure time at all. In ancient Rome, games like chariot races and gladiatorial contests entertained the people. It might be said that the suppliers of the chariots and the makers of swords were involved in industry, but in each case, the product was used for other things and was adapted to the sporting or leisure event.
Some early activities in the middle ages were the beginning of sports that were unique from other activities. Early sports such as golf, forms of tennis, and even fishing, began to demand specialized products. In was in the 19th century, perhaps, that the true beginning of the industry could be found. Some companies were formed that concentrated solely on the production of leisure activity products. Some of these early, small companies have grown into the industry giants of today.
In 1906, a number of these companies banded together to form the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SMGA). This organization was formed to promote the common interest of those involved in the manufacturing of items used for sports and recreation. The true growth spurt came in the years after World War I, when team sports such as baseball and football began to grow in popularity. Just about every major sporting activity traces its roots and early history to this period.
In 1957, the SMGA began operating a Sporting Goods Fair. This became the Super Show in 1986 and was the single largest Sporting Goods product show in the World. The SMGA has also been a political force. In 1997, it was instrumental in eliminating the use of child labor to produce soccer balls in Pakistan. It was not the SMGA that was causing the rapid growth of the industry, however. It was the technological revolution. Labor saving devices and machines in the work place and the home had given people more free time. This free time was being used for leisure activities.
At one time, sport and leisure was the reward of wealth and nobility. Today, this has changed. People have a lot of free time and every single sporting and recreational activity has experienced incredible growth in the last 50 years. The Sporting Goods Industry has profited from this growth by supplying the goods, but it has also helped spur the growth by making high quality, safe, and ever better products available to the public.
Aazdak Alisimo writes about sporting equipment for SportingEquipmentStores.com.
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