Sports in denial

[rcjordan]

Sports Authority Customers Are Shopping Somewhere, Not Sporting Goods Stores

https://consumerist.com/2017/01/25/sports-authority-customers-are-shopping-somewhere-not-sporting-goods-stores/

No. They're just not shopping for sports gear in general. Interests are changing.

Trend? Revisit this thread

http://th3core.com/talk/hardware-technology/stick-a-fork-in-it-tv-is-dead/msg37841/#msg37841

[Travoli]

>Interests are changing.

Video games? It's an inexpensive, convenient, low-risk way to satiate competitive urges.

[rcjordan]

>video games

That's what I think is the most likely, but I'd now extend that to include "time on screen."  At least, that's what I'm seeing in my extended family.  Th3core says "there are only so many keystrokes in a day."  This applies to general interests as well.

But, yeah, I think it dates back to the Age Of Pong and time with a console instead of TV has silently replaced interest in sports.

[DrCool]

Could be shorter attention spans are coming in to play. Do any kids really want to go spend 4 or 5 hours playing a round of golf? Or 2 hours playing a baseball game? It is much easier to pick up a phone and spend 15 minutes looking through Instagram or Snapchat.

[rcjordan]

>attention spans

Touched on in this article, which also ties together some of the other marketing trends we've been outlining here.

Shopping habits are changing, and teen-oriented retailers like Wet Seal are among the casualties

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wet-seal-20170127-story.html

[rcjordan]

Gander Mountain preparing to file for bankruptcy

http://www.reuters.com/article/gandermountain-bankruptcy-idUSL1N1FV1O2

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and from our Smart Move? Department:

Walmart acquires outdoor retailer Moosejaw for $51 million

https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/15/walmart-acquires-outdoor-retailer-moosejaw-for-51-million/

[Travoli]

>from our Smart Move? Department:

Right after Jet.com. They're on a roll.

[rcjordan]

>after Jet.com. They're on a roll.

Yeah, gravity works that way.  Ask K-mart.

[DrCool]

>>after Jet.com. They're on a roll

Bought Shoebuy too.

I understand the Moosjaw purchase. High end camping, hiking, backpacking, etc. gear is something I think people still want a specialty shop for, not necessarily Amazon. So that is probably a good market that Amazon would have a tough time in. Shoebuy though? Since Amazon owns Zappos that one seemed like a bit of a stretch.

[rcjordan]

Maybe short Coleman stock? WM is chock full of their gear and I'd expect Moosejaw to erode that presence significantly.

[rcjordan]

Better article on WM/MJ buyout

"You won't go into Walmart and see Moosejaw T-shirts," Comerford said. "The customers are quite different."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2017/02/15/walmart-moosejaw-purchase/97949688/

[rcjordan]

[update]

Cabela's has been sold to its rival Bass Pro Shops in Missouri

https://www.npr.org/2017/12/16/566934885/cabelas-sale-sends-ripples-of-anxiety-through-rural-nebraska-town

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>>Interests are changing.

We still haven't come up with a decent answer, imo. Changing to ?? ??

(NFL) Viewership of the four main broadcast networks fell 8.7 percent last year, and 12 percent among adults 18 to 49, an important demographic
for advertisers.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-02/nfl-s-litany-of-excuses-runs-out-as-ratings-fall-for-second-year

[buckworks]

But the NFL's troubles run even deeper than demographics: its fan base is being pressured financially while the cost of attending a game keeps rising. Anecdotally, attending a game costs a small fortune now. Yes, there may be a few cheap seats in the nose-bleed sections, but the costs of getting to the game, parking and refreshments far exceed what attendance cost the previous generation, even adjusting for inflation.

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogdec17/peak-NFL12-17.html

[rcjordan]

>>12 percent among adults 18 to 49

At that rate, the audience will be roughly halved in only five years.  Where's it going?

[ergophobe]

>>Interests are changing.

We still haven't come up with a decent answer, imo. Changing to ?? ??

I'm sure you're right about video games and such, but from where I sit, I just see sports changing. I've always been into "non-sport sports" - rock climbing, trail running, backcountry skiing, things like that. When I was younger, these were all fringe sports. As recently as 2000, it was hard to even find a decent selection of backcountry ski gear in the US. I was having my gear shipped from Europe.

Now, it's an exploding market and you can't buy that shit at Sports Authority.

Same with rock climbing. Before the mid-1990s, it was sort of fringe. Then it got popular in gyms. But in the last few years it has utterly changed. People like Alex Honnold can pull down big enough bucks to start *foundations*. In 2000, sponsored climbers who got paid enough to buy a new van could be counted on your hands.

In my little "adventure sports" corner of the world, things are booming to the point that the resources we use to enjoy our sports are being stretched.