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Read between the lines of the newest research from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) and you’ll see where the sports economy is booming — and by extension, the places where event owners are likely to see growth.
That’s the takeaway from the Manufacturers’ Sales by Category Report, now available for purchase from SFIA.
The annual report tracks U.S. wholesale sales across sporting goods equipment, athletic footwear, sports apparel and licensed merchandise, providing a comprehensive view of the industry’s health and trajectory.
According to SFIA, “Since 2020, wholesale sales have grown 34.7%, underscoring sustained post-pandemic momentum as Americans continue to prioritize physical activity.”
The sporting goods industry reached a new milestone in 2025, with wholesale sales totaling $130 billion. This represents a 3.7% year-over-year increase, as cost pressures and evolving trade and tariff policies continue to impact the industry.
Here are a few key takeaways as they relate to the sports travel industry:
In Racquet Sports:
- Pickleball is Booming: Pickleball wholesale sales hit $409.7 million in 2025, a 22% year-over-year surge — by far the fastest-growing category tracked.
- Tennis Continued its Success Story: Racquet sales hit $287 million in 2025. That is a 5 percent jump since 2024 and a whopping 27.5% rise between 2020 and 2025. Tennis ball sales were also up as well.
- Racquetball Did Not Fare as Well: After recording $7.4 million in sales in both 2024 and 2023, racquetball sunk to $6.1 million in 2025, for a year-over-year loss of 17.5%, and a total drop of 29.9% since the 2020 sales figure of $8.7 million.
Insights into Field and Diamond Sports:
- Baseball and Softball Made Big Gains: Overall, sales of baseball and softball equipment (including balls, bats, gloves and more) have risen by 65.7% since 2020.
- Football Growth: While overall, football sales as a category were strong, it’s essential to look at two subsets of that category: Balls (where sales were up by 47.4% since 2020) and Other/Accessories (an increase of 36.1% since 2020). Because that latter category is broken out separately from “Protective” (helmets, pads, etc.), it could signify sales of items used in flag football, like flags and belts.
- Soccer Showing Growth: Soccer as a category increased by 4.2% since 2024, and by 22.2% since 2020. Expect more increases as a result of the FIFA World Cup.
Photo © Arenacreative | Dreamstime.com Lacrosse is Strong: Sales of soccer equipment increased by 20.2% since 2020, and more than 5% since 2024.
Indoor Sports Also Saw Growth:
- Volleyball Equipment Also Trended Up: Volleyball sales grew by more than 5% between 2024 and 2025 and are up by more than 40% since 2020.
- Basketball Sales Grew: In basketball, sales rose to $717.4 million, a jump of 4.2% since 2024, and a five-year rise of 41.8% since 2020.
Fishing Equipment Sales are Staying Strong, up 13% since 2020 with a 2025 sales total of $3,586.7 million.
Ice Hockey Has Exploded, with a five-year growth rate of 45.4% (to a 2025 total of $332.9 million).
Snow Sports Equipment (for Skiing, Snowboarding and Cross Country) Are Up, registering a 40.1% gain since 2020, for a total of $857.1 in sales.
The Manufacturers’ Sales by Category Report has far more insights into more sports (these are some highlights only), distilled by individual years and categories. To purchase the report, visit SFIA’s website at sfia.org and click on the tab that reads “Research.”
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