LENZ Sports September Newsletter

We hope everyone had a fantastic end to the summer, and are ready for schedule craziness that comes with the start of the fall. First, here are some industry thoughts from our founders.

There is a hot topic going around right now that "youth & travel sports are broken because of social media & NIL". Personally, I don't think the industry is broken, rather we are in a teaching moment for youth sports. Now more than ever we need to be specific with each age bucket and what they need. 8 Year Olds to 12 Year Olds: Let's keep harping on higher participation rates & introductions to new sports. 13 Year Olds to 15 Year Olds: Focus on Development, More Consistent Play. 16 Year Olds to 18 Year Olds: Specialization of Sport, and Let's educate these guys and girls on the NIL landscape and the "paid full time job" they are about to experience for the next 4 years of school. Youth Sports & AAU are not broken, we just need to treat each age group with its own focus.

LENZ Sports formed three sports gear partnerships, that youth sports teams and organizations can take advantage of to boost their look on and off the field.

Rawlings / Easton

Rawlings and Easton are leading manufacturers of baseball and softball equipment, known for their innovative designs and technologies in bats, gloves, and other gear, with Easton having a particularly strong reputation in bat technology and a long-standing partnership with Little League Baseball and Softball.

New Balance

New Balance places a strong emphasis on product quality, which has resulted in substantial growth and success within the athletic apparel and footwear industry. Their popularity continues to rise every year, as they sign deals with athletic superstars like Shohei Ohtani of the MLB and Kawhi Leonard of the NBA. In 2024, New Balance achieved record sales of 7.8 billion dollars.

Pioneer Fit

Founded in 1979 in Sidney, Nebraska, Pioneer Fit started as a manufacturer of premium fitness belts, and safety accessories. In 1996 the entire organization relocated to a custom-built 12,500 square foot facility in central Texas, where they are still located today. In 2013, Pioneer Fit started selling belts directly to consumers and implemented the custom belt features you all have hopefully seen. Pioneer Fit prides itself on using American-made components where possible for its products and sells under the Pioneer name as well as private labeling for several esteemed fitness and safety distributors worldwide.

 LENZ Sports takes care of the entire gear process from design to delivery. They ensure that teams and organizations receive top-quality apparel & equipment delivered on time.

To learn more about how LENZ Sports can enhance your team gear process, contact Gavin Grande at [email protected].

We can’t wait to continue into Fall 2025 with spectacular events and sports gear opportunities for teams.

Thank you,

Mike Palumbo & Matt Wray - Co-Founders, LENZ Sports