Sports apparel numbers (as reported today by SportscanINFO) slowed for the third consecutive week, reversing an otherwise encouraging trend since August. Weekly ebbs and flows in this data is routine, but we start to pay attention to three consecutive data points. What’s most intriguing is that the sports retail channel remains very solid – as is the family channel, but is weakness in mass channels that took down the average yet again.

Sports Apparel: Negative Datapoint  - 1

Sports Apparel: Negative Datapoint  - 2

Sports Apparel: Negative Datapoint  - 3