Nike and Adidas ranked among the top 10 most valuable apparel brands, with the former taking the top spot — again. 

Brand Finance’s annual review revealed that the Swoosh’s brand value jumped 9% to $33.2 billion but still isn’t at the level it was two years ago. Last year, Nike’s brand value dropped 13% from 2020 to $30.4 billion but still managed to hold the top spot.

The majority of the other eight brands were made up of mostly designer names, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, and Hermès. Aggregate brand value for sportswear brands in the top 50 grew 10% to $74 billion, while luxury brands grew 21% to $125 billion.

• Adidas’ brand value grew 2% to $14.6 billion.
• Puma’s brand value jumped 13% to $4.5 billion.
• Lululemon’s brand value increased 28% to $4.2 billion.

“With convenience at the center of marketing strategy, luxury and sports brands have mastered online delivery fulfillment,” Brand Finance managing director Richard Haigh said.

Smaller, But Still Mighty

While more well-known sportswear brands increased, smaller sportswear brands were among the fastest-growing brands on the list. Skechers’ brand value skyrocketed 68% to $3.2 billion, and Li-Ning’s brand value increased by the same amount to $2 billion.

Five sportswear brands — Nike, Skechers, Moncler, Li-Ning, and Adidas — were among the top 10 “Strongest Brands,” ranked 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively.

After working to stop the European Super League, UEFA is now being accused of proposing a “backdoor attempt” at the same idea.

Premier League clubs and prominent fan group Premier League Network have pushed back against a proposal to change which teams qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

• The key point of contention is over UEFA’s proposal to add two wild-card teams in 2024, which would be based on the teams’ historical success rather than their performance in the most recent season.
• Wild cards would be awarded based on a calculation called the 10-year club coefficient.
• The top teams based on the coefficient include many of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, some of which joined the initial European Super League, such as Real Madrid (1st), Barcelona (3rd), Chelsea (4th), Atlético (5th), and Juventus (6th).
• UEFA is expected to settle on a new format at its executive meeting on May 10.

The European Super League proposed a major departure from the typical European system of basing promotion, relegation, and tournament qualification entirely on performance.

Super Revival

Meanwhile, UEFA is seeking to hold off a new attempt at a Super League spearheaded by Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus.

The three clubs filed a suit against UEFA and FIFA in October claiming that they violate European competition law by profiting from the competitions they regulate.

The Italian Football Federation has threatened Serie A clubs with expulsion if they join a breakaway league.

Marketing firm Viral Nation Inc, which focuses on influencer marketing and includes a robust sports portfolio, announced a major infusion of capital.

Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries led a round that contributed more than $198 million to the brand. Maverix Private Equity also participated.

Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers — and one of the preferred bidders for Chelsea FC — is now a part of Viral Nation’s board.

The company boasts a valuation of $515 million, Bloomberg reported.

• Viral Nation will receive a little more than half the funds up front, and the rest in the next year-and-a-half.
• The money will be used for expansion in Europe, Brazil, and Israel, co-founder and CEO Joe Gagliese told Bloomberg.

Gagliese told Bloomberg he expects total revenue to top $174 million this year.

Diving Into NIL

Since college athletes gained the right to profit off their name, image, and likeness in July 2021, Viral Nation has leaned heavily into the college sports space.

Given that more than 60% of NIL activities have focused on “posting content,” according to Opendorse, it made sense for Viral Nation to jump in.

In December, Viral Nation announced it had landed more than $400,000 worth of deals for “athlete-influencer” Anthony Hamilton Jr.

Trace, which uses advanced technology to film sporting events, recently announced that it raised $47 million in a Series C funding round. The company has reached $65.2 million in total funding.

The round was led by Pelion Venture Partners and also included Toba Capital, Lakestar, and NextGen VP.

The new capital will be used for hiring more employees, improving the product, and dipping into new sports.

• Trace, which is available for soccer, baseball, and softball, utilizes GPS sensors and a wide-angle camera to not only record games, but also compile performance metrics.
• CEO David Lokshin said the product can “deliver personalized moments to each player without any additional work from anyone on your team.”
• The brand has been used by more than 1.4 million athletes, according to Lokshin.

Between 2021 and 2026, one study suggested the sports technology market would increase from $17.9 billion to $40.2 billion.

Industry Boom

Trace is tapping into an extremely lucrative sector of the sports industry: youth sports. 

A study estimated that in 2019, the U.S. market was worth $19.2 billion — and that it could balloon to more than $77 billion by 2026.

While those numbers were charted before the pandemic temporarily halted the industry, the market is likely beginning a comeback.