| Sporting goods can help you pursue your passion for | | | | 1997. The country imported even more sporting goods |
| any kind of sport. Whether you love extreme sports | | | | in 2005. |
| like cliffhanging and racing; or outdoor sports like | | | | Shipments of sports apparel rose to about $24 billion. |
| mountain climbing, wall climbing, or hiking; or even | | | | Shipments of athletic footwear went up almost three |
| regular sports such as basketball, the breakthrough | | | | percent to almost $10 billion. The demand for fitness |
| technology of sporting goods can make your game | | | | equipment also increased by about four percent to |
| better and more importantly, safer. | | | | almost $4 billion - and about 80 percent of this growth |
| Development of Sporting Goods | | | | represents home equipment exercise. Golf equipment |
| Factory sales of sporting goods have been growing | | | | sales also rose to $2.5 billion (or by about three |
| steadily since the early 1990s, according to the | | | | percent). The same is true for hiking and camping |
| Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. | | | | equipment shipping, which increased by three percent |
| Economists attribute this to the fact that this industry is | | | | to almost $2 billion. |
| better positioned than others to withstand economic | | | | Future of Sporting Goods |
| recessions. People are becoming more and more | | | | Manufacturers of sporting goods are continuously |
| health conscious, and they tend to spend a bigger | | | | trying to outdo each other through advanced |
| portion of their incomes on sports activities. | | | | technology. High-tech sporting goods now employ |
| In fact, the United States importation of sporting goods | | | | nanotechnology, but there are still concerns about the |
| rose four percent in 2004, to $52.1 billion - the largest | | | | safety of nanoparticles. |
| percentage increase the industry has achieved since | | | | |