The report “Sports Technology – Company Evaluation Report, 2025” by ResearchAndMarkets.com identifies the top 12 sports technology companies shaping the market to 2030. The key drivers of market growth include enhancing fan engagement, data-driven decision-making, team performance, esports technology, and IoT technologies. However, high initial costs and budget limitations are restraints. Opportunities are emerging with AI, ML, AR, VR, and real-time analytics integration. The report also highlights key players such as Apple, Samsung, Alphabet, and Cisco Systems.

The report “Sports Technology – Company Evaluation Report, 2025” by ResearchAndMarkets.com offers a comprehensive overview of the top 12 sports technology companies that are poised to shape the market landscape by 2030. The report highlights key drivers of market growth, including enhancing fan engagement, data-driven decision-making, team performance, esports technology, and IoT technologies. However, it also notes significant restraints such as high initial costs and budget limitations. The report underscores the potential of emerging technologies like AI, ML, AR, VR, and real-time analytics to drive market growth.

Among the top players identified in the report are Apple, Samsung, Alphabet, and Cisco Systems. These companies are at the forefront of innovation in sports technology, leveraging advanced technologies to revolutionize various aspects of sports, from performance analysis to fan engagement.

Apple Inc., with its Apple Watch Series 10, exemplifies the integration of cutting-edge technology in sports. The smartwatch offers enhanced health management and performance tracking features, making it a popular choice among athletes and sports enthusiasts [1].

Samsung, with its Galaxy Watch Ultra and Watch 7, has also made significant strides in the sports technology market. These smartwatches incorporate AI capabilities and advanced technologies, providing users with improved health management and overall wellness [1].

Alphabet Inc., through its various subsidiaries, is actively involved in developing AI-based solutions for sports analytics and performance enhancement. The company’s Google Cloud platform is used to process and analyze vast amounts of sports data, providing actionable insights for teams and coaches [1].

Cisco Systems, Inc. is another key player in the sports technology market. The company’s networking solutions and IoT technologies are used to enhance stadium operations and fan engagement. Cisco’s solutions help in real-time data processing, improving the overall sports experience for fans [1].

The report also notes that the sports technology market is expected to reach USD 68.70 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 14.9% from 2025 to 2030. This growth is driven by the increasing adoption of AI, IoT, and big data across various segments of the sports industry, including performance analysis, fan interaction, and sports management [1].

In conclusion, the sports technology market is witnessing significant growth and innovation, driven by the integration of advanced technologies. The top 12 companies identified in the report are well-positioned to capitalize on this growth, offering a range of solutions that enhance performance, fan engagement, and overall sports experience.

References:
[1] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sports-technology-market-reach-68-110000002.html

Dora Diaz, left, and her daughter Fernanda Diaz, 14, shops for school supplies at a Walmart in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday. (AP photo)

NEW YORK — Feeling nostalgic for the days when going back to school meant picking out fresh notebooks, pencils and colored markers at a local drugstore or stationary shop? The annual retail ritual is both easier and more complicated for today’s students.

Chains like Walmart generate online lists of school supplies for customers who type in their zip codes, then choose a school and a grade level. One click and they are ready to check out. Some schools also offer busy parents a one-stop shop by partnering with vendors that sell premade kits with binders, index cards, pens and other needed items.

Yet for all the time-saving options, many families begin their back-to-school shopping months before Labor Day, searching around for the best deals and making purchases tied to summer sales. This year, the possibility of price increases from new U.S. tariffs on imports motivated more shoppers to get a jump start on replacing and refilling school backpacks, according to retail analysts.

Retail and technology consulting company Coresight Research estimates that back-to-school spending from June through August will reach $33.3 billion in the U.S., a 3.3% increase from the same three-month period a year ago. The company predicted families would complete about 60% of their shopping before August to avoid extra costs from tariffs.

“Consumers are of the mindset where they’re being very strategic and conscientious around price fluctuations, so for back to school, it prompts them to shop even earlier,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, the research division of software company Adobe Inc.

Kylie and Cash Zimmerman shop in the back-to-school supplies section of a Target in Sherwood, Ore., on Friday. (AP photo)

Getting a head start

Miami resident Jacqueline Agudelo, 39, was one of the early birds who started shopping for school supplies in June because she wanted to get ahead of possible price increases from new U.S. tariffs on imported products.

The teacher’s supply list for her 5-year-old son, who started kindergarten earlier this month, mandated specific classroom items in big quantities. Agudelo said her shopping list included 15 boxes of Crayola crayons, Lysol wipes and five boxes of Ticonderoga brand pencils, all sharpened.

Agudelo said she spent $160 after finding plenty of bargains online and in stores, including the crayons at half off, but found the experience stressful.

“I am overwhelmed by the need to stay on top of where the deals are as shopping has become more expensive over the years,” she said.

A lot of the backpacks, lined paper, glue sticks — and Ticonderoga pencils — sold in the U.S. are made in China, whose products were subjected to a 145% tariff in the spring. Under the latest agreement between the countries, Chinese goods are taxed at a 30% rate when they enter the U.S.

Many companies accelerated shipments from China early in the year, stockpiling inventory at pre-tariff prices. Some predicted consumers would encounter higher prices just in time for the back-to-school shopping season. Although government data showed consumer prices rose 2.7% last month from a year earlier, strategic discounting by major retailers may have muted any sticker shock for customers seeking school supplies.

Backpacks and lunchboxes, for example, had discounts as deep as 12.1% during Amazon’s Prime Day sales and competing online sales at Target and Walmart in early July, Adobe Insights said.

Throughout the summer, some of the biggest chains have are advertising selective price freezes to hold onto customers.

Walmart is advertising a 14-item school supplies deal that costs $16, the lowest price in six years, company spokesperson Leigh Stidham said. Target said in June that it would maintain its 2024 prices on 20 key back-to-school items that together cost less than $20.

An analysis consumer data provider Numerator prepared for The Associated Press showed the retail cost of 48 products a family with two school age children might need — two lunchboxes, two scientific calculators, a pair of boy’s shoes — averaged $272 in July, or $3 less than the same month last year.

Digital natives in the classroom

Numerator, which tracks U.S. retail prices through sales receipts, online account activity and other information from 200,000 shoppers, reported last year that households were buying fewer notebooks, book covers, writing instruments and other familiar staples as students did more of their work on computers.

The transition does not mean students no longer have to stock up on plastic folders, highlighters and erasers, or that parents are spending less to equip their children for class. Accounting and consulting firm Deloitte estimates that traditional school supplies will account for more than $7 billion of the $31 billion it expects U.S. parents to put toward back-to-school shopping.

Shopping habits also are evolving. TeacherLists, an online platform where individual schools and teachers can upload their recommended supply lists and parents can search for them, was launched in 2012 to reduce the need for paper lists. It now has more than 2 million lists from 70,000 schools.

Users have the option of clicking on an icon that populates an online shopping cart at participating retail chains. Some retailers also license the data for use on their websites and in their stores, said Dyanne Griffin, the architect and vice president of TeacherLists.

The typical number of items teacher request has remained fairly steady at around 17 since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, Griffin said. “The new items that had come on the list, you know, in the last four or five years are more the tech side. Everybody needs headphones or earbuds, that type of thing, maybe a mouse,” she said.

She’s also noticed a lot of schools requiring clear backpacks and pencil pouches so the gear can’t be used to stow guns.

Enter artificial intelligence

For consumers who like to research their options before they buy, technology and retail companies have introduced generative AI tools to help them find and compare products. Rufus, the AI-powered shopping assistant that Amazon launched last year, is now joined by Sparky, an app-only feature that Walmart shoppers can use to get age-specific product recommendations and other information in response to their questions.

Just over a quarter of U.S. adults say they use AI for shopping, which is considerably lower than the number who say they use AI for tasks such as searching for information or brainstorming, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in July.

Some traditions remain

Before the pandemic turned a lot more people into online shoppers, schools and local Parent Teacher Associations embraced the idea of making back-to-school shopping easier by ordering ready-made bundles of teacher-recommended supplies. An extra fee on the price helped raise money for the school.

Market data from Edukit, a supplier of school supply kits owned by TeachersList parent company School Family Media, shows that about 40% of parents end up buying the boxes, meaning the other 60% need to shop on their own, Griffin said. She noted that parents typically must commit no later than June to secure a bundle, which focus on essentials like notebooks and crayons.

Agudelo said her son’s school offered a box for $190 that focused on basics like crayons and notebooks but didn’t include a backpack. She decided to pass and shop around for the best prices. She also liked bringing her son along for the shopping trips.

“There’s that sense of getting him mentally prepared for the school year,” Agudelo said. “The box takes away from that.”

Sports Impact Technologies, an Irish startup which has developed a compact, behind-the-ear sports wearable that detects head impacts in real-time to enhance player safety and performance by eliminating undetected concussions, today announced that it has secured €650,000 in pre-seed funding.

The young company was founded in 2022 by Eóin Tuohy, is headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin. This pre-seed investment round, led by private investors with the support of Enterprise Ireland High-Potential Startup (HPSU) funding, will be used by Sports Impact Technologies to accelerate the roll-out of the company’s beta product.

The wearable sensor, which is sport and player agnostic and sits comfortably and discreetly behind the ear, monitors head impacts during a game by recording head accelerations. Data and alerts are transmitted in real-time via an app to coaches, medical staff, or safety officials who can then make an informed decision to take a player off the pitch to be assessed for concussion, reducing the risk of further injury and ensuring player safety on the field.

Eóin Tuohy, CEO and founder, Sports Impact Technologies said: “It is estimated that between 5% and 10% of players experience a concussion in any given sports season, with 5 in 10 concussions going unreported or undetected leading to players experiencing long-term health implications. Using our smart sensor technology to monitor head impacts in real-time, our goal is to make unrecognised concussions a thing of the past protecting athletes, optimising their performance, and enabling participation.”

He added, “We’re thrilled to have closed this funding round with the backing of both private investors and Enterprise Ireland. The investment will support the final stages of product development and help us bring our beta wearable to market. We are launching beta-testing programmes with pilot customers in sports ranging from American football to rugby to soccer, hockey and GAA football this September, which will provide valuable real-world data and position us for a full product launch early next year.”

Sports Impact Technologies previously completed the Enterprise Ireland funded New Frontiers Programme at TU Dublin and secured €100k in Enterprise Ireland PSSF funding. The company, also an ESA BIC client company, was named the winner of the ‘Best New Start’ Award in the Connacht and Leinster regional final of 2024 InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition.

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Most stocks fell on Wall Street Thursday after a disappointing report said inflation was worse last month at the U.S. wholesale level than economists expected. But gains for Amazon and some other influential Big Tech companies helped mask the losses.

Seven out of every 10 stocks within the S&P 500 fell, though the index edged up by less than 0.1% to set another all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 11 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite dipped by less than 0.1% from its record set the day before.

The inflation report said that prices jumped 3.3% last month at the U.S. wholesale level from a year earlier. That was well above the 2.5% rate that economists had forecast, and it could hint at higher inflation ahead for U.S. shoppers as it makes its way through the system.

The data forced traders to second guess their widespread consensus that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. Lower rates can boost investment prices and the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment, but they also risk worsening inflation.

“This doesn’t slam the door on a September rate cut,” but it may raise some doubt, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.

Traders now see a 7.4% chance that the Fed may hold rates steady in September, according to data from CME Group. A day earlier, they were betting on a 100% certainty that the Fed would cut its main rate for the first time this year.

Higher interest rates drag on all kinds of companies by keeping the cost to borrow high. They can hurt smaller companies in particular because they often need to borrow to grow. The Russell 2000 index of smaller U.S. stocks tumbled a market-leading 1.2%.

Thursday’s disappointing data followed an encouraging update earlier in the week on prices at the consumer level. A separate report on Thursday, meanwhile, said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. That’s a good sign for workers, indicating that layoffs remain relatively low at a time when job openings have become more difficult to find.

But a solid job market could also give the Fed less reason to cut interest rates in the short term.

The data helped send Treasury yields higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.28% from 4.20% just before the data reports’ release and from 4.24% late Wednesday.

On Wall Street, Tapestry tumbled after the company behind the Coach and Kate Spade New York brands showed it’s feeling the pressure of tariffs.

It detailed how much profit it could lose in its upcoming fiscal year because of tariffs and duties, and its forecast for profit fell short of analysts’ expectations even though its forecast for revenue came in above. Its stock fell 15.7%, despite it also reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Deere fell 6.8% even though the machinery maker likewise delivered a better profit than expected. There, too, the focus was on where profits are heading. It cut the top end of its forecasted range for profit this fiscal year and said its customers “remain cautious amid ongoing uncertainty.”

On the winning side of Wall Street was Fossil Group, which jumped 29.8% after the seller of watches and other accessories reported better profit than expected. It also announced a plan to strengthen its finances, while trimming its forecast for how much it expects worldwide net sales to fall this year.

Big Tech stocks also helped mask Wall Street’s losses. Amazon rose 2.9% to add to its gains from the prior day when it announced same-day delivery of fresh groceries in more than 1,000 cities and towns.

Because Amazon is so huge, with a market value of $2.45 trillion, the movements for its stock carry much more weight on the S&P 500 than the typical company’s.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 1.96 to 6,468.54 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 11.01 to 44,911.26, and the Nasdaq composite dipped 2.47 to 21.710.67.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Asia and Europe ahead of a key meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

Originally Published: August 14, 2025 at 10:01 AM EDT

NEW YORK — Most stocks fell on Wall Street Thursday after a disappointing report said inflation was worse last month at the U.S. wholesale level than economists expected. But gains for Amazon and some other influential Big Tech companies helped mask the losses.

Seven out of every 10 stocks within the S&P 500 fell, though the index edged up by less than 0.1% to set another all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 11 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite dipped by less than 0.1% from its record set the day before.

The inflation report said that prices jumped 3.3% last month at the U.S. wholesale level from a year earlier. That was well above the 2.5% rate that economists had forecast, and it could hint at higher inflation ahead for U.S. shoppers as it makes its way through the system.

The data forced traders to second guess their widespread consensus that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. Lower rates can boost investment prices and the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment, but they also risk worsening inflation.

“This doesn’t slam the door on a September rate cut,” but it may raise some doubt, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.

Traders now see a 7.4% chance that the Fed may hold rates steady in September, according to data from CME Group. A day earlier, they were betting on a 100% certainty that the Fed would cut its main rate for the first time this year.

Higher interest rates drag on all kinds of companies by keeping the cost to borrow high. They can hurt smaller companies in particular because they often need to borrow to grow. The Russell 2000 index of smaller U.S. stocks tumbled a market-leading 1.2%.

Thursday’s disappointing data followed an encouraging update earlier in the week on prices at the consumer level. A separate report on Thursday, meanwhile, said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week. That’s a good sign for workers, indicating that layoffs remain relatively low at a time when job openings have become more difficult to find.

But a solid job market could also give the Fed less reason to cut interest rates in the short term.

The data helped send Treasury yields higher in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.28% from 4.20% just before the data reports’ release and from 4.24% late Wednesday.

On Wall Street, Tapestry tumbled after the company behind the Coach and Kate Spade New York brands showed it’s feeling the pressure of tariffs.

It detailed how much profit it could lose in its upcoming fiscal year because of tariffs and duties, and its forecast for profit fell short of analysts’ expectations even though its forecast for revenue came in above. Its stock fell 15.7%, despite it also reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Deere fell 6.8% even though the machinery maker likewise delivered a better profit than expected. There, too, the focus was on where profits are heading. It cut the top end of its forecasted range for profit this fiscal year and said its customers “remain cautious amid ongoing uncertainty.”

On the winning side of Wall Street was Fossil Group, which jumped 29.8% after the seller of watches and other accessories reported better profit than expected. It also announced a plan to strengthen its finances, while trimming its forecast for how much it expects worldwide net sales to fall this year.

Big Tech stocks also helped mask Wall Street’s losses. Amazon rose 2.9% to add to its gains from the prior day when it announced same-day delivery of fresh groceries in more than 1,000 cities and towns.

Because Amazon is so huge, with a market value of $2.45 trillion, the movements for its stock carry much more weight on the S&P 500 than the typical company’s.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 1.96 to 6,468.54 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 11.01 to 44,911.26, and the Nasdaq composite dipped 2.47 to 21.710.67.

Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corp. has largely stayed on the sidelines of the streaming wars.

That ends next week.

Fox, which owns the most-watched cable news channel Fox News and has TV rights to major sporting events such as the NFL and MLB post-season baseball, has remained committed to the declining pay TV business.

But with 65 million households no longer hooked up to cable or satellite services, the company making its channels available to non-pay TV customers for the first time with Fox One, a new streaming platform that will launch Aug. 21.

“There is a growing audience outside of cable,” said Pete Distad, chief executive of direct-to-consumer for Fox Corp., who previewed the service Thursday at a press briefing at the company’s New York headquarters. “We need to give to give those cord-cutters and cord-nevers access to our content.”

For $19.99 a month, Fox One will provide subscribers with their local Fox TV affiliate that carries a package of NFL games, plus two Fox Sports cable channels. A full year subscription will cost $199.

Fox One will also carry Fox News Media’s channels, which include Fox News, Fox Weather and Fox Business. It will provide replays of Fox programming on demand, with access to current seasons of entertainment programs and DVR capabilities with unlimited storage.

But the main selling point of Fox One will be the company’s array of live events, which include next year’s FIFA World Cup. The service will be promoted with the marketing tag line, “We Live For Live.”

Fox Sports’ Kevin Burkhardt talks with NFL broadcast partner Tom Brady before a 2024 preseason game at So-Fi Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Sports is the driver for the service. Fox Corp. and Walt Disney Co. have already agreed to offer a package deal for Fox One and the upcoming ESPN direct-to-consumer service also launching next week, for $39.99 a month, a savings of $10. ESPN will charge subscribers $29.99 on its own.

Distad said his company will look at more opportunities to bundle Fox One with other streaming services.

Until now, Fox’s biggest investment in streaming was the acquisition of Tubi, an ad-supported free streaming service that has grown to capture 1% of all U.S. TV viewing according to Nielsen.

Fox Corp. sold its TV and movie studio assets to Disney in 2019, partly because the company did not believe it could compete with deep-pocketed tech firms such as Amazon and Apple, which have spent freely on producing content for their streaming platforms.

But Amazon and Netflix — which acquired NFL rights in recent years — have shown that they can draw large audiences for live sports events, an area where Fox Corp. is already deeply entrenched.

The real test for the new streaming product will be the appetite for Fox News. The conservative-leaning news channel dominates its competitors in the TV ratings. Whether consumers who have cut the cable cord will be willing to pay to stream the channel’s live feed is an open question.

“Nobody knows how many news fans are outside of the pay TV universe,” Distad said.

Distad is encouraged by the reach of Fox News content online after it airs live on the TV network. Fox News scored 1.5 billion views on YouTube and 3.7 billion views on social media platforms in the last quarter.

Fox News Media’s existing streaming channel, Fox Nation, will be offered as a $5 add-on for Fox One for a total of $24.99 a month. The service has documentaries, true crime shows and movies that appeal to the Fox News audience.

Bret Baier, anchor of “Special Report” on Fox News.

(Fox News)

Fox Corp. executives are keeping their expectations low. It’s priced high enough so that the consumer who is currently happy with their current cable TV subscription is not likely to cancel.

But Distad said profit projections are “aggressive” as the platform will not spend money to create original programming. All of the content is being provided from its existing networks.

Investment in original programming has been the main obstacle to profitability for the streaming services that have proliferated in recent years.

Distad said the company is considering putting podcasts on the Fox One platform. Fox Corp. company recently acquired Red Seat Ventures, a media company that specializes in providing business support and technical services for right-leaning podcasts.