Varsity Brands may be one of the biggest sports businesses most fans have never heard of.
A school buying uniforms, a parent ordering team gear, a cheerleader attending camp, a family travelling to a championship and a fan watching that competition can all end up spending money inside the same company. Varsity Spirit alone reaches more than 1 million athletes each year, while more than 7,200 Varsity employees became co-owners when KKR took control.
The business stretches across team equipment, uniforms, ecommerce, club sport, camps, competitions, media, sponsorship, yearbooks and now professional cheer. BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit sit at the centre, with businesses such as Soccer.com, Lax.com, Club Direct, My Team Shop and Varsity TV pushing Varsity closer to the athlete and the family paying the bill.
America is set to have fewer children, yet more of them are playing sports and families are spending more to support it.
This is what makes Varsity different from a sporting goods retailer or equipment distributor. It can sell into the team, the school, the athlete, the parent and the event around them.
365247 Sports breaks down the business and ecosystem of Varsity Brands, how its portfolio fits together, where KKR sees the next stage of growth and more…